Great conversations with runners and others who have an ultramarathon mindset.
Gwen Zywicke is my guest this episode. She is an ultra runner and an Instructor at Louisiana State University and a writer. Her book, Ultrarunning Mysticism: Mind, Body, Spirit and the Sacredness of Overcoming Suffering, explores the relationship between ultrarunning and mysticism. She is working on a new book focusing on the science of the brain in relation to ultra running.
Facebook: Gwen Zywicke
LinkedIn: Gwen Zywicke
Devin and Jonathan are both returning podcast guests. They are both part of the Buckle-Heads running group in Topeka, KS. They have trained and raced together and supported each other in pursuing their running adventures. Their next big race is the Bighorn 100 on 16 June 2023.
Connect with Devin: https://www.facebook.com/devin.nelson.94043
Connect with Jonathan: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.prosser.79
Running is great for keeping both your body and your mind feeling great. But sometimes you need to take some time to look at how you are really doing inside yourself. And sometimes you will get an “aha” breakthrough when you spend some time working on what is inside of you.
My friend, Renita, joins me in this episode to talk about running long distances, being in the woods, and personal transformation.
Connect with Renita: https://www.facebook.com/renitakallevig
Tara Bianca returns to the podcast with more great information about how breathwork can improve your health. She was my guest back in Ep. 74. In that episode we talked more about breathwork for runners. This week’s episode is focused on how breathwork can benefit your health in general.
Bio: Tara Bianca has been a holistic health practitioner for almost 20 years. She is the owner of BE Light Transformative Therapy, a now fully online holistic health company specializing in therapeutic breathwork, bodywork, mindset and sound healing. Her primary focus is on educating and coaching people to change the quality of their breathing, in order to powerfully improve the quality of their lives. She is passionate about building a global community that is dedicated to achieving optimal health and wellness – for people and for planet – as holistically as possible.
Here are her links:
Website: https://www.belighttt.com/
Breath Boot Camp: https://www.belighttt.com/bootcamp
BE Light Community: https://www.belighttt.com/community
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/belighttt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarabelight/
Before surgery on his hand, a man asked, “Will I be able to play the piano after surgery, doc?”
The doctor assured him he would still be able to play piano after the surgery. To which the man replied, “Good, I’ve always wanted to play the piano.”
I took this “dad” joke and looked a little deeper. Most of us have dreams of what we want to do “someday.” Hopes and dreams are usually put away on a shelf in your mind and you have comfort in knowing you can get them out “when the time is right.”
The sad fact is that most people breathe their last breath with those hopes and dreams still sitting on that dusty closet shelf.
I challenge you to get one or two of your “someday” dreams out and start working on them.
I’m dusting off an old skill that I never fully developed and after several decades I’m now going to learn it well.
We use the word freedom.
But have you thought about what it means?
Freedom is the ability to choose between good and evil.
Doing what is wrong vs. right.
Freedom only exists when we have the ability to choose evil.
Intro.
We were originally created free.
We chose evil.
Freedom also includes responsibility to live w/ the consequences.
Evil = what is harmful to you or others.
Let’s use the word “bad” instead.
Choosing the bad is the exercise of your freedom.
But it leads to slavery . . . prison.
Story of cigarette smoker – 2 weeks . . . 2 years.
Some lines you cross are one-way streets.
You can choose differently.
“Change your life” by change your thoughts.
But thoughts alone won’t change you.
Your life is a result of the choices you make.
You can’t just think differently.
You have to CHOOSE different.
The trap of bad choices is they are easy.
Go with the flow.
Most choices that get you back on track to the life you want are hard ones.
Learn to make hard choices – run an ultramarathon.
That is the mindset that will give you true freedom.
Freedom – the ability to CHOOSE evil (bad).
Also, the ability to CHOOSE life – the life you want to live.
AN EPIC LIFE
Did anyone wish you Happy New Year this week?
Some people are talking about how our calendar changed in the 1500s from Julian to Gregorian.
Julian calendar started the new year around the time of the spring equinox – first day of spring.
Brittan celebrated new year from March 25 – April 1.
Pope Gregory – new calendar for all Xan nations in 1582.
Speculation – people who celebrated New Year on April 1 were fools.
No real evidence for this story, but it’s a good story.
But maybe we’re the fools for giving up a 5-day holiday celebration.
Intro.
I think it makes sense to celebrate the New Year in spring.
I know this view is very Northern Hemisphere centric.
Another idea that makes sense is a 13 month calendar with 28 days and 4 weeks in every month.
But think about what it would be like to change the new year or the number of calendar months.
How many people wouldn’t be able to cope with the change?
How well would you adapt?
If you’ve listened here very long you know one of my main topics is a mindset to grow.
Growth = change.
Your resistance to change is usually tied to your routines & the calendar.
Routines – you know what to expect.
You know what to do.
Calendar – You when to do what you have to do.
You know what is coming up.
New Year – when you think about making changes.
April Fools – as New Year.
The truth is that you can decide to change your life any time you want.
Keep your mindset flexible.
Find something that challenges you to grow.
Learn something new.
Dust off an old hobby – skill.
Ultramarathon mindset – good possibility of failure. Requires more than you think you have got.
Randy Taylor is back for a second time on the podcast. He’s had new running adventures since we last talked and has expanded his coaching services by partnering with other running coaches.
I’m calling this a “Director’s Cut” episode because I left my backup recorder running after the “official” closing and captured our continued conversation. You never know where a conversation is going to go when runners are talking. And we fell back into a discussion that is worth sharing.
So keep listening past the “official” ending for the bonus track.
Connect with Randy