Running and Bodybuilding? - To be or not to be

The contentious issue of running and bodybuilding!

My answer to this is - if you can justify why you want to do something and the answer is good! then anything and everything has a place.

My relationship with running started about 15 years ago when I first trained at a Muay Thai gym in rural Bangkok. I was the only female and one of two foreigners. Our morning run was a 14km loop paced by a Thai on a moped, smoking and drinking Red Bull, although it could have been Sang Som whisky, hard to tell. I was always last, which I guess gets me the Thai equivalent of the laterne rouge but I'm not sure that is bragging rights.

Was it the best possible way of training?

Probably not. The runs were fast and they absolutely knackered me, all before the actual training started! They did however build a mental resilience that has really stood me well for training and for life. I'm grateful for that Thai trainer; everytime I would stop and throw up in the bushes or stop because of cramp, he would pull over and wait for me. There were no words of encouragement; in fact there were no words at all, but we always made it back to camp. Over time, I never got faster but I did get tougher. The ability to turn on "grit" when you need to is a very useful skill and I expect it has roots on those 5am Bangkok mornings.

Cultivating a positive mindset

So,  I stuck with running over the years. It is great for general fitness but I have a mental association with it, where it always gets me through the rough patches of life and it is therefore invaluable for cultivating a positive mindset. To me, running means more than fitness, it represents gratitude and courage, and these emotions are extremely important to nurture.

"Striving to be 1% better everyday" - Generation Iron

That was a very long winded way of saying, if an activity generates a positive, peaceful mindset, that is an excellent reason to do it and it is worth prioritising. If it aligns with physical goals, then even better. For my category "figure", running seems to work well for my body type and metabolism - it creates better proportions, downsizing quads and improving conditioning. For this reason I have teamed 60 minute "fasted state" running with a route that suits my temperament. It takes the form of a very beautiful 12km there and back route to a Buddhist temple which sits at the top of a very steep winding road. The first time I did this, I started off walking! and even then I had to lie down in the bushes at one point. 
But...with all things there is progression; sometimes backwards! but mostly lateral and forwards! There is a great quote (Phil Heath I think) in "Generation Iron" the modern bodybuilding documentary, that says "I strive to be 1% better everyday". Of course, this is a metaphor but it resonated with me because it is a great way to set small, realistic, daily, achievable goals and it is the little things done well everyday that contribute to the grand goals. It can also apply to anything; character, mental or physical goals. So, everyday I try and run a bit more of this route. I am always met by the most beautiful and compassionate of smiles (possibly sympathy!) from the pick up truck full of monks returning from their morning alms (this is their morning walk where they collect food) - it really keeps me going.

Ultimately, I wanted to see if I could train for bodybuilding in a way that aligned with my values about training and living life; I wanted a way that builds strength of character and physicality. There are infinite possibilities for this and running is part of that for me. I think the trick to consistency, progress, enjoyment and happiness is just to find your own way! It is also amazing what you can see when you choose to actually open your eyes to the world outside (see below!) and note to self..I must apply this to pounding the streets of South East London, rather than switching off into the land of iTunes. 

Beats running on a treadmill

A beaker of black coffee - an absolute requirement for morning runs!

Hill training!!

Self - Motivation and Gratitude

How does one self-motivate? 

This question of motivation consumes a huge amount of my mental energy, for three main reasons: 

1.  My MSc research project centred around the physiological effects of motivation, looking at the link between testosterone, motivation and sports performance. Evidence suggests in trained athletes (both males and females), there is a correlation between testosterone and motivation to train - but what causes what?

2. The ability to self-motivate is just a really excellent skill in training and in life. It gets things done with intensity and focus, with minimal procrastination and angst. 

3. My brother asked me if you could train the "killer instinct"; I thought it was an interesting question and I really didn't have the answer, but I suspect you can by training the right mental skills.

Cultivating Gratitude

What motivates a person is very complex; it is situational, temporal and very unique to that person. There is however a fundamental building block of motivation - and that I believe is gratitude.

My thoughts about this was prompted after my morning run ended up at the foot of a giant 45m Buddha at the top of a hilltop, and of course gratitude is one of the staples of buddhism. It got me thinking about my recently acquired relationship with this, which happened after recovering from two years of illness after a head injury.

The Phra Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri Buddha 

Any athlete that has ever been ill or injured however briefly, understands the upset at not being able to do the thing you love. There is a well documented psychological effect of illness, so depression unfortunately is a usual (and unsurprising) accompaniment to any illness - all in all, not great times and one I refer to as the "dark night of the soul"! On the upside, when I was able to resume physical activity and integrate back into life again, I swore I would never take anything for granted again and I have stayed true to that. Being able to train, feels like a huge privilege. No matter how bad the session or how tired I am, I feel very lucky and I am very grateful to my body for both recovering and letting me push it (although I do it a bit more carefully these days). I believe it is this mind set that has helped keep my enjoyment of training (no matter how hard); this in turn creates more motivation and a snowball effect for progress. 

I have found gratitude can usually come about in two ways 1) from having a sense of perspective from varied experience 2) cultivating it by practice and repetition. 

It is refreshing to realise that gratitude like any other skill can be acquired. In fact, I like to think happiness is also an acquired skill because it is based on perception not reality, just like most fear. That knowledge is therefore incredibly empowering, because you have quite a fair amount of control over your state of being.

The power of 3,  journaling and practice what you preach!

I am a huge fan of the journal. I tend to write any moment of reflection or idea down, as it consolidates thoughts really well. To "train" gratitude, I find writing down three things at the end of everyday that went well for you and three things that you are grateful for, works a treat. There is always something..even if you have to get creative! The trick however, with building good habits is consistency and repetition, so it does have to be done everyday.

I had to come back to my own advice after experimenting with a set of enormous false eyelashes, which was like having two pigeons sat on my eyes. Good for a drag queen look, not so good for vision or training.  My rather careless removal technique culminated in ripping out about 70% of my natural ones. Eyelash allopecia is certainly an interesting and different look but all I could think of was...thank god for volumising mascara.