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Running in The Zone has to be one of the most satisfying experiences. When it all fits together it can seem effortless and intensely rewarding. But why are some runs better than others? Is there anything we can do to help ourselves get into The Zone? Here is a personal account of one of my most memorable runs.

I hadn’t intended to go for a run following a ten miler the day before. But it looked such a beautiful summer’s evening I was tempted to get out for a three, maybe four mile jog. Following a warm-up I headed out at around eight o’clock. I wasn’t disappointed. It was perfect evening for running with a light fresh breeze, warm air and the birds singing.

I headed off down the hill and started my checklist - jaw is free not tight; I’m aware of my skull sitting on top of my spine and I’ve not stiffened my neck; my shoulders are relaxed and my arms swing freely from their ball and socket joints; I’m allowing the air to enter my nose and letting the ribs move into the gap between my torso and arms. I think ‘light arms’ to open up the muscles in the upper back to keep my upper body poised. Next I apply awareness to the space where my hips joints are and allow the legs to swing freely from these points. I maintain all of these thoughts as I allow my lower legs to fall and bounce back from the road giving me a lift right back up to the top of my head. That’s it! The hand break is off. A sudden lightness and simultaneous feeling of release and elation tell me I’m there. I’m now in the zone. I pass the first mile mark - a turn in the road.

I have consciously reached the zone by removing all the obstacles that prevented it happening. Because it was a conscious process that brought me here I am able to consciously maintain it.

Seemingly without effort, the hedgerows begin to flow by faster as I get a lift from the road’s surface. I keep up with my thinking, I call it ‘interactive awareness’, but it’s easier now as once there it requires no effort to maintain - its all encompassed in one thought.

Another two, three then four miles pass by and my pace is good. Perhaps slow by some standards but for me its fine; in fact it doesn’t really matter at the moment. I turn off the main road and start a climb of about half a mile. I consciously check for signs of my old habit of getting set to climb the hill. My face is free, no facial expression required to try harder in anticipation of this fairly steep section. I allow my arms to open up a little to increase the swing and imagine my head is releasing forward and upwards to lead my body up the hill. As the gradient gets steeper I become aware of a greater push (ground reaction force) and allow it to propel me up the hill as I keep my knees released so my lower legs stay swinging. My breathing has increased but I maintain an ‘upness’ and soon see the top of the hill.

Once over the brink I slow my pace a fraction and let the air flow into my lungs. With the hill out of the way and my breathing recovered I start to think about increasing speed. I hold this thought for a moement to prevent any inappropriate effort building up. Not too long ago this action would have brought my shoulders up and my head back as I pushed the pace. Now I just keep my shoulder and hip joints free and become aware of the direction my elbows and knees are moving. Even though I have followed this procedure thousands of times before, I still get a lift from seeing it in action. With little perceived effort I am now moving much faster. I have about a third of a mile to go downhill. I check that I’m not braking in fear of falling over - again another old habit. Letting go of my legs and keeping the hip, knee and ankle joints free I release and let gravity bring me down the gradient.

Dark clouds are gathering but the evening sun is still peeping through a slit in the horizon bringing a reddish tint to the cornfields on either side of the road. A warm light rain begins to fall and I get a picture of Gene Kelly singing in the rain. I feel his joy and there is ‘a smile on my face’. I pass the old barn with the rusty green tractor and know that’s seven miles. In another half-mile the road forks; the right one takes me home in about a mile; the left fork opens up more options. On some of my previous runs there would have been no debate as the short route home is very tempting. Tonight there is no question of ending it so soon and I head left taking me away from home. I don’t care about planning out any directions because at the moment I feel I could run all night.

I guess I’ve now covered about ten miles and start to feel the first signs of fatigue. I run though my checklist again to find my shoulders have lifted a fraction and I have collapsed a little in the torso. With this realisation I am able to release the shoulders, release my arms and return to a lighter state as my breathing opens up again.

