Stjerner og solskinn

I mostly run inside. And by running I mean the fast paced, more elevated version of putting one foot in front of the other, not for instance running a company, running a script or running for an office.

I like the feel of running outside, especially on grass, soil or semi-hard ground, because I am not particularly in need of damaging my joints, but also because it feels more natural, more connected to something intrinsically human, maybe the physiological, biological part of being human, but nevertheless, to being alive, an embodied mind. I like the feel of the air as it feels differently while I run, I like the feeling of my heart pumping faster as a reminder that I am alive, I am breathing and that is all, mind is not all that I am, mind is only a part of me. And to be fair, I’m not always that poetic about it at all, poetry is a part-time lover of mine that I have left to do its’s own business for some time, due to a way too manifest meeting with the ugly and gritty nature of some of the realities that are often depicted in poems. To me, pain is always ugly, pain is never a rhetoric, never symbolic, never allegoric.

When it comes to the running part, a contributing motivational factor is also the less immediate and more eudaimonic motive of wanting to live a longer life, and preferably remain healthier while doing so. I am a firm believer in science and also a defender of cultural and social sciences, I do believe that the heart is a muscle and that it benefits from a good kind of exercise, and I think that the metaphorical connotations to that are beautiful thought it certainly might not add up. I am not in any way suggesting that people with heart failure or such are less empathetic in nature.

Years of research conclude that running also aids in maintaining a good chemical balance in the brain and as such also in in preventing depressive and anxious states. One factor is the neurotransmitters that are released as a result of physical activity, another factor is the “pause” from negative thoughts that many report as a result of having to focus on the physicality of the movement in their exercise. This can perhaps be compared to the mindfulness many experience during yoga or other mind control techniques. Though the activity appears very different, some of the implicit effects are the same.

Last but not least, how about all the lovely apparel, equipment and accessories you can yearn for in order to stay on top of your game while running or doing other exercise! From on the one end simply re-purposing your worn regular t-shirt for work-out, (as I tend to do) to on the other end purchasing high-end sports wear in materials developed with specific use in mind. For shopping clothing for all sorts of training activity I recommend https://www.zalando.no/ and https://www.zalando.no/collections/3M5qSGW8Swm/

They also have frequent sales and the outlet prizing are sympathetic.

Have a good run!