Wednesday 24 June 2015

That's a bit of luck

I'm reading a great book "Uncertainty - Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance" by Jonathan Fields at the moment.

I read the following passage from the book this morning:

"Exercise isn't just about physical health and appearance. It also has a profound effect on your brain chemistry, physiology, and neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to literally rewire itself). It affects not only your ability to think, create, and solve, but your mood and ability to lean into uncertainty, risk, judgment, and anxiety in a substantial, measurable way..."

Ah, that's why my daily morning mile helps me to deal with life and its daily challenges so effectively.

That's a bit of luck then!

Monday 22 June 2015

Run long, smile & learn

I got up to my 80th consecutive daily mile this morning after my enforced 10 day lay off in March. It's going to be quite a long time to get anywhere near my March total of 1,909 days, but hey ho.

On Saturday I went a little over my daily mile as I took part in the South Downs Trail Relay marathon. I did just over 7 miles of an incredibly hilly and absolutely stunning leg of the marathon. I loved it.

These days, even in a race, it's very rare that I actually race. This year I caught up with another runner from my local running group, who I didn't know that well, and ran the rest of the leg with her, taking in the view, chatting and getting to know a bit about her life and her running. I'd highly recommend it.

I've realised that another of the many many side benefits of running, particularly longer runs, is learning something new.

When I run long on my own I often learn more about myself.

When I run long with someone else I usually learn more about them.

And then there is the best of both worlds where I learn more about myself AND someone else.

For a before and after shot of a few of us from the group, see below...




Thursday 18 June 2015

The most important thing

On my way into town yesterday to camp out at a local coffee shop and do some writing, I cycled past an old lady who was standing on a grass verge looking uncertain and very uncomfortable, and I wasn't sure which way she was trying to go.

I'd gone past her heading up the road before I really registered that everything wasn't quite right, so I turned round to investigate.

Sure enough she was in her 90's, hadn't been out for a while and was trying to catch a bus into town to do some shopping, but she told me she was feeling (and was definitely looking) very shaky.

In the end all she needed was my support to get down from the grass verge and sit down on the nearby bench to rest for a few minutes.

I did ask if there was anything else I could do but she refused, thanking me profusely.

What I wondered is how many times I would have vaguely registered that something wasn't quite normal and just continued merrily on my way, forgetting it in a matter of minutes or even seconds.

Self help and improvement books and trainings tell us to focus on our goal and on our vision and to not be distracted. Yes they also often tell us to try and be in the present moment, but in most cases that's to check in right now with what we're feeling and experiencing. I suppose the clue's in the name Self Help. It's all focused on ourselves.

I'm not lecturing here but reflecting on myself and just wondering if others might spot it in themselves too.

I know that many times I would have cycled past that old lady, pretty much oblivious, but yesterday I stopped. 

It took me less than two minutes to provide a helping hand but it was the most important thing I did yesterday. It must have been otherwise I wouldn't have thought of it as soon as I opened my laptop this morning. 

Wednesday 17 June 2015

Making it a game

Yesterday I had a really long day of workshop delivery followed by dinner with the client, bookended by a couple of long car journeys, which meant me leaving home at 5.20 a.m. and getting back just after midnight.

In order to fit my morning mile in, this necessitated me stepping outside my door to start my run just before 4.30 a.m. 

Rather than allowing myself to feel that this was a real pain or that it was just too much to ask, I actually enjoyed my super early mile even more than I enjoy my usual 5.30 or 5.45 a.m. runs.

The extra challenge of getting out there earlier felt like an adventure, something a bit special. A bit like that feeling when you're getting up in the middle of the night to go on holiday, only without the holiday.

I've realised, more and more, recently that not only is my daily mile an experiment but it's also a game. The unusual challenges of squeezing my run in actually become more fun, because it's not like I have to run each day, it's just a choice I make on a daily basis.

I wonder how I can recreate that feeling of making it a game full of fun challenges into my business and other key areas of my life?

