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I was only recently introduced to stoicism as a philosophy on a run. I was asked what my technique is during a run, do I concentrate on pain or ignore it. Of

I was only recently introduced to stoicism as a philosophy on a run. I was asked what my technique is during a run, do I concentrate on pain or ignore it. Of course there isn't always pain and pain during a run can vary greatly, so I explained my answer is simply, yes. I have tried everything and nothing works, I explained like everyone some days I dominate and some days I struggle, but I'm always thankful for my character building days and hopeful I'll have new thought processes to try. I don't know if it's stoic or not, but a cool way to be introduced to the philosophy. Then, I explained a specific thought I sometimes embrace during very difficult runs, I remember when I did a back to back half/full marathons, and on day 2 I was feeling great like there was nothing I couldn't do and just before the race I was introduced to a 67 year old cancer survivor running her first marathon, to this day the thought brings chills and humbles me.

bardworx 10y ago
> I was asked what my technique is during a run, do I concentrate on pain or ignore it. There is a great story that I took a liking to, it centers around the idea that "this too shall pass"[0]. It resonated with me because regardless of how (un)happy you are, it shall pass, a new day will begin. The current state is simply current, it does not resonate over a span of a week, or month, year, decade, etc. Our current state should be approached in a stateless manner as to refrain being too high or too low. In that frame of reference, all success/failure is part of the journey and doesn't defy ourselves. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_too_shall_pass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_too_shall_pass
Ntrails 10y ago
> Do I concentrate on pain or ignore it. Of course there isn't always pain and pain during a run can vary greatly, so I explained my answer is simply, yes. I have tried everything and nothing works I always remember my first motorbike accident (vs Bus), my foot was p mangled. I remember the first burst of the pain, I screamed a bit, and I distinctly remember thinking "So this is why people scream. Not because it makes things better, but because there's nothing else to do".

bardworx 10y ago

> I was asked what my technique is during a run, do I concentrate on pain or ignore it. There is a great story that I took a liking to, it centers around the idea that "this too shall pass"[0]. It resonated with me because regardless of how (un)happy you are, it shall pass, a new day will begin. The current state is simply current, it does not resonate over a span of a week, or month, year, decade, etc. Our current state should be approached in a stateless manner as to refrain being too high or too low. In that frame of reference, all success/failure is part of the journey and doesn't defy ourselves. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_too_shall_pass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_too_shall_pass

Ntrails 10y ago

> Do I concentrate on pain or ignore it. Of course there isn't always pain and pain during a run can vary greatly, so I explained my answer is simply, yes. I have tried everything and nothing works I always remember my first motorbike accident (vs Bus), my foot was p mangled. I remember the first burst of the pain, I screamed a bit, and I distinctly remember thinking "So this is why people scream. Not because it makes things better, but because there's nothing else to do".