trail running

Morning medit… morning run

/ Dennis Ripoll / Leave a comment

looking for god meditation

There is only one way I enjoy trail running and it is erasing the mediation of the mind between the real me and mother earth. Whenever that happens, a cascade of peace and joy fulfills my soul. Nothing in the world compares to this feeling of been conscious, present and one. Oh, that beautiful silence when the insidious, noisy chat of the mind does not exist and there is no reminder of past things or future nonsenses, like bills to pay or clothes to wash. It sounds like turning that morning run into a session of meditation and, yes, perhaps. If it is so, I welcome that session open-hearted and barefoot.

Atheist

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young fitness woman running on seaside boardwalk

We tend to convert ideas in beliefs, and beliefs into religions. You see, ideas are sticky and they love to unite creating systems. You become vegetarian, vegan or paleo and, in days, after a couple of Google searches, you turn yourself in the new member of that specific religion. The worst part comes when you try to make propaganda of it and make your best to reduce others beliefs into ashes. I love barefoot running for what it has done to me, physically, mentally and spiritually but, in order to stay open minded to the human kind with all its variety and beauty, I take my old running shoes –which, by the way, I love- and go out for a decent run. That´s how I stay an atheist of my own religion, and it feels nothing but great.

5 recommendations for running barefoot

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Trail running in campagna

Barefoot running is not the perfect cure for previous injuries; not even the perfect preventing method for staying out of pain. As soon as I started to run barefoot I got myself two major injuries –major because of the pain they cause and the time they take to heal-: plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. Once you start to run barefoot you feel so good that you think you can do anything, like covering the same distance at the same pace like if you had your 30mm height shoes on. Well, happens that it is not a good idea and that you will have to consider these five recommendations:

  1. Go back to running by time, not distance, like if you were beginning to run again –which is completely true, by the way-. Start by running no more than 20 minutes per day.
  2. Run by feel and not guided by the ideal pace you´d like to have. That means staying away from your smart watch. This will force you to pay attention to the seeds of any injury that may be taking life while you run.
  3. Run one day; recover the day after.
  4. Be really, really patient.
  5. Enjoy your runs, they will give you life; in time, they will make you stronger and confident and, thanks to mother earth, they will give you joy, peace and wisdom.

 

The beauty and the beast

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Relaxing on the top of the mountain

Some trails are hard to run, especially when they are rocky. So we tend to protect ourselves with spikes, with those impressive 200 dollars running shoes.

Some trails are so beautiful that they pretend to stop us and leave us breathless. So we tend to cross these trails with hurry, blind, deaf.

Think about it. Perhaps these are not conventional race trails. Maybe they are waiting for us to “walk” respectfully through them and, from time to time, make a stop to celebrate their toughness or their beauty.

Why do we have to run all the time? Are we really that sick and disconnected?

Trail-life perspective

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A female trail runs in the fog and snow of winter.

The way is made of ups, flats and downs. If you have been on the trails you probably know that you have to run each section in a different way. It´s not an intellectual issue; your body will show how to manage each segment if you pay attention and listen to it. Life is not dissimilar as it has the same ups and downs structure but, in that life, yours, who do you listen to? What do you focus on? And, what do you do as a consequence?

I wish you love. I wish you blue birds

Breath

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healthy lifestyle fitness sporty woman running early in the morning in forest area, fitness healthy lifestyle concept

I adapt my pace to the rhythm of my breath. Energy comes from all around, from our center, from  mother earth, from the sun, but it goes out through our mouths and noses. A tranquil, deep inhale will take you to a long way; a quiet, slow exhale will take you to the end. Breath.

Gels

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Spring Trail running 2

You may take all the carbs of the world -gels, sports drinks, etc.- and you will not see any improve in your performance. You may take all the caffeine in a single cup and all you will get is nervous. What you put in your mouth is just a minimum part of all the energy you can get. What feeds a runner is the whole universe if he is connected to it, to its light, sounds, smells. I run barefoot as much as I can and that´s the only way that I feel I am doing something good for me and our planet. Barefoot, I can feel the energy going through the center of the earth to the center of my being. I am not tired anymore; I am just sweating, breathing and feeling graceful for the immense gift of life.

Perfect running form

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Running - woman runner jogging at sunset. Fitness spot girl training in sunny sunshine with flare and sun glow. Aspirations workout image with asian jogger.

I tried to land under my center of mass. I also did my best to open my chest wide, to lean forward, to land as soft as possible in each stride. I loaded a program in my mind that said all these things and a lot more in order to become an efficient runner and staying out of injuries and, suddenly, I had enough of it all. The program certainly helped me for a time of pain and injuries, but then I did not need it. I started to run barefoot and it all happened in a smooth and natural way. I didn’t have to focus on my running form anymore, which was so fatiguing for both, my mind and my body. I said it already: I run for two hours or more and, at the end, I still feel joyful, complete, present, strong. Not because I´m a better runner but because of the energy that comes from above, from our mother; because running has become an indispensable part of my spiritual growth and not a boring, repetitive movement of arms and legs or another ridiculous, puerile way of calling the attention of others.

 

Shoes

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Man running cross country on trail, sport and fitness outdoors

Shoes are good. They protect as from those sharp rocks in the middle of the trails we love. Shoes are like airplanes and computers, part of the human progress, an advantage. I use them and love a couple of them but, nevertheless, they are like trojan horses, they betray you, they make weak, they lie to you by making you believe that you are strong. And even worse, they separate you from mother earth and leave you running all by yourself and the junk you eat.