Tag: long run

My pre-run checklist

On By therunningllama2 Comments

Before I go on long-runs, I mentally go through a quick checklist to make sure I don’t forget anything.  It’s the difference between having an enjoyable long run or an torturous one.

Now let’s see….

Barefoot me

  • Wearing sunscreen so I don’t catch on fire? Check.
  • Wearing bug spray? Check.
  • Vaseline strategically applied to prevent chafing?         Sorry, TMI…     anyway, check.
  • Got my keys? Check.
  • Phone? Check.
  • Sunglasses? Check.
  • Brimmed hat so I don’t look like a walking stop light by the end of the run? Check.

Is there anything else I need to go on a proper long run?

 

 

 

 

Nope.

A Walkabout Mindset

On By therunningllamaLeave a comment

In the Outback, young Aboriginal Australians will trek out into the wilderness on a walkabout,* a deeply spiritual journey into manhood.  Typically, they do this before the age of 16, and are out in the wilderness for sometimes up to half a year.

My walkabouts, on the other hand, last about 2 hours.

Ok, ok… I use the term walkabout very loosely here.  I’m not going on a transitional journey into manhood (that took years and I call it high school).  I’m not living out in the wilderness, and I make damn sure I get home by lunch.  What I’m really talking about are my long runs.

Yes, I view my long runs as snack-sized walkabouts. Aboriginal Australians would probably laugh at my comparison, and I’d laugh with them, but frankly I’m not prepared to go on a multi-month journey into the wilderness at this point.  So I try to capture some of the same spiritual benefits of a walkabout in small bites, whenever I can.

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So here are a few guidelines for having a “walkabout mindset” on your long runs:

  • Be curious. Explore, notice something you’ve never noticed before.
  • Loosen your grip on goals, like trying to maintain a certain pace or cover a certain distance.  Let it go…
  • Celebrate the earth beneath your feet and the sky over your head.  Regardless of the weather, what’s in front of you is beautiful in it’s own way.
  • Leave the music at home.  If your mind wants to hear a particular song, it’ll pop into your head naturally.  Otherwise, enjoy the layers of sounds around you.

A walkabout mindset can lead you to gorgeous little neighborhood ravines you never knew existed.

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And if you’re just not as good a ravine-jumper as you thought, you might go wading…

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Then you might lope through a field or two, if you can get away with it…

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The walkabout mindset will connect you to the larger life happening around you.  Appreciate the presence of a universe bigger than yourself; allow the world to be as it is and you to be as you are.  It’s OK. Having a walkabout mindset is a window to freedom. Open it up whenever you want, and enjoy the fresh air.

Happy trails, friends.

-The Running Llama

 

 

*if you are easily offended on behalf of other people’s cultures, just pretend I said “temporal mobility”.