Trance Running

When I ran the hill on Monday for 2:45 I was wearing my Puma minimalist shoes. They are comfortable and give me the impression that I am running barefoot. I decided not to wear socks, which is a risk because when I run sockless some part of my foot usually gets rubbed raw. This time it was the back of my left heel which turned red from friction. During the last third of the session it gave me one more thing to think about as I slugged my way up and down in the heat.

Last year this kind of thing would have caused me to stop, no need to have a big cut on my foot, how will that help in any way? This year I welcomed the challenge of running with a burning heel. As I try to change and work myself into an ultra runner, one of the things I need to learn is how to run with blisters and superficial foot pain.

The many ultra race reports which I have read usually mention the discomfort of blisters. The report usually contains pictures of the offending foot, and it makes me wonder - how did they finish the race being in that kind of pain? The two ultras I have completed did not cause blisters, most likely because they were finished in under 6 hours. As I hope to eventually run 50 and 100 mile races, I, too, will have to learn to run with blistered feet.

So as I ran the hill I was given a chance to practice running with a cut on my heel. If I believed the cut would lead to serious damage I would have stopped, but it was just broken skin that got a little more broken with each step. The cut gave me the opportunity to work on the mental aspect of running long. I found that I was still able to get into a running trance, and this allowed me to run freely and with pleasure.

One of my favorite things about running long is getting into a trance-like state. Time speeds up, and an hour of running seems like 15 minutes. I feel I can run for hours without getting tired, and when I look up at the sun am surprised to see how fast it is sliding down into the west. 3 hours seems like a lark, and it is this kind of trance that I would love to get into during a long race. If I can get myself into the zone, an 8 hour run will seem like 4 or 5. When I ran the Riddle Run in snow and cold, I was in and out of a trance for most of the race. When I finished it seemed as if it was just getting started.

One of the things which helps hasten the trance state of being is music. Running is capable of putting me into the cross-over mode, but the combination of music and running is more potent. During the first or second loop of the Riddle Run I listened to a 45 minute piece called Disintegration Loops. I had been listening to this song out on the South Farms route during the winter long runs and knew it had the power to put me into a good place. It got me off to a good start at Riddle Run, and allowed me to get into a solid trance.

Music, the rhythmic movement of running legs, the rotation of the earth around the sun, the moon cruising the sky, birds riding the wind, sweat dancing on the skin, heart pulsing, warm blood flowing, an endless stream of beautiful images entering my eyes - it all comes together, an alchemical mixture similar to the toning of a photograph, the end result being a unique run through the universe, never to happen again in quite the same way.