A time to pause and reset
Forgive me this post (title) if you are in the middle of a big training cycle for an upcoming spring (spring? … that seems like a sketchy rumor at point!) race – like the Boston Marathon. Even if you are, I think this concept may have some merit to any runner at any time of the year.
As with many of these posts, the phases of my coaching life have an impact on my (writing) mindset. We just concluded an emotionally draining – and successful! -- weekend at our indoor conference championship meet. It capped a very long, equally emotionally draining – and equally successful! – indoor track season.
I am currently typing this on Monday in the midst of yet another mammoth snowstorm. That matters, too. We are in a mini reset period between seasons – we will resume track training for the outdoor season in a few days. Being hunkered down on a snow day allows for some reflection. A time to pause and reset.
Before continuing, credit must be given to my good friend Ken Schneider, who gave me the idea for this post while we were on a run last week. As with many conversations on the run, it was stream of consciousness and it may be difficult to replicate his exact point. But I will try to do that with this post.
We were discussing how “recovery” is an often overlooked topic in running. I countered with several posts in which I have addressed that issue – it’s also a hot-button topic with my athletes. But he wasn’t simply referring simply to running less or running easier. He meant – and I hope I’m getting this right, buddy – REALLY recovering. Really resetting. Unplugging. Unwinding. Tuning out. Turning off a constantly whirring mind.
This concept transcends running. It is something we all struggle with and all of us fail to achieve. Pause. Stop. Quiet. Just be. Yes, it sounds like a meditation teacher. But again, these are things we cannot do, for one very simple reason: That glass case that we have with us at all times, the one on which you are almost certainly reading this post.
You know. That glowing object that pings us, cajoles us to action, makes us worry about the weather, compels us to check our work emails during non-work hours (whatever THAT means these days), and allows us to mind-numbingly while away hours upon hours watching videos and consuming content in a steady stream of brain stimuli.
Surely, you’ve heard of dopamine, the chemical released by your brain when stimulated by much of what we do on our phones. I’m not going to say we’re “addicted” to dopamine, but we sure are attracted to its feel-good qualities – most of which are triggered with cell phone use.
The problem is this: That brain stimulation is akin to revving your car’s motor; it’s constant activity and noise, and it burns a lot of energy. Even if you are not physically active, the brain signals to your body are akin to physical activity. It can wear you out. It can cause stress. It can cause anxiety.
Running can help to alleviate that, for sure – a “healthy outlet” that we hear about all the time. But even running adds fuel to the fire. We post our runs on Strava, we post our race activities on social media, we check others’ runs and races on social media.
When do we rest our brains? When do we reset our thoughts? I don’t have any pithy advice here for you other than the obvious edict to “stay off your phones,” which we all like say and we all never do.
I guess the ‘advice’ would be to focus on recovery in all areas. The obvious one is the physical recovery – having “down” weeks, doing shorter, easier runs, taking a day off when needed. The less obvious is mental and emotional – dialing back your brain – which in turn will allow your body to rest a little as well.
Ken, buddy, I hope I got this right. For everyone else, I hope some of this makes sense. And remember? Shoveling and snow blowing counts as cross training!