There is a unique difference between treadmill running and trail running, yet an amazing similarity especially if one does it long enough. Apart from the obvious one is inside the other is outside. I had an insight about this during my recent race. While training for the ultra marathon, I did most if not all my training on treadmill. Crazy as I am, I did not just do 5k or 10 K on the treadmill, but ended up with even 50 miles at a stretch on the belt of this torture device. How I have been asked? Well simply put I do not run with any distractions. No audio music, podcast, video or anything.

My mind is full of memories, imagination, goals, judgements and random thoughts. Yet running long enough, I seem to exhaust my brain of all the things it wants to “chatter”about. The endless lists of things to think about get checked off, and then the mind now goes from full to empty. There is a period of transition of gratitude for all things and everyone just before the abyss of nothing sets in, as I simply end up running feeling my breath and hearing my heart beat.

It is a bizarre sense of calm and serenity. Meditation in motion. I become fully present. Now trail running whether it is 0.1K or the 50K or longer behaves in reverse. Due to the uneven terrain filled with potentially rocks, pebbles, tree branches, roots and everything that a forest can offer, it requires being present to each step being placed from the get go. In my limited experience each foot placing is critical to the success of the run or walk. And so I stayed present for most of my entire race by virtue of this important need.

Running can be a meditation in of itself. While treadmill running makes one go blank and then present, trail running makes one be present to be blank. Life is a journey to get us to become present, to explore it, to enjoy it, to love it.

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I love you