Sunday Morning LSD!

This morning I "dropped" LSD and did not quit. I did not even slow down to a crawl. While I would not necessarily write that I "ran" the whole thing, the victory for me was in completing my first planned long slow distance run (lsd) in many a moon. Now, the term "distance" is most definitely a relative one, and for me at this point in my return to plodding running, putting in 5.5 miles represents a significant jump from the 2.5-4 mile trots I've been most recently engaging in.

I have also begun once again returned to using some of the strategies that made jogging longer distances (anywhere from 10 to 50k at a time) so relaxing in the past, and have been pleased to find that they continue to be effective with working through runs at any distance. Key among these is using a mantra, or repetitive phrase, in alignment with my breathing to focus through challenging uphills and careening downhills. (I previously posted about this topic, Thoughts on Meditation and Running, wa-a-ay back in 2006!) I have never been one to wear a headset during running, nor have I been much of a social runner, so have found the use of affirmative self-talk to be very beneficial, especially on lsd. My mantra, or phrase, of choice is the title to the 1971 book on spirituality, yoga, and meditation by Baba Ram Dass, Be Here Now. Be. Here. Now.

As I think about it, some of the most fulfilling and beneficial training for distance races I've been involved in has taken place on a cushion in my attic rather than on a road or trail, but that is a tale for another day. For this present moment, still "high" after a cleansing run, I'll bask briefly in the afterglow of a run accomplished...