That One Perfect Run
Isn’t it strange how some runs can leave you feeling depleted while others leave you feeling energized? Have you ever wondered whether there’s a correlation with how you feel and the physical place where you’re running? Can you actually draw physical energy from your surroundings? I don’t generally believe in the mystical, but there is one place I travel to every year where magic seems to be in the air for runners.
Mana is a Hawaiian word that refers to a form of spiritual energy and healing power which can exist in people, objects or places. Certain places are thought to have more mana than others. To be honest, I’m not sure what you’re expected to feel in a place with mana, but I’m beginning to think that my running route in Maui is full of it.
I call it “my” running route because in the almost 20 years that I’ve been travelling to Maui, I’ve run the same 11.5k loop easily over 100 times. It starts at sea level and goes up the base of the volcano to about an elevation of 170 m, and then connects to another road which loops back down. I run it every day when I’m there – sometimes clockwise, sometimes counterclockwise, and sometimes I even do two loops. I always run it alone. I’ve recently returned from 21 days of running that loop, and somehow I’ve never gotten tired of it. Every run leaves me feeling strong and powerful, yet thoroughly relaxed.
When I’m at home in my “real world” here in Toronto, I run almost every day. Some days I look forward to my runs, some days I dread them. Some days I have a great one, some days I feel horrible all the way through. Sometimes I feel refreshed by a run and sometimes they wipe me out physically and mentally. I sometimes procrastinate and sit in my running gear all day, hoping to get the urge at some point. I choose different routes and different workouts to keep it interesting. I run with different groups and friends, or alone, depending on my mood and my goals. It’s never the same because I’ve never found that one run which is continually perfect.
I’ve never dreaded or procrastinated going for my run in Maui. Although the route is challenging, I finish it feeling refreshed and invigorated. I return from vacation feeling fit, lean, strong, happy and healthy. Try as I might, I have not been able to replicate those consistent feelings from my training at home. I’ve tried running a hilly 11.5k loop consistently every day and it just doesn’t work. I get tired, I lose motivation, I start to feel slow and bored, so I have to add variety to spice it up. I add speedwork, long runs, I do hills, I do tempos, I do core work – all to try to replicate that feeling I can get from one run in Maui.
I know what you’re going to say: you’re probably eating better on vacation. Nope. I drink more beer and eat more ice cream when in Maui than at any other time. It’s true, I don’t have as much work stress when I’m on vacation, but I think that’s countered by being with my two kids all day, every day, continually changing roles f rom entertainer to referee to chef, to comforter, to teacher. Not that I mind it – it’s just not a whole lot more relaxing than my routine at home.
So why else could running the same 11.5k loop every day make me feel so great? There could be a scientific explanation, or a training principle in effect which I’m unaware of, but I can think of no other reason for my training results than that it’s the place itself which is giving me something – mana. If I could bottle that run and bring it home with me, I would. I’m going to keep my senses open for places closer to home with mana. In the meantime, I’ll keep trying to replicate that run as I wait another year to get back to my one true run.