Can I Do This Right Now?
How meditation helped me be a better runner (and person)
Running is the hardest exercise I’ve ever done consistently. I think it’s because of two things — it’s a full-body workout and you have to expend effort all the time. Doing “cardio” on gym equipment like an elliptical machine or an exercise bike isolates certain parts of the body; my legs feel tired afterward, but I’m not totally exhausted. Road cycling, which I did for a few years, is very tough going up the hills, but at least you get to rest when you coast downhill.
Running, which I started a couple of years ago after an almost two-decade hiatus, is the toughest. But I’ve recently realized that its difficulty has less to do with what’s going on in my legs than what’s going on in my head.
When I’m exercising on a machine, I’m usually watching TV, which provides a nice distraction from any discomfort I may feel. As long as the show is entertaining enough, I sort of forget that I’m exercising. When I used to go cycling, I was distracted by something very different: trying not to die. I had to pay a lot of attention to traffic, potholes, and other issues on the road, which often took my attention away from the physical effort I was expending.
But when I run I am doing something rather difficult and I am aware of it pretty much all of…
