Why Slow And Running Go Together
Running for exercise or running through life – slow gets you further. Here is why.
Hello out there - in a rushed world,
Here comes your weekly permission slip to Un-rush and Slow Down.
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Listening is the most important thing you can do says Vogue editor Grace Coddington, 83
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Slowing down tourism and re-respecting own residents in Barcelona
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Slow cabins in Ireland
Why Slow And Running Go Together
Running for exercise or running through life – slow gets you further. Here is why.
You can win a marathon, beating everyone else with a better time, by running “slow”. This is what the German long-distance runner, marathon winner, and mindful running coach Hanna Tempelhagen did. She is one of the few long-distance runners to have managed to break the magic mark of under three hours in the marathon. Now she coaches mindful running.
You don’t need to be a runner to benefit from this input about running and slowing down. Bear with me.
As in many other contexts, slowing down doesn’t mean moving like a snail or running slower than your regular speed. It means doing what you do with awareness, with some pauses, with recovery times, and with joy in the process.
We connect running with speed. And most athletes assume that faster is better. The absurdity of speeding while running or speeding through your task list is that you don’t get (in one piece) to the finish line or deadline on time.
When it comes to competition, faster certainly wins. But people easily overlook the long period leading up to the brief moment of the competing race. During preparation, development, and training, mixing up the pace and running slower actually has the potential to set you up for faster speeds on race day.
Meaning of slow when running/exercising
Studies have proved that most people run too fast. Especially when you first start running, you have to be patient with the process. And long slow endurance work needs to be done to improve at longer distances. “Don’t run out the door at your fastest pace. You should build into it by being extremely slow on the first mile,” advises coach and world-class endurance athlete Calum Neff.
Running mindfully doesn’t mean running slowly, it's about running in harmony with yourself. It means noticing what happens in your body, with your feet, your heart, and your breath while you run.
Stay with the running and yourself and not with the music and your distraction
Plenty of people start their running by plugging in their music, a podcast, or an audiobook. To kill two birds with one stone, or to get through the exercise without being bored. That’s how many people approach running. Try a different approach and you will be surprised by the results.
Whatever you stream through your headphones to your brain is a distraction from yourself, your running, and your environment. Music motivates and pushes you which is sometimes ok. But please not the whole time. I never put any audio in my ears because I want to enjoy the running, not the music. I would like to hear nature and clear my head or listen to my thoughts, but not listen to somebody else’s voice or input.
Be with your running, be present with your running. Realize what thoughts, ideas, or feelings come up, and notice what’s around you.
The marathon runner and mindful running coach
Hanna Tempelhagen’s vision and teaching is not about running faster and further, but about feeling exactly what happens in your body when you run. The German professional athlete combines running, mindfulness, and meditation.
Here are some tips Hanna gives in her running workshops and trainings.
Consciously focus your attention on the upcoming run.
What is the intention for this run? Is there an intention? What answers emerge?
Mindful running does not mean that you have to consciously focus on one thing the whole time. You can choose sections of the route, from tree to tree or streetlamp to streetlamp, and then focus on the one thing you chose as your focus point for your run.
You can also incorporate sections where you consciously walk, stop, and notice your breath or heartbeat.
Likewise, you can consciously vary your pace and observe how your posture, stride length, or breathing changes.
How to do it
More tips from the mindful running coach on the process of running:
First things first: No music or podcast when running
Start - with warm-up and breathing exercises.
Think about a focus you might want to use in your run - Something you can go back to when getting distracted or impatient. This can be a body part, your breath, the sounds of the birds, a question, etc.
Running - start with short periods and slowly extend
Pausing – Take short breaks during your run and listen inside yourself
Continue - after a short pause, continue with your run
When finish the running - Cool down, walk a bit, and then stretch
Breathing, noticing - Take a moment, for example, lying down, and realize your breathing, notice how your body feels
Benefits of running mindfully
Stress reduction
Mental strength
Increase your ability to concentrate and focus
Doing something slowly and mindfully can help you overcome your fears and doubts.
It helps you to focus on reaching your goals. This is what happens while running. It helps you to keep up with a marathon and to finish it.
Because here is the thing. We can all start strong, but it requires focus, mindset, stamina, and discipline to persevere to the end and hit the finish line.
Try to skip the podcasts and music and pay attention to your feet, the feeling of running, the surrounding sounds (e.g. the birds or trees), your breathing, the sky, or the fresh air in your face. And then see how your body and mind feel after the run compared to when missing out on all this because you were distracted by an audiobook.
You have a higher chance of avoiding injuries.
The combination of working off energy through running and finishing the workout by lying down for a moment and being still and listening to your inside and your breath feels tremendously rewarding.
All of the above you can transfer to other sports, exercises, or daily life.
Running for exercise or running through life – slowing down gets you further.
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