I had to run naked - and it changed everything.

It happened a good few years ago. I never forget it. It was the biggest Marathon of the year. At that time about 14,000 people lined the streets for the annual Dublin Marathon. I was ready. All the gear was ready. The clothes picked out. The people on the course to support me.

The starting time was getting nearer. Nervous anticipation took over. Can't wait. Let's go!

And then it happened. It snapped. In 2. Beyond repair. 3 minutes before the start. So I had to run without it and go naked. For the whole 26.2 miles.

Yet nobody looked at me funny. Nobody stopped me. Nobody showed disgust.

As for me I thoroughly enjoyed it. Every mile of it. Every minute of it. And I ran a PB. And I have ran naked ever since.

And I have ran naked ever since.

Yes, I can hear you think. What is he on about? Running naked? Surely not.

Yes, absolutely. I haven't run with a watch since the strap broke that morning in Dublin.

Since that day, I discovered the freedom of running for pure joy and listening to my body and what it is telling me. Not my mind, not a watch. Just listen to my body.

Some days I run long, some days short. Some days I run fast (for me) and some days I run slow. some days I don't even feel I'm running.

What else changed from that day? Not a single running injury to report on since that day and I have done 70 odd of my 110 Full or Ultra Marathons since that naked moment.

More joy, more freedom, more fun, less injuries.

More joy, more freedom, more fun, less injuries.

All because of a chance moment.

The day I ran naked was the day running became fun.

And now I am learning to do other things naked. Not the way they are 'supposed' to be done attached to numbers and time. Rather how it feels and is fun.

Step by step, living consciously.

Patte xxxxxx

Living and running like the River Shannon.

This blog is about storytelling. In the last 10 years since my first Marathon I have learned so much about myself from running. And the stories helped me with that. And it changed my life.

The reason? I love running. So it comes easy. And yet a few times it became hard. Sometimes I cried. Sometimes I laughed. Sometimes I wanted to quit. Sometimes I wanted to keep going past the finish line of a 'race'.

All of those moments were what they were. Moments. So I let them in and do their thing. And let it play out. And what happened was learning.

About all the feelings attached to all those moments. And then I asked better questions. Which of these feelings did I like most? How could I recreate those moments? What was I aware of in those moments? Where did my thoughts come from? Were they real or illusions?

The discoveries were experimental and counter-intuitive. Here they are: The more I concentrated on achievement, the less I enjoyed what I loved doing. The more I just went with the flow and listened to my body (inner core), the deeper the experience.

The more I planned for a moment in the future, the less fun I had training.

So I started 'training' in the moment, aware of everything around me and the feelings inside me. And it became flow. Like a river. Like the Shannon near my house. Obstacles came and went in the flow like rocks and tree trunks on a rivers path. Sometimes there was a deluge and sometimes there was a drought.

Like the Shannon near my house.

And all was OK. It became joy over effort. Momentary joy over planned masterpieces. And the races became moments themselves. Joyful moments.

It became effortless, limitless, boundary free and utter fun.

It became effortless, limitless, boundary free and utter fun.

Now for the consciousness part. The only commonality needed for transferring this to other areas of life is LOVE. Find other things that are good for you and you love doing so much it gives you energy and makes time disappear. Then apply the same principles.

And let the flow commence. Like the mighty River Shannon. All the way to the Atlantic. To become part of something bigger. something you were always part of. Yet now consciously.

Patte 08/06/2018 xxxxx