For those of us who practice yoga, I thought you’d appreciate this vid clip of the Inappropriate Yoga Guy. Every class has one.

Find your edge and dance upon it.

hak

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For such a simple and supposedly natural activity, running can be quite problematic for many of us. While I’m no expert on the subject, I’ve become quite the student of running posture over the past 18 months as I’ve struggled to overcome various calf and knee injuries.

Since I did not have these injuries during my first foray into endurance sports several years ago, I figured something must have changed in how I was running. Something biomechanical.

After much self study, I had found that somehow over the years, I had evolved to an overpronator.

Rather than turn to an external device like an orthotic, I decided to try and use meditation to fix my overpronation. No, I did not sit and burn incense in the hope that divine inspiration would fix my feet. I used my mind to pay attention to where I was placing my feet. You see, mindfulness is at the core of meditation and is something that you can carry with you…not just while you’re sitting in a formal meditation posture.

First, we need to know what pronation is. Normal pronation, or “turning inward” of the foot is necessary as the foots adapts to the terrain. With over pronation, the arch can flatten (or worse, collapse) and the soft tissues of the foot will stretch, causing the joint surfaces to work at unnatural angles to each other. In short, stability goes out the window….and that stability is not limited to the foot and ankle. It works its way up toward the knee, hips and spine. When we lose that structural integrity, the body’s natural cushioning also goes bye-bye.

Studies have shown that runners who overpronate have a higher incident of:

1. Shin splints
2. Tendonitis
3. Stress Fractures
4. Plantar Fasciatis
5. Chondromalacia (Runner’s Knee)

One common way for people to address overpronation is to buy a pair of running shoes designed for overpronators. These shoes have more rigid midsole to help reduce the amount of foot roll. Another route is orthotics.

While these options may be great short-term solutions that can help you get back on the road or trail without pain, I’ve always been a firm believer in fixing the problem, not simply treating the symptoms.

The way I figured it, I didn’t become an overpronator overnight so I wasn’t going to return to my normal pronation in a few days. I had to return to the old school basics: posture.

I made a conscious effort to check my foot position every time I came to a stop or was standing in line. Lo and behold, when I looked down at my feet, what did I see?

My unatural “natural” stance when I’m not mindful of where my feet are.

I would then shift my feet into neutral alignment.

Natural alignment.

Then back to overpronation.

Then back to neutral alignment.

With each shift, I pay attention to where my weight was (heel? midfoot? toes?) the subtle pressures applied to my knees, and my overall sense of balance.

Neutral alignment is where it’s at, baby.

Now, I haven’t completely cured my overpronation on my left foot, but I am more mindful of my foot alignment and I’m slowly…slowly, getting more “neutral.”

As Steve Ilg often says, “Our workout is everywhere.”

Even if it’s in the employee breakroom.

Find your edge and dance upon it.

hak

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Because we train every aspect of our bodies in the pool, on the road, sometimes in the gym, and hopefully more common, in the yoga studio. Yet how many of us actually carve out time from our busy schedules to train our brain?

Think of our bodies as a system. In order for that system to operate at its peak efficiency and power, everything should be in balance. Do you think we’re in balance if we’re only training muscles, lungs and a heart?

In the weeks ahead, we’ll get more into the specifics of various meditation theories and practices. I’m far from any kind of expert in this subject and actually can only bring a limited amount of credible experience to the written page. I will share what personal experiences I can, as well as bring in some more experienced teachers.

OK, so again…why meditation for endurance athletes?

Well, a few years back, scientists, led by neuroscientist Richard Davidson from the University of Wisconsin, wanted to learn more about human distress and suffering. They paired up with the Dalai Lama and a group of his Tibetan monks.

“There is almost a scientific-like attitude that is exemplified by Buddhist practitioners in investigating their own mind,” said Davidson in a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation interview. “Their mind is the landscape of their own experimentation, if you will.” 

“The monks, we believe, are the Olympic athletes of certain kinds of mental training,” added Davidson. “These are individuals who have spent years in practice. To recruit individuals who have undergone more than 10,000 hours of training of their mind is not an easy task and there aren’t that many of these individuals on the planet.”

So what did Davidson learn that might relate to us as athletes?

• Our brains have emotional set points. You may be a glass is half empty kind of person who occasionally ventures to the glass is half full when things are going your way. In the long run, however, you will return to that depressed set point. Davidson believes through meditation we can change those set points.
• Canadian swimmer Erin Gammel, an Olympic contender who missed her chance in 2000 and was an emotional wreck for the following two years, used meditation to re-wire her brain to accept her defeat and put it in its proper perspective. She is now winning again.
• “Meditation has been around for 2,500 years so it’s not like a new practice,” said Hap Davis, Canada’s national swim team’s sports psychologist who was inspired by Davidson’s work with the Tibetan monks. “But science is catching up to an old tradition and the evidence seems to be emerging that meditation can change the pattern of brain chemistry or blood flow in the brain.”
• In another study, Davidson was able to show an improved immune system in those who meditated compared to those who did not.
• Many believe the insane pace and aggravations of our daily life can be dangerous to the health of our minds and our bodies.

