The best running advice was given to me on a blind date in a basement bar. Just one beer in and a potential stranger transitioned from my maybe-love-interest to a life coach.
I’d been struggling with motivation lately. Running, once a joy, had become a chore. My concentration was breaking and I couldn’t push through. I’d be mid-run then suddenly…stop.
“You need a song,” he concluded. “A beat to keep your pace. Something uplifting. A reminder of your inner child when running was fun.”
I thought this over. The idea had potential. Now curious, I asked, “What’s yours?”
I expected “Chariots of Fire” by Vangelis or “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, but was given a curveball: “Dear Prudence, by the Beatles,” he replied.
Huh? The White Album classic that was written during a meditation retreat in the foothills of the Himalayas somehow served as a stimulus for marathon-length runs. I was intrigued.
We finished our drinks and went our separate ways. Far from a romantic match, the guy didn’t stick, but the advice did. The next morning, John Lennon’s voice crooned through my headphones while my feet pounded pavement, reminding me that “the sun is up, the sky is blue.”
At first, my heart mimicked the song’s 75 beats per minute and I became discouraged. The speed was no better than a mall walker’s, but soon, fuelled by feel-good endorphins, I exceeded the tempo. I’d found my groove.
Just like the song encourages, I’d decided to play. To smile. As an adult, running was used as a means of escape. Its numbing repetition lured me out of my head, which I’d convinced myself was a good thing. Miles ran had turned into blurs, as I was never fully aware of the passing scenery.
“Dear Prudence” brought my consciousness back into the present—my heart, body and mind, all communicating once again. I was hundreds of kilometres from Rishikesh, India, where John and George harmoniously paired the words together, but the magic of the place had found me.
Ironically, running would become my own method of meditation.
A decade later, and this hasn’t changed. There is no life challenge that can’t be solved, or at least put into perspective, after a good run. In truth, there are times when my motivation still wanes, but when it’s strong, there’s no better feeling. My inner child comes out to play. For a brief period in time, I’m alive. I’m ‘part of everything.’
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image: Pixabay
