By Constantine – Dean Karnazes
We live in a hyperactive world. Our minds are perpetually on overdrive as we are bombarded with incessant daily stimuli, from blaring news broadcasts, to social media feeds, to maddening traffic jams, to the everyday demands of work and family obligations, the pressure never ceases. We are constantly required to analyze, quantify, theorize, react and respond. Our brains are overburdened. Case in point. The attention span of a goldfish is eight seconds. That’s two seconds more than the average person. Imagine that, most people can only focus on one thing for six seconds.
However, I’ve discovered an escape valve from the sensory overload. In a complicated world, doing something simple provides a way out, a delightful mechanism for recharging the mind and spirit. It’s called running.
There is no simpler physical activity than running, and there is none more powerful. When life seems overwhelming, a quiet run invokes a calm clarity. The restless mind is given a break as the only thing that matters is putting one foot in front of the other, and repeating this simple act over and over again.
When people ask me what I think about when I’m running, I tell them that I don’t. Thinking, you see, is the problem.
Instead of thinking, I focus on doing. By that, I mean quieting the mind and concentrating on a single activity, that of putting one foot in front of the other to the best of my ability. I don’t think about how much farther there is to go, and I don’t reflect on the past. All I think about is taking my next footstep, and my next, and my next…
Surprisingly, this is not as easy as it sounds. As discussed previously, the mind is not effortlessly quieted. It takes discipline and focus to halt the cerebral wandering. Every time the mind goes astray, I try to bring it back to my next footstep, and my next, and so on and so forth.
In doing this, a tranquil Zen-like state emerges where life’s troubles fade away and for a glorious moment of time the unbearable heaviness of being is lifted from one’s shoulders. The pressure valve is released, and the tension of daily existence fades away. The mind is quieted, and a tranquil bliss replaces the nonstop noise.
Part of this experience involves the ritual of preparing for the run. Putting on my ena Proto Train running shoes, tying the laces, opening the door and slowly jogging down the street for a warmup. The comfort and fit of the Proto Train enable me to run kilometer after kilometer without thinking about what’s below my feet. A runner develops a relationship with their running shoes. Sometimes it is a contentious and quarrelsome relationship, where the shoe seems to be fighting against the runner. Other times, it’s a harmonious bond in which the runner and their shoes fuse into one. I’ve spent many hours and many kilometers with my Proto Train shoes, and we have a mutually respectful kinship, even when the run itself is difficult.
In conclusion, when the world seems overwhelming, try running as a gateway to discover calmness and clarity. The struggles of life can drain our energy. The struggles of running reenergized us. So lace up those shoes and get out the door!