Sunday 14 June 2015

Increased awareness

A quick update on my barefoot experiment

Last weekend I tried out my first mile run in my Vibrams, and yesterday I did a two miler in them.

I'm well aware of all the warnings that have been given about running in them, particularly when moving from traditional running shoes to them, including reading about people who'd had stress fractures from running in them. But I can't resist an experiment.

I'm still running in my normal Brooks Pure Flows most of the time, but I have to say that I do enjoy the increased awareness of my feet striking the ground that the barefoot experience gives me.

Anything that increases my ability to be in the present moment, even though running is pretty good at that anyway, is a good thing.

Thursday 11 June 2015

Connected

One of my personal values is connection.

One of the many things I love about running is that it gives me the opportunity to connect with myself, especially with that part of myself that has huge dreams, and sees and feels limitless possibilities.

Whenever I can I also try to keep away from places where there's traffic. 

This often takes me to green, open or wooded spaces where I also feel a connection with nature.

Is it only me, or does anyone else feel when they're running in and with nature that they are connected to nature and to the immense creative power of nature?

How can you not succeed with such power on your side?

I love running! :-)

Wednesday 10 June 2015

Change perspective

After my run this morning I was writing in my journal about the fact that I'd slept through to my alarm for the first time in days. 

I went on to describe what I thought was good about it, that I'd got more sleep than I otherwise would have done and therefore felt more rested.

On the flip side I hadn't managed to do my ten minutes of meditation, the latest habit I'm trying to implement, and would therefore have to fit it in later in my day.

So there I was with one good thing about my later waking and one bad thing. This got me wondering whether it was true that one was a good thing and the other was a bad thing, or were they just things?

I'd got more sleep and I felt more rested. Fact. I hadn't managed to fit my meditation in before my run and would need to fit it in during the day if I wanted to keep developing it as a habit. Fact.

How helpful was it to then assign the labels good and bad to those facts?

I find that when I do assign labels, it's invariably the one that I label as bad that takes up the most space and time in my mind.

But what if I manage to find a better time to fit my daily meditation in because I didn't have time to do it this morning? Surely that would turn that bad outcome into a good one.

Good and bad are always subjective and relate to fixed perspectives that you hold.

Keep the good ones but find a way to change perspective for the bad ones.



Monday 8 June 2015

Our own worlds

I'm grateful to Amy Lomax who read my column in June's Running Fitness magazine and has taken it to heart, in her post 100 Days of Running Day 37 - Smiles!

I have been doing my smile each day as well as my mile each day for quite a while now but I haven't really given it much thought apart from just doing it.

Amy's post has made me think that it might be an interesting experiment to keep a loose track on the results I notice from smiling at people and saying "Good Morning", "Good Afternoon" or "Good Evening", whether or not I'm running. After all, it's not that often I see anyone on my 5.30 a.m. runs.

So on my run this morning I did see a lady who I sometimes see walking her 2 collies and got a cheery "Good Morning" and a big smile back.

I also got returned smiles from all but one person I greeted, in town, and on the way there and back. 

You can never know what's going on in someone else's world.

I wish the lady caught up in her own world a great day as well as all the others. You never know, another time she just might return my greeting, or not.

Smile on!


Sunday 7 June 2015

The gap between dreaming and doing

I've been lucky enough to experience several "wow" moments in the past 24 hours. 

There were two or three on my preparation run for the South Downs Relay, which is in 13 days time, this morning. It was an absolutely stunning morning and reminded me of how much I love running in the summer.

Running along country roads bordered by tall hedges which suddenly disappeared to reveal breathtaking views. It doesn't get much better than this.

Yesterday I attended the first TEDx event inTunbridge Wells. I absolutely loved it, and saw, heard and met some incredible people. What makes them incredible is that they are ordinary people doing things that most of us only dream of doing.

The gap between dreaming and doing is very small in terms of what it takes to move from one to the other, and yet appears abyss-like and impossible to cross for most of us.

Find, talk to and mix with people who are doing it and suddenly it seems very possible.