One slight problem with today’s so-called “mindfulness movement” is due to vague, lofty claims and generalizations about what it is and what it can do, especially in the area of human performance.
Understanding the physiological effects of positive emotions such as caring, compassion or appreciation for someone or something can actually go a long way in helping people reduce their risky training behaviors.
Running and sport involvement is one of many innovative treatments that stimulate the brain’s natural neuro-plasticity. And it’s largely through heightened body awareness that past traumas can be renegotiated and revisited rather than relived repeatedly.
There have always been inspirational runners who defy conventional beliefs regarding aging and human performance. The truth of the matter is that the biopsychology of aging remains largely a mystery.
Of course, the half-marathon is attractive to marathon runners because of its ease of recovery and to classic road runners because of its role as a springboard to the full marathon. But the half marathon (at 13.1 miles) is perhaps even more relevant to the 10K (at 6.2 miles) than the marathon (at 26.2 miles).