Finding Zen

I've written before about learning from my role as assistant coach for Girls on the Run.
Earlier this semester we challenged the girls to run laps without talking to anyone - just focusing on themselves, their thoughts, and how they felt while running. These girls are very chatty, so this was really a challenge for them, but they gave it their best and were (mostly) quiet. After our run, we talked about the value of slowing down and spending time with just ourselves.

via Huffington Post

It's a great lesson for everyone, so I decided to challenge myself to 30 minutes of solitude.

Even when we are by ourselves, solitude is hard to find. Technology provides the world at our doorstep, and that can be a great thing. But to be truly alone in my challenge, I turned my phone and laptop off.

At first, the quiet and sense of space around me was amazing. I felt both big and small - just a small part of the world, but with so much possibility. It felt like a long time, but that probably took about a minute. Then I thought about doing pushups.

I stuck it out for the full 30 minutes, but I can't say I really achieved any sort of zen state. Most of the time I had conversations with myself and planned out my schedule for next year.

I know some people practice meditation and find it really beneficial. I find I have a better shot at zen if I'm wearing myself out physically - so yoga, or a long run, is my version of finding solitude. And while I do bring my phone with me when I run (both for safety and to track my progress), I've stopped listening to music and just allow myself to be present.

If you always run with music, try going without. Maybe just start with a short run. You might be surprised at how refreshing it feels to be alone out there, just putting one foot in front of the other.

Overcoming The Bear

Boston saw its first snowflake this past weekend, so it's official. Summer is over.
If you're like me, training over the winter is really hard. Something switches, and I suddenly crave naps, cheese, and whiskey. The athlete in me wants to keep my training schedule, eat lots of veggies, and spend time outside. But The Bear in me wants to eat that athlete with a side of cheesy-bread and then hide in a cave until the sun comes out again.

Every summer I think This is the year I overcome The Bear. But the following summer I always find myself slowly working off the extra pounds, and wondering why I couldn't have been more diligent. This year, I'm hoping to do better by combining a dose of realism - I probably will gain some weight, and that's ok - with a plan of attack, following these tips:

1. Be realistic, keep it small: If you struggle to stay active through the winter, don't pretend you're going to be running a marathon a week. Make a few small commitments, set reasonable goals to ensure you are meeting your commitments, and then give yourself a break. If you want to run consistently over the winter to keep your base, set a reasonable weekly distance goal and let yourself meet that goal anyway your body feels like it. Enter a few winter races to keep yourself accountable (I do the Super Sunday 5 mile race in Cambridge every year).

2. Find a buddy: If you can't find it in yourself to get up and workout, find someone who will make you. They don't have to actually be there physically, although that's nice; the key is accountability. You have to hate the idea of letting them down more than you hate getting out of bed. For me, November Project is my buddy.

3. Make a schedule: Or a training plan, or whatever you want to call it. It needs to be something that benefits you, not something that makes you feel guilty and angry, so keep Tip 1 in mind. And remember, it doesn't need to be daily or even weekly, and it doesn't even need to be specific. For instance, my "schedule" looks like this: Wednesdays - November Project stairs, 2 swim workouts/week, 1 trainer session/week, 3-6 miles running. It's loose in terms of schedule, because I tried regimenting my training, and it made me cranky. And it's low on activity, because if I do more than scheduled, I feel awesome. No shame here.

4. Prioritize: You'll notice that my "schedule" above has more swimming workouts than anything else. That's because I prioritize swimming in the winter - it's easy to ramp up that training because it's not weather dependent.

5. Focus on water: Drink lots of water. Winters are dry, and you are probably spending more time at the bar. If you can't resist the whiskey and cheese, at least chug water like it's your job.


What's your strategy for fending off The Bear? I suppose I could simply avoid him by living in a warmer climate...