Achieving self transcendence
through running!
The Sri Chinmoy marathon team web site says “Sri Chinmoy,
founder of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, spent his life vividly demonstrating
how sports can be a powerful means to unlock the true potential of the human
spirit”
While many will laugh at the mention of seeking self
transcendence, since signing up for this race I have spent many of my training
hours thinking about it – and it turns out that I need to add “seeking self
transcendence” to the list of reasons why I undertake ultra-distance racing.
My running has been a mixed
bag the last couple of months – and that’s really how the Sri Chinmoy 50 miler
turned out as well. Tightness in
my calf muscles has been plaguing me for the last 6 months, some days it’s
better, some days it’s worse. This
has added an extra challenge in training and racing – the thought of running
80km with legs that don’t want to work worried me in the week before the race,
even though this was to be more training than racing. Two km loops in Hagley Park, excellent DecaTriathlon
training! It also proved to be a good chance to do a lot of thinking about self
transcendence.
The race started out in
enough light that headlamps were not necessary, but even before the first of 40
loops my calf muscles began talking to me. But 4km in they were fully tightened and causing pain……I was
running a pleasing pace, with a nicely relaxed heart rate, but those legs,
maybe they would loosen up a little once I was properly warm. So I kept running. The weather forecast had promised a
nice, although cool day, and it started out perfectly. But as Hagley park filled up with
joggers, cyclists, families out for a walk, the weather did it’s upmost to
drive as many of them home as possible, a dreary day with an ever strengthening
cold wind followed. The first 30km
passed very quickly, I felt good, I enjoyed watching all the other park users,
and other than my legs I felt great.
Heck, I thought to myself, all this training is really paying off
well. Even up to the marathon
distance it seemed too easy (inspite of those legs), I began to contemplate
what sort of time I could run just a marathon in these days???
 |
| Going around for another loop! |
Then BANG all of a sudden
at 42km my body started to rebel and I started to slide into a dark place. I
started to feel terrible physiologically. A few laps later my first experience
of gastrointestinal distress stared. Fortunately there were two toilets evenly
spaced on the 2km circuit….and for a few laps I ran from toilet to toilet. Thinking about the whole 80km with
terrible calf pain and an upset tummy was too much – one lap at a time.
Stopping was not an option, but I did question my reasons for doing this for
sometime. On the course there were
a number of quotes from Sri Chinmoy about self transcendence, about pushing
your self, self motivation, self discipline - all things that I strive for. Little by little, I convinced my mind that it was okay to
feel the way I did, I began to accept it and not fight it, because I knew that
testing myself is an important part of why I undertake these ultra-distance
events. And I took comfort in the
loops, I set up little rituals, I had a lamp post where I stretched briefly, a
region that I walked a little while the rest of the loop was a walking free
zone, I had a zone where I alternatively clenched my fists to help the fluid
that was accumulating in my hands move back into the lymphatic system, and I
concentrated on …..well….self transcendence, I can’t really think of a better
description.
 | |
| Sometimes you just have to concentrate hard! |
All of a sudden, after 25km
of hard work, it all came right….well my calf muscles didn’t but somehow it was
no longer a struggle, my pace picked up again, I was thoroughly enjoying it
again, my stomach had come right and I was keen to finish up those last
laps. On hind site, if I were more
religious I would probably say that at that point I had at least touched upon
self transcendence.
The last few kms flew by,
my great support crew of Nicol and Betty were there cheering me on every lap in
spite of the cold wind. I lived with Betty as an undergraduate and she had seen
me push myself to the limit academically to ensure top grades, could see that
it was the same mental attitude that was needed here as was needed 20 years ago
with my books. The lady who was counting my laps cheered for me with a wave and
smile every single loop, it was like I had my own little cheerleading team –
who wouldn’t love loops when you get this much support!
And soon, with calf muscles
that still feel many centimeters too short I had finished running 80.4km in
little circles. With just a little
group to welcome me into the finish line, I was thrilled to have not only
completely another good long training day, but happy to have reminded myself
that when the going gets tough, you just have to get into a state of mind over
matter, and the harder it is, the greater the feeling at the end will be.
 |
| Totally worth it! |
Maybe Sri Chinmoy is right
about self transcendence, that that is when the true peace, joy and
satisfaction of ultra-distance racing is felt. Or perhaps as people we each
need some activity that provides us with a state of mind where we can meditate to
reset our brains.
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