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Effort Is Not The Key To
Getting Into The Zone
My attempts to achieve a personal best (see previous page may have delivered the right result, but did I get into The Zone whilst doing it? Could I have done it a better way?
For this to qualify as a Zone run I would have experienced the same sensations as athletes describe in their peak moments.Let’s look at what I would have to experience. I would have…
- been totally absorbed and focused on the activity
- experienced an inner clarity and understand exactly what is required to complete it
- had a sense of ecstasy and being outside everyday reality
- been completely focused on the present and unaware of time passing
- be inspired by the experience
- had a sense of serenity, no anxiety, no ego so consequently no fear about my performance
Could my run achieving a new personal best be considered a ‘Zone run’? I was certainly totally absorbed and focused on the activity, or was I? What was the activity? Easy, it was running for a personal best, but I was not focused and totally absorbed on running as such because I pre-occupied with the time. My focus was on the stopwatch and my speed but not the actual act of running.
Did I experience an inner clarity and understand exactly what is required to complete it? I suppose the answer would be yes, at each stage I could check my time and re-assess how I was going to complete the task. Although you could argue that my understanding of the requirements to complete it, that is, run faster, may not have been that clear. How did I go about running faster? Were my efforts to run faster as successful as they could have been?
Perhaps I tightened my back or lifted my shoulders when trying to run faster, a common habit in runners, but I wouldn’t have necessarily noticed because I was focused on my stopwatch. I would have felt the extra effort and assumed this effort was directly helping me go faster.
Perhaps I had a sense of ecstasy when I knew I was ahead of my target but not sure if there was a sense of being outside everyday reality. Striving to get something completed on time and within tight schedule sounds very much like everyday reality! Perhaps I can get a tick in the box for being completely focused on the present. Well actually no, it is hard to be focused on the present when I’m thinking of where the next mile marker is and if I am on target to get there in time. I am always somewhere further on and not thinking of where I am now. I was also painfully aware of the time passing!
I was definitely inspired by the experience, surely? Well, was I inspired by the experience of the run itself or the achievement?
As I stood in the shower afterwards what was the most memorable thing I took from the run? The joy of the run, or the fact that my time was three seconds inside forty-two minutes. If the run had taken six seconds longer and I had failed my target, would I have still enjoyed the experience?
It’s obvious I did not have a sense of serenity, no anxiety, no ego so consequently no fear about my performance and certainly could not have boasted there was no sense of effort.
I may not have got many ticks in boxes to qualify it for a Zone run but at least I’ve got my new personal best! But apart from knowing I can run six miles in under forty-two minutes what else did I learn from the run? Well, perhaps not that much that would be useful for my next run. What if I started to experience some discomfort during the run. Could I apply my knowledge gained from my previous outings?
Is there is another way? You bet....read on >>>
Extracted from my book 'Zone Mind, Zone Body' - How to breakthrough to new levels of fitness and performance - by doing less!(Ecademy Press).
For more details please click peak performance training.
Available in paperback or online ebook. |
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