Running is my meditation, mind flush, cosmic telephone, mood elevator and spiritual communion.

For me, running is a lifestyle and an art. I'm far more interested in the magic of it than the mechanics. It's that interest and exploration that make running fun for me. It's easy to become outcome-focused; for me the unfoldment of self is what is meaningful in running and outlasts any medals.

Running is my meditation, mind flush, cosmic telephone, mood elevator and spiritual communion.

Thanks to the race-day adrenaline rush, any pace will feel easier than normal. So make a conscious effort to hold back in the early miles.

Throw away your 10-function chronometer, heart-rate monitor with the computer printout, training log, high-tech underwear, pace charts, and laboratory-rat-tested-air-injected-gel-lined-mo-tion-control-top-of-the-line footwear. Run with your own imagination.

For me, running is a lifestyle and an art. I'm more interested in the magic of it than the mechanics.

At least in a race you have mile markers and know how long you have to go. Labor is like running as hard as you can without knowing where the finish line is.