I was back home in Chicago last week for a family vacation. Little weird at first, as it was my first non-working vacation in…about four years. Took a number of “working” vacations when #freelancing. Nice change of scenery but there was no extended “off” time. I forgot how nice that is.
Anyway, after work yesterday I went out with some friends for take out and, since it was actually nice in Vancouver, we sat at a table along Jericho Beach. People were out, enjoying the weather. After the furnace that is Chicago in summer, it was quite comfortable.
There were a number of runners and joggers out as well, and I noticed something: they wore headphones or ear buds while running.
I don’t. I run in silence.
Even when I was training for my first 5K, I ran in silence. I ran the race in silence. I ran the Sun Run in silence.
I run in silence.
Running is stress relief for me, and an activity I can do alone or with a group. When I run alone, I like to let my thoughts sort themselves out. The start of the run generally starts with running through what’s bugging me, a to-do list and general grumbling. Tough day at the office. Missing family. High table for the kitchen. New monthly transit pass. Have to call so-and-so back. Need response to email. A menu for the week. On and on. And I just let my mind run. It needs to do.
At some point during the run, it has run itself out. It shifts its focus from griping, complaining, trolling through to-dos to silence. There’s some gentle prodding and encouragement, especially up inclines. Positive re-enforcement. It is rather gratifying to be able to run up steeper inclines, with my ultimate goal to be able to run all the way up Yew.
Running in silence quiets the mind. And in doing so, it relaxes the rest of me and allows me to refocus. That refocus can be on the day, it can be on a specific task or something I want to do, like standup paddle boarding.
I run in silence. It quiets the mind and keeps me grounded.