My limited meditation practice has helped to ground my insane pace and mitigate many external aggravations that have crushed the egos of several of my colleagues. I don’t say this with pride; just as a statement of fact. Since I’ve started to be more consistent with my meditation practice, I’ve noticed a marked increase in my ability to handle, well, more shit, than my family, friends and co-workers.

My hope is that this little introductory foray in to meditation and athletics has perhaps opened your mind to the possibility of considering meditation as a key part of your athlete’s toolbox. Next week, we’ll meet a meditating athlete who will blow away your stereotype of meditation. Not all meditators are bearded flabby hippies sitting in an incense-filled room.

Find your edge and dance upon it.

hak

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Coach Steve Ilg often encourages his students to start their mindfulness practice with brushing their teeth. When brushing your teeth, just brush your teeth. It’s that simple and yet that difficult. Don’t think about your commute to work, Don’t think about the to-do list that awaits you there, or any of the other gazillion things you need to remember to have a “successful” day. Just brush your teeth.

So why should your attention be focused on the here and now?

For starters, I believe a shitload (yes, I’m using a scientific term of measurement here) of our stress is self-imposed from worrying about the future. We can’t control the future, so we fret about it to varying degrees. When our brains are off running around like hamsters on meth, we create stress. And what are we creating stress over? Abso-friggin-lutely nothing. The future is an illusion. It ain’t gonna happen until it happens and then when it does, guess what? You’re in the present moment.

Another perq of being in the moment is a developed sense of self awareness. All of sudden, we notice that our shoulders have rolled forward and our chests have collapsed. We’re slouching. This isn’t good for our spines or, in the long run, athletic performance.

We may notice, like I did, that we’re always using one side of our body to do the same repetitive tasks every day. I would always lead off with my left leg when walking off or onto a curb or set of stairs. Once I stopped thinking about my to-do list for the day and actually paid attention to what I was doing at that particular moment, I noticed I would subconsciously shuffle step so I would hit the curb or first stair with my left foot. Hmmmm…I wonder if there was a connection with that preference to lead with my left and the recurring calf injury in my left leg?

So you can start to see that training yourself to be in the present moment can lead to all sorts of wonderful revelations for multisport athletes and just about anyone else.

OK, by now you’re wondering where the underwear reference comes in. Here we go: The next time you put your underwear on, notice which leg goes through the hole first. Is it your right or your left?

With me, it’s my left leg (big surprise, eh?).

Now, peel off those skivvies and try and do it with your right leg (or whatever your opposite leg is).

Whoah. That felt kind of awkward didn’t it?

Just think of how many things you do each day while on automatic pilot. How many of those tasks are slowly leading you toward a chronic imbalance in your body?

Maybe tomorrow morning you can start with being a bit more mindful while putting on your bunders.

Find your edge and dance upon it.

hak

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My training volumes significantly dropped the past week. Yet, I’m OK with that.

Really.

It’s all about priorities. Medical school is very competitive and I need to rack up every A I can get. Looking back at my one season of endurance racing, it’s not like I can get much farther back in the pack, right? For the moment then, nearly all of my available time is being poured into all things related to chemistry.

The one thing that is keeping me sane, however, is my family, my dogs and my meditation practice.

Yes, Hak meditates.

There are no religious connections to this practice…and that’s what it is: practice. The ability to sustain focused concentration.

It’s damn difficult.

Think about it. A good portion of triathlon is mental. The ability to silence the voices that want you to slow down or quit. The voices that say the pain is too much.

Coping with those voices comes from practice in the field.

Silencing those voices comes from practice on the Zafu (meditation cushion).

I originally poo-poo’d meditation years ago. I had no interest in becoming a flower child, hemp-lovin’ cupcake. Then, I read Steve Ilg’s classic work The Outdoor Athlete: Total Training for Outdoor Performance. Here was a guy who had been, and continues to be, on several athletic podiums and was advocating meditation as mental conditioning and a critical component of athletic performance.

Just try to sit still for five minutes. I dare you.

Focus only on your breathing and not slouching.

Five minutes can seem like forever.

See how many thoughts from your day come rushing in. Most of my “monkey mind” comes from parts of my future life. “Dude…yeah…gotta remember to clean the bike chain later…trim the tomato plants back…oh yeah, get that third raised bed garden in…shit…lots of chemistry homework to do…should handle chapter 4 homework first, then read the relevant section in Idiot’s Guide to Chemistry next…etc.”

It’s damn difficult to go five seconds, let alone five minutes without this mental baggage…which means absolutely nothing to me at this moment in time. In the here and now of my life.

The ability to just sit and to be in the moment is priceless. It’s a great recharge for the brain and the body. I also believe it’s a great training aid for race day.

After all, who wouldn’t like to have the power to just focus during a difficult part of the race and hit that moment where everything just flows. That’s the groove.

The moment in time where there is no future.

There is no past.

There is just now.

Find your edge and dance upon it.

hak

 

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Easy.

I practice meditation.

I’d like to say this solo practice provides quality “me” time, in a day that is otherwise dedicated to the needs of others. But I can’t.

My other Significant Other always accompanies me when I start my practice first thing in the morning. It’s something that we just do together. Another one of our many partnerships.

More details tomorrow. Until then, enjoy what’s left of your weekend!

Find your edge and dance upon it.

hak

 

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