What I Mean When I Talk About Running

By NG’ANG’A WA MUCHIRI
Published August 3, 2009

Sport is more than just a game. It is a way of life that can go as far as influencing our decisions even off the field. For the many years I have been engaged in leisurely runs, I have often been amazed by the energy and excitement that feels my life each time I get off the track. Yes, the modern concept of ‘fit’ involves exercise beyond ‘normal’ parameters. And yes, Western media has enticed other societies with a concept of beauty that is arguably way too thin to sustain life.

Despite all these, exercising, at whatever age, health or weight bracket you are in, is always a good activity. It is inevitably a lot more mental than physical. If anything, exercising allows your body to communicate within itself. As a result, you are not only purging excess energy but also stress, toxins and much more. So, how do we get along?

Concept 1: One Step at a Time

Sometimes when I run, I have a set distance I wish to cover. In order to actually fulfill my desired run I always have to think not of the 10/15 km that I have left, but rather to focus purely on the next step I will take. I call it the ‘foot soldiers method’ because it is my feet that achieve this. My eyes are fixed on the ground and all I have to do is take that extra step, simply put my left foot in front of my right. To me, this is the same way with life. That degree you have been asking for is not four years away; rather it is this one exam away, and the next and the next, till you are done. In the same way, that business you’ve been dying for is not a million shillings away, it is one client away, and the next, and the next, and before you know it you have an empire to behold. Remember, one step at a time.

Concept 2: Be in the Zone

Running, inevitably, wears your body down. After sometime, my shins become painful with each additional step. One way to beat this physical fatigue, which also comes in the form of that good old side-stitch, is to mentally ignore it. I begin by focusing on my breathing, one breath in, one breath out. Like a meditation, huh? Though I am aware of the physical environment around me and stay on the road or track, my mind is far away. I become so engrossed in my run I can overcome pain. Nevertheless, the mental success of these attempts to ignore physical fatigue can only be achieved when I am in the ‘zone’. This is the sub-conscious level where pain can be disregarded, the real, or imagined, cheering crowds sink to the background and their noise becomes nothing more than a constant din at the back of your mind. Guess what? This has application in ‘real life’ too! When you have your friends asking you not to try due to the risk of failure you might face, tune them out, just like you would the cheering crowds and focus on the next step to get to what you want. And when you do fail, despite all else, you focus on the need to go on!

Concept 3: Take a Break

Despite the mental preparation and the intense desire to get to the finish line, we are only human; we must, at some point, stop, and take a break. What is even more interesting is how effective such a break is to the overall run. Running, say for 10 minutes then taking a five-minute break, has enabled me to cut my overall time tremendously, even if I include the rests in between. Pushing hard for a limited amount of time, and having a short rest to look forward to in the near future are two factors that combine to produce great performance. Our minds are reward-oriented. Students have been known to study better for shorter amounts of time with breaks in between. These study-rest cycles repeated for five or six hours can achieve more than chaining yourself to a chair for three hours. The well-known adage ‘work hard and play hard’ is based on the same run-rest philosophy, and there are many other ways that people have incorporated this idea into their lives. Try it and see the difference.

Concept 4: Choice

Sport is a choice, and it does not matter which one you make as long as you go out there and pitch your best ball, put your best foot forward, or make the best right hand backswing you can. There are many sports, all suited to different personalities. The crucial thing is not so much WHICH, but more so HOW. It matters more that one is fully dedicated to what they choose.

Similarly, there are many careers, and inevitably there are public misconceptions which value some jobs higher than others. However, it is better to be a dedicated kindergarten teacher, rather than a mediocre doctor. Chinua Achebe first joined medical school in Nigeria before switching to English. Imagine a world without Things Fall Apart and you understand how important it is to do what we ourselves feel best suited to.

Sports are a small segment of ‘real life.’ In this controlled space, however, we can gain skills that will help us when we go back into the mad everyday rush. Of course, in the process, we also get to stay fit, looking young and sexy!

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Tags: exercising, sports