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Lose yourself on your next run

Finding a constructive way of dealing with this stress is critically important however, as numerous studies correlate stress with illness. When I’m not training, my mind is usually racing, considering all the tasks that need to be done and constantly reshuffling my weekly seriatim. The longer these periods last, the less productive I become. What I’ve learned about myself is that when I recognize that I’m getting stressed, I need exercise to calm my mind and help me refocus.

“I lead a busy life”. I hear myself saying this far too often for my own liking, and not surprisingly, I hear it repeated back to me daily from the people I cross paths with. It’s no newsflash that we are all busy. What fills our day varies from person to person, but the stress that accompanies a full day is something that we all share. As one task relentlessly gives way to the next, stress builds, and builds, and builds. My mind starts to become clouded with too many thoughts, and I get a sensation that I’m running on a treadmill I can’t step-off of. For me, it is often very difficult to break this trend, despite knowing I must.

Finding a constructive way of dealing with this stress is critically important however, as numerous studies correlate stress with illness. When I’m not training, my mind is usually racing, considering all the tasks that need to be done and constantly reshuffling my weekly seriatim. The longer these periods last, the less productive I become. What I’ve learned about myself is that when I recognize that I’m getting stressed, I need exercise to calm my mind and help me refocus.

If you have seen this TED talk (stroke of insight), you will know what I mean when I say that I am trying to “quiet the noise” and “become one with the universe”, so to speak. I have discovered that exercise is my mental filter. To keep it interesting, and to help cross train for Boundless, I do more than just run (swim, yoga, weights, hike, ride, paddle, and climb), yet despite all the options, trail running brings me the most inner peace and stillness of mind. It brings me into the moment, and heightens my self-awareness.

I don’t know why this is. There is probably a chemical reason for this that I could look up if I was really curious but I don’t need to add another item to my to do list. What I do know is that I quickly lose my sense of time passing when I’m running on a trail, and when I’m out for more than an hour, I can truly lose myself in the run. My mind is engaged and my focus sharp. Unlike road running, the forever-changing terrain and trail surface demands my attention. Trees, branches, and plants zip by in my periphery, and I am constantly scanning the trail, and myself to gather information for my next move, such as working out how to carry speed through an upcoming hairpin turn. When I downhill, my body moves in a smooth, almost primal rhythm. It’s almost like dancing, as my hips move counter to my arms, and the balls of my feet strike lightly on the trail surface, but only for a split second so as not to slow my perfect freefall. Instinctively, my body responds to the trail without conscious direction of my brain. In this way, the mind and body metaphorically disconnect.

Life simplifies when I’m on the trails, and if I choose to let my mind wander, I’m able to tackle problems one-at-a-time. I find that I can think through business or personal issues with greater clarity, and certainly with less distraction than when I’m sitting at a desk. My greatest moments on the trail are those that I have I allowed myself to get utterly lost in. This philosophy brings me new meaning to the term “lost and found”.

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