Some run to remember; Some run to forget
Being a bit of a Tarot reading hippy at heart, I recently stumbled across a great online article at www.tinybuddha.com about self-care ideas for the soul. It made me realise just how much my runs 'nourish' me.
In addition to the physical challenges of a run, I've started setting myself the challenge of spotting at least five beautiful or interesting things along the route. Yesterday's 10K meander along the Trans Pennine Trail from Dunford Bridge to Penistone (one of my favourite routes) yielded lots of lovely things. Quaint animal carvings are to be found at different points on the trail - a rabbit head, an eagle, some slightly phallic-looking gnomes. In addition, at one stage you pass by an abandoned bicycle with two upturned wellington boots sticking out of the mud, as if someone is buried under there. There's plenty of whimsy on this run and I never get bored. I still react with childish glee when a rabbit belts out of the bushes and crosses my path and I get ridiculously excited when I realise I'm about to run over a big, clompy footbridge. It's all about getting back in touch with our very basic pleasure sources, the sort of things we dismiss in our pursuit of bigger or more sophisticated things, but it's so good for the soul!
The article talked about the virtues of the 'self date.' Going for a run is the best "self date" you can have. Spending an hour on your own, doing something just for you, giving yourself some valued head space. I always think of the line from Hotel California - "some dance to remember, some dance to forget." The same goes for running. Sometimes it's about switching off completely from thinking about anything. Usually we only switch off properly when we're asleep, but a run is another way to lose yourself in your immediate surroundings and immediate purpose. For that hour or so, the rest of the world can wait. It's so refreshing.
But you can, if you want, use the time to ponder. I find that problem-solving on the move is often a lot more productive than sitting around the house, over-analysing things. Because all my energy is going into the run, I find that I don't have any spare to put into an in-depth analysis of a problem. As a result, my thought processes are greatly simplified and often allow me to come up with solutions that are far more straightforward and sensible than those arrived at through hours of over-thinking at home. That has to be a good thing.
This was taken at beautiful Middleton Woods after a hot and undulating parkrun.
In addition to the physical challenges of a run, I've started setting myself the challenge of spotting at least five beautiful or interesting things along the route. Yesterday's 10K meander along the Trans Pennine Trail from Dunford Bridge to Penistone (one of my favourite routes) yielded lots of lovely things. Quaint animal carvings are to be found at different points on the trail - a rabbit head, an eagle, some slightly phallic-looking gnomes. In addition, at one stage you pass by an abandoned bicycle with two upturned wellington boots sticking out of the mud, as if someone is buried under there. There's plenty of whimsy on this run and I never get bored. I still react with childish glee when a rabbit belts out of the bushes and crosses my path and I get ridiculously excited when I realise I'm about to run over a big, clompy footbridge. It's all about getting back in touch with our very basic pleasure sources, the sort of things we dismiss in our pursuit of bigger or more sophisticated things, but it's so good for the soul!
The article talked about the virtues of the 'self date.' Going for a run is the best "self date" you can have. Spending an hour on your own, doing something just for you, giving yourself some valued head space. I always think of the line from Hotel California - "some dance to remember, some dance to forget." The same goes for running. Sometimes it's about switching off completely from thinking about anything. Usually we only switch off properly when we're asleep, but a run is another way to lose yourself in your immediate surroundings and immediate purpose. For that hour or so, the rest of the world can wait. It's so refreshing.
But you can, if you want, use the time to ponder. I find that problem-solving on the move is often a lot more productive than sitting around the house, over-analysing things. Because all my energy is going into the run, I find that I don't have any spare to put into an in-depth analysis of a problem. As a result, my thought processes are greatly simplified and often allow me to come up with solutions that are far more straightforward and sensible than those arrived at through hours of over-thinking at home. That has to be a good thing.
This was taken at beautiful Middleton Woods after a hot and undulating parkrun.
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