Philosophical running

It was snowing this morning when I left to meet the BBTC group for our weekly long run. Fortunately, however, there had been little accumulation up till that point, so we could get our run in without worrying too much about injury.

Days like this are my favorites: temperature was about 25, a brisk but not annoying wind, snow falling steadily to heavily. I don't know what it is about the snow, but sometimes it makes me feel more like I'm flying than running. It seems as though, instead of moving, you are standing still, and the snow is flying towards you. The crunch of your footsteps on the frozen trail is the only sound in the world. It is one of my favorite experiences.

As usual for Saturday mornings, I ran with Jessica and Pete, leading to inevitable interesting conversations. I realized today just how much I enjoy running with the two of them, and with Jessica in particular. There was one point when, unintentionally, for about 5 minutes, none of us said anything, but our strides locked in step, so that instead of three footfalls each stride, it sounded as though there were only one person running. We kept up a healthy banter otherwise, and were remarkably casual about the run, stopping several times to decide which way we were going to head next. We reached a new level of camaraderie this morning, giving each other nicknames and just generally joking.

At one point, though, our conversation switched to a more philosophical note. I talked about the NYT article (see the previous post) and how important the mind is to running. From there, we moved on to the nature of reality, and our perception of reality. I mentioned my basic precept, my axiom as it were: "I am." Or "I exist." Going from there we discussed whether intelligence can in fact effect reality directly, without the intervening physical manifestation of a body movement or something similar. Can we, as humans, effect the reality around us purely by thinking? There is mounting evidence, some of a very scientific nature, some of pseudo-scientific, that suggests we can.

I personally am not sure. I'm a skeptical scientist by my nature, and I have trouble accepting that notion, but it does seem to be possible. What is certain, what we all agreed on, is that mental perception is very important. If you believe you can, or cannot, do something, it's very likely to be the case.

In that case, it's important, in athletics and in life as a whole, to cultivate a successful mindset. Or, to make a habit of success. "I can't" becomes an forbidden term, as far as achievement goes. Of course, this needs to be within reason, but a mindset of expecting to do well, expecting to run that PR, knowing you will run that PR, is critical in actually doing so.

Again: cultivate a successful mindset. Make success a habit.