I attended a Personal Development Workshop for Runners of all levels at the Irish National Stud & Gardens in Kildare Town on Saturday 14 March. It was my first time at this well-known visitor attraction. I signed up for the event last December when I saw it advertised in the Irish Runner Magazine. I was instantly struck by the tagline when I went to register for the event on Eventbrite:- Discover the Joy of Running – From the Inside Out:- Run for the soul, not just the stats.
The facilitator of the workshop was a long-time friend of mine, John Paul O’Brien, an accredited Counsellor and Psychotherapist, who also studied Sport and Exercise Sciences at University of Limerick. Both John Paul and I were studying at UL together while I was there from 1999-2003, doing my undergraduate degree in Business Studies. We were part of a successful UL Athletics team, and at the workshop we regaled many happy memories of training and competition, including being part of the UL team that won the IUAA Road Relay Championships for the first time in 2001.
John Paul introduced the workshop with a quotation from Gabrielle Roth, an American dancer and musician who was the creator of the 5Rhythms movement practice – “Movement doesn’t ask for perfection, it asks for presence”. During the workshop he introduced a number of mindfulness practices, including running practices focusing on presence, meditation and visualisation.
For my mindfulness running practices I was particularly drawn to St. Fiachra’s Garden. It was created to celebrate the Millennium and commemorates Saint Fiachra, the patron saint of gardeners. As I immersed myself in meditation embracing nature in its fullest sense, observing the landscape, listening to the sounds, smelling the aroma of the woodland and water; I tried to connect in prayer with the purpose of the garden, to capture the love of nature that which inspired those involved in Ireland’s monastic movement in the 6th and 7th centuries.
I was particularly drawn by the different realms of running which John Paul discussed in the workshop. Using the analogy of the four legs of an athletics relay, he outlined how psychologically we embody the four aspects of Body, Mind, Feelings and Spirit. Running is an embodiment practice through the nature of its rhythmic movement naturally leads to relaxation of the mind, especially when running in tranquil surroundings in nature. It can be a meditation and therapeutic practice for the mind by focusing on being in the present moment. Running can help us check in with our emotions and it can be a spiritual practice that has the capacity to take us to the home of soul.
This prompted me to consider how the emphasis in my running journey has changed from performance to enjoyment. I competed in different disciplines in athletics, ranging from cross-country and track and field to road running, and reached a peak in my performance levels when I was a Junior and Under 23 athlete. While I continued to take part in running events in my adult life, my running philosophy changed from a prior emphasis on intense training and preparation for competition to embracing an inner experience of enjoying my running, being in my body, and seeing it as a dynamic movement practice that has a calming effect and ignites creativity, connection, and community.
It was when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental health condition that is marked by periods of intense mood changes, affecting a person’s mood, energy, and function; that this shift in focus began. I learned that Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition, so engaging in treatment would consist of a lifelong commitment. While I found this challenging to accept at first, my determination to resume my running, even though it was just jogging at first, helped me to find inner peace and outside connection. Athletics was a huge part of life, and where my meaning and purpose came from, and even though there were changed circumstances with this medical diagnosis, and the medication slowed me down, I learned to accept my condition and reengaged with the running community which brought me solace for so long.
Continuing my running has been pivotal to my healing journey. There has been some challenges in living with my mental illness, and some relapses triggered by circumstances outside my control, but the multidisciplinary care that I have received has helped me to continue striving onward and upwards in my life; while keeping up my running helps to regulate my mood, provides a regular outlet for relaxation, and supports my overall well-being and cognitive function.
Although I can do less road running these days due to a degenerative foot condition, I am grateful that I can do high intensity training on the indoor stationary trainer, strength and conditioning training and aqua classes, to supplement my running. Doing cross-training keeps me motivated as it maintains my fitness and just like running stimulates the release of endorphins which give an antidepressive effect, boosting my mood, and giving a relaxed post-exercise feeling.
Movement is part of my holistic healing. As my doctor reminded me recently ‘medication can only do so much’. I experienced delayed concussion caused by an unfortunate fall last summer and the associated drowsiness affected my ability to exercise for several months. It was only recently through the support of my Occupational Therapist helping me with my routine, and my Physiotherapist, providing a daily training programme, that I have been able to get back on track. Getting back to regular training has been a big blessing. It has helped me release the struggles that I tend to carry, and ‘to get back in the zone‘, as well as acting as a moving meditation and time of prayer and dialogue with God.
Many of the mystics have emphasised that the sacred is in the ordinary, and harmonising body, mind, feelings and spirit certainly helps me to embrace the joy of running. I always draw inspiration from the running metaphor used by Saint Paul, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith [2 Timothy 4:7], signifying the perseverance he demonstrated throughout his life, in spreading the Gospel despite the hardships he encountered. Taking part in this Personal Development Workshop for Runners of all levels challenged me to reset my priorities, and ensure that both my spiritual life and active life are fruitful and joyful, and provide comfort to the soul.
