Runners

JULY 2018 RUNNER’S WORLD 23and conditioning coach and author ofElevate Your Excellence. A ‘sensory run’ isone in which you let go of your mind andfocus on what’s going on inside and aroundyou through the five main senses: sight,smell, taste, hearing, and touch. Heilmansays doing so allows you to be truly present(without judgment), and helps you tuneinto what your body needs in that moment.It may seem rudimentary, but leaninginto those sensations can make you a betterathlete. “If you’re interested in training,competing, and improving, you have to payattention to what’s going on inside your bodyas well as how that relates to what’s goingon outside,” says Jack Raglin, PhD, a sportspsychologist and kinesiology professor atIndiana University Bloomington. And thissensory-focused approach can help youpush your performance to the next level, too.Research finds that elite athletes (more sothan non-elite athletes) use sensations suchas hydration, muscle pain and fatigue, as wellas their surroundings, to optimise their runs.The more you practise turning inward,the better you’ll know your body, the moreeffectively you’ll tolerate discomfort, and themore you’ll enjoy your time. “You’re less aptto be anxious if you’re able to stay present,”says Jeffery Brown, author of The Runner’sBrain. And since technology such as phones,watches, and apps can cause us to tune outduring a run, you’ll find turning inward iseasier without any gadgets.But you don’t need to tossall your toys. The goal of asensory run is to find timefor tech-free kays aboutonce a week. To improveyour understanding of yourown body while running,Brown suggests cyclingthrough your five senses,focusing on a different oneevery five minutes. Here’show doing so can improveyour experience.SIGHT// Taking in yourvisual surroundings – peoplepassing by, a mountainin the distance, scenichomes – will help you focuson rewarding details ofinterest and increase yourenjoyment, Raglin says. “Itmight seem as though you’rejust looking around, but yourbrain is trying to create thisintegrative picture of howyou feel moving through space,” he explains.To use sight to your advantage, Raglinrecommends spotting landmarks ahead andthen speeding up to chase them down, orchoosing external benchmarks such as thenext hill to focus on your form and completesub-goals.``````SMELL // Smell is one of the senses mostassociated with emotional memories,which is why you may recall the salty notesof the ocean air during a run on the coast.For performance’s sake, concentrate onsmells that may be present along the courseyou’re training for, suggests Dr AhmadR. Sedaghat, PhD, an otolaryngologist atMassachusetts Eye and Ear in Boston. Forexample, zero in on the smell of fresh-cutgrass during your trainingif your race is taking placein a park. This allows you toquickly acclimate to the racesetting so you can devotemore concentration toactually running, he says.``````TASTE // “Tastes that areexperienced during runningcan certainly act as a gaugefor a runner’s physiologicalstatus,” Sedaghat says.Dehydration, for one, cancause saliva to thicken, andbecause there’s less waterin the body, fluids such assweat and saliva can becomemore concentrated withsalt. If you find your mouthtastes salty, instead ofspiralling into worry mode,Heilman suggests seeingit as a signal to take care ofyourself. Stop at a water``````station mid-race, find a water fountainduring a run, or simply turn back for homeif your taste buds are sending signals thatyou’ll need to replenish soon.``````HEARING // No matter where yourkilometres take you, tuning into the soundsaround you can enhance awareness.“You’re getting a sense of what’s happeningbehind you or where you can’t see, withoutneeding to avert your eyes,” Raglin says.You’ll be safer knowing a truck is roaringup the road, or you’ll have an early warningif a competitor is about to pass you in arace. During training runs, seeking outsounds you’ve never heard before andtrying to find where they’re coming fromforces you to be engaged in the momentand increases enjoyment and reward, headds. To ensure that the little voice inyour head saying ‘I’m tired’ doesn’t takeover, Brown recommends being reallydescriptive about what you hear. Instead ofsimply noting a bird call, imagine what typeof bird it is, where it’s located, and how thecall sounds.``````TOUCH // Summer runs often equal sweatyruns, but pay attention to how that sweatfeels on your skin, both during exercise andafter you finish. “Salty sweat has a similarfeeling to that of caked-on sea water after aswim,” says Amanda Nurse, an elite runnerand personal coach. You may notice it feelsgritty to touch, which is a sign you have lostelectrolytes such as sodium in your sweat.If you feel salt flakes or crystals when youtouch your skin post-run, take in sodiuman hour before your next run by consumingsomething salty, such as a bag of pretzels,or by adding electrolyte mix to your water,Nurse suggests. This will help your bodyretain water and prevent muscle cramps.``````A sensory runincludes thegood, the bad,and the ugly.When it comesto dull scenery,loud noise, orgross smells,take them allin, too. Activelytrying to blockthem out stealsbrainpoweraway fromyour training,Sedaghat says.``````BADVIBES?