Now that we have a little sub-forum for sports, I thought this might be an interesting question.
I know that my practice has had a huge, and beneficial, impact on my sports - and that change in my approach to sports has also affected my practice. This is true of my boxing, kickboxing, sports coaching and my long distance running. So I was wondering what sort of experiences others have had too.
I think doing well in my last ultramarathon really was the result of my practice - I had a hundred mile race earlier in the month, and I did quite well, finishing in just under 29 hours. All I did was just run, meeting each moment and challenge as it came. When things hurt, I acknowledged the pain. If I could deal with it, I did, if I couldn't then that was okay too, it was temporary and would stop hurting in the days after the race. I didn't worry about how long the race would take me, or what was coming next or what I'd done before. Other than where I was thinking how many calories had I eaten, and what would I need to sort at the next checkpoint (Where I could restock on food and water).
At one point I missed a checkpoint and ran about 1km further before I realised my mistake. I had to retrace my steps adding a couple of extra kilometres to my race, a mistake that I would have been really angry with myself about once upon a time. I would also have been determined to push hard and make up time, instead I recognised my desire to push and focused on doing what I could. So although I pushed a little harder than I had in the moments before my mistake I still made sure I didn't push too hard and that I left energy in the tank for later.
A little later and the 50-mile race started behind me, so I had lots of fresh-legged runners overtaking me. They were all working so hard, so as each overtook me, I tried to keep alongside them for a while, have a chat and offer them some encouragement before they disappeared into the distance. Someone mentioned it must be depressing to be overtaken by so many runners, but it genuinely wasn't, I loved that part of my run. I was so glad they were moving well, enjoying their personal challenge and I was happy to share bits of advice if anyone asked.
I was grateful to all the checkpoint volunteers for their support and for handing me food and helping me fill up water bottles. There was no way any of us runners could do the race without their help. So no matter how tired I was, or how the race was going, I did my best to show my gratitude and thank them for their efforts.
I've since had a few people from the race get in touch with me on social media, including one runner that I met who was running the 50-mile race saying that I have inspired him to do the 100-miler next year. I must admit having random people message me with kind words after the race was a little overwhelming. All I did was try and run my best and be kind to the people around me. But it really hit home to me how the practice has made me a better person as well as a better athlete, and how much those two changes can affect the people around me.
So, how has your Zen practice affected your fitness training and approach to sports?
(And sorry for such a long post, I'm more than happy to read everyone else's long, winding and convoluted stories
)
Gassho,
Sōka
sat
I know that my practice has had a huge, and beneficial, impact on my sports - and that change in my approach to sports has also affected my practice. This is true of my boxing, kickboxing, sports coaching and my long distance running. So I was wondering what sort of experiences others have had too.
I think doing well in my last ultramarathon really was the result of my practice - I had a hundred mile race earlier in the month, and I did quite well, finishing in just under 29 hours. All I did was just run, meeting each moment and challenge as it came. When things hurt, I acknowledged the pain. If I could deal with it, I did, if I couldn't then that was okay too, it was temporary and would stop hurting in the days after the race. I didn't worry about how long the race would take me, or what was coming next or what I'd done before. Other than where I was thinking how many calories had I eaten, and what would I need to sort at the next checkpoint (Where I could restock on food and water).
At one point I missed a checkpoint and ran about 1km further before I realised my mistake. I had to retrace my steps adding a couple of extra kilometres to my race, a mistake that I would have been really angry with myself about once upon a time. I would also have been determined to push hard and make up time, instead I recognised my desire to push and focused on doing what I could. So although I pushed a little harder than I had in the moments before my mistake I still made sure I didn't push too hard and that I left energy in the tank for later.
A little later and the 50-mile race started behind me, so I had lots of fresh-legged runners overtaking me. They were all working so hard, so as each overtook me, I tried to keep alongside them for a while, have a chat and offer them some encouragement before they disappeared into the distance. Someone mentioned it must be depressing to be overtaken by so many runners, but it genuinely wasn't, I loved that part of my run. I was so glad they were moving well, enjoying their personal challenge and I was happy to share bits of advice if anyone asked.
I was grateful to all the checkpoint volunteers for their support and for handing me food and helping me fill up water bottles. There was no way any of us runners could do the race without their help. So no matter how tired I was, or how the race was going, I did my best to show my gratitude and thank them for their efforts.
I've since had a few people from the race get in touch with me on social media, including one runner that I met who was running the 50-mile race saying that I have inspired him to do the 100-miler next year. I must admit having random people message me with kind words after the race was a little overwhelming. All I did was try and run my best and be kind to the people around me. But it really hit home to me how the practice has made me a better person as well as a better athlete, and how much those two changes can affect the people around me.
So, how has your Zen practice affected your fitness training and approach to sports?
(And sorry for such a long post, I'm more than happy to read everyone else's long, winding and convoluted stories
)Gassho,
Sōka
sat
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