I reach a crossroads and know it is three miles from home if I turn right; five miles if I go straight over; and God knows how far if I turn left. I make an informed decision and turn right, after all I don’t want to spoil this evening my pushing myself too far. The last three miles are a joy, partly due to maintaining an efficient style but mainly because I know I’m nearly home where a well deserved cool drink and bath are waiting. The rain has stopped and I can just see the sun starting to sink below the horizon. I arrive home and stay on a high until I go to bed.

This is why I run. Not for glory, not for achieving personal bests, its for times like this when everything comes together creating a feeling like no other. I’m fully engaged, being in the moment, enjoying every moment. This is living consciously in the here and now where I have total control and nothing can stop me.

Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander Technique and has studied performance enhancement in sport for the last 10 years. In 2001 he published a book called ‘The Performance Paradox: Challenging the conventional methods of sports training and exercise’ and is currently working on a new project about The Zone. More information about his unique approach to training can be found at Running Technique

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Let’s face it…too many runners are injured every year.

Of the millions of people in the United States who run
either recreationally or competitively, over 50% will
suffer some sort of running injury just this year alone!

The types of injuries most runners suffer from include
shin splints, knee pains, lower back pains, Iliotibial
Band Syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis, Neuroma, Iliopsoas,
pulled hamstrings, and Piriformis Syndrome.

I won’t even go into the detailed descriptions of all of
these because it hurts to even think about them.

But if you follow some simple running tips, then you can
avoid most if not all of these injuries.

I have run consistently between 10-30 miles a week for
the last four years, run 6 marathons, and numerous 10K’s,
without having one injury by following these simple running
tips.

Tip #1: Give your Body Rest

After doing any kind of hard run, you must rest for 48 hours
in orderto give your muscles time to rebuild. Running is an
impact sport and creates micro-tears in your muscles,
ligaments, and tendons.

In order to rebuild, your muscles need time away from running.
I personally never run the day after a hard run. Bodybuilders are
religious about resting to build muscles, and you should be too.

I have run with far too many runners who ran every day in their
younger years and now cannot run at all because they blew out
their knees. Our president, George Bush, ran four miles every day
and now can only mountain bike because of his bad knees.

Tip#2: Run in new Running Shoes

The last time I suffered shin splints, I was running cross country
in high school. in my father’s old running shoes. Hmm, I wonder
why I got shin splints?

The fact is the support in running shoes breaks down
significantly after 500 miles. Then you take a lot of impact
on your whole body.

So replace your shoes after 500 miles or three months, whichever
comes faster. Your knees are worth it.

Tip #3: Do long slow runs on the weekends

Long slow runs build your aerobic capacity in your legs. This means
your body learns to produce more energy and clean out the waste,
lactic acid, more efficiently. So running becomes more comfortable
and you don’t have to work so hard in order to get a good running
workout in.

Plus slow runs produce less impact on your joints, which means
less injuries. I do a long run every weekend for years. This is
especially necessary for marathon training.

Tip #4: Go see a doctor if you do have any strange aches or pains

My brother thought he was suffering from heel pains. He spoke to
a doctor and found it was actually Plantar Fasciitis, inflammed
tissue in the foot. Now he can start the proper treatment which
clearly involves rest from running. After this he can go back to
running.

Far too many runners continue running with pain in their bodies.
If you feel any pain, then you need to see a doctor. You might
need to see a specialist. Do what it takes to learn why you have
pains. Running should not be painful rather it should be joyful.

Tip#5: Run on natural surfaces

I met a guy a month ago who has run over 150 marathons. I asked
him how he has done all that running injury free and he told me
“by running on natural surfaces”. He told me he does most of his
runs on grass, trails, or soft surfaces. This creates less impact
obviously than running on concrete or asphalt or treadmills.

So find a trail and go run on it. Not only is it better for your legs but
you will be running with plants, trees, birds, and the glory of nature.
Sure beats dodging traffic.

So try some of these tips and they will allow you a lifetime
practice of running. While running the Catalina Marathon a month
ago, I ran by a couple both 90 years old. I told them, “I want to do
what you’re doing when I am your age.”

You too, can run to your later years if you follow some basic principles.

*************************************************************

Gary Smith coaches runners to run injury free and joyfully.
Improve your running this year by signing up for
his free newsletter at:
http://www.runwithjoy.com

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