Maintaining the Base

Running became a major part of my life when I joined cross country two years ago. Not realizing cross country meant running more than 25 miles a week, I ran less than 15 miles the summer before my first season. The first few weeks of cross country were absolutely brutal and I wanted to sleep in all my free time to cure my exhaustion. I hated it at first, but after a while I got used to the rhythm of running and my life became easier as I had started to build a base. Sakyong Mipham explains that building a base for running takes at least two years. It’s a process of taking the things you already possess like your lungs, muscles, bones, and tendons, and training them so your ability to run steadily increases (Mipham 23). Before becoming an avid runner, I ran off and on for track and sometimes on my own for a bit more than two years but never had a solid starting point. I didn’t have the stamina to run multiple miles without long breaks because this was my first time running distance. Also, I didn’t train to build up my muscles the way I do now which contributed to my weak, unstable base. Mipham has shown me why a base is so important and luckily cross country has helped me create one.

Running at a cross country meet (not stopping because I have a durable base)

Unfortunately, after my first year of cross country ended in 2015, my sturdy base slowly withered away to the same starting point I was at in the beginning of the season. I chose to take a break to let my body rest but rested for too long by not starting to run till the following season and had to recreate a healthy base all over again. The 2016 cross country season recently ended and now I intend to find a balance between running and resting to sustain my base because this was the biggest struggle for me last year. Mipham says that, “Long periods of overstimulation- too much activity- begin to affect the organs and blood flow (Mipham 25-26).” Neither my blood flow nor my organs have been affected, but yet I feel an overstimulation of running and want to step down for a few months. Now, instead of running 25 miles weekly, I aim to run 10-15 miles a week. This form of running will give me the chance to relax my body while maintaining a strong base as I am still practicing the activity often enough to tire myself out, but not as vigorously as I do during cross country.

I want to know: How long has it taken you to create a base in a specific activity and what are the challenges of maintaining a base for you?

Mipham, Sakyong. Running with the Mind of Meditation. New York, United States: Harmony Books, 2012. Print.