1. News, Trends, and Regular Runners doing Amazing Things
“WHO IS THIS PERSON STARING BACK AT ME?” RICK VAN TONDER’S WEIGHT-LOSS INSPIRATION p22
Human( )racep23
Inspired by the idea that a stronger
mind makes a better athlete, Allan
Rimmellhasdesignedaconsciousness
course that could change the way
you approach racing.
Allan
Rimmell
Age: 36
From: Centurion, Pretoria
Job title: Awareness
Mentor And Coach
MEET THE
GURU
The
Run-Conscious
Mind
Photograph by BEN BERGH JULY 2015 runner’s world 19

2. Photograph by BEN BERGH20 runner’s world JULY 2015
PhotographSBYISTOCKPHOTO(SUITCASE)
You Asked Me
RW Gear Editor
Ryan Scott is
here for you.
And your stuff.
My interest in mindfulness was
sparked at a talk by Professor
Tim Noakes. He said it’s been
scientifically proven that if a
golfer is thinking of anything else
when playing a shot, the shot
doesn’t go as intended. I’d already
explored the concept in the past,
but only in helping employees
to control their thinking in an
extremely stressful corporate
environment. After Noakes’s talk,
I believed I could pass both the
methodology and understanding
of mindfulness on to professional
sportsmen and -women.
The course I designed is based
primarily on what I learned
from reading and applying the
methodology of Eckhart Tolle’s
The Power of Now and A New
Earth. I’ve also completed a
diploma as a consciousness
coach, which enables me to ask
empowering questions.
I explained my beliefs to Michael
Seme, the athletics coach at the
University of Pretoria, and he
suggested I chat with his athletes
to see if they were interested in
attending my Conscious Sports
Course. Four athletes committed.
Versatile SA distance runner
Sikhumbuzo Seme is one of the
athletes who’s used conscious
running in a race. During the
Unite Nelson Mandela 27km race
he injured his foot, 11 kilometres
in. His initial reaction was to
stop running; but because he
had committed to a top 10 finish,
he chose instead to focus on
maintaining his state of mind,
and on running ‘in the moment’.
He ended up finishing eighth,
and reported that the pain had
subsided.
Initially, the key is to use the
mind to set positive beliefs, and
then move towards operating
primarily off consciousness
(awareness). Consciousness is
Mind over
matter: up
your mental
game, and
reap physical
benefits.
what is left, and who we are,
when we are 100% connected
to our senses and the present
moment, with no thoughts or
emotions.
Focus is fundamental to making
conscious running work. By
directing the focus of our
attention away from thinking,
we start to experience a higher
level of consciousness. As our
level of consciousness grows with
time and practice, so too will our
ability to perform at higher levels.
To overcome thoughts and
emotions you must exist
connected to the present
moment. I teach my clients to
listen to the sounds of the birds,
and to feel each foot as it touches
the ground, as these events
occur in the moment. This is why
music works so well in enhancing
performance. Music happens in
the ‘now’; therefore when our
attention is focused on it, we exist
at a higher level of consciousness.
Fatigue is an emotion. It’s
the body’s reaction to the
subconscious mind. By running
in the space between and around
thoughts, as opposed to being
lost in thought, or thinking
too much during a race, you’ll
experience a decrease in fatigue.
Overcoming discomfort depends
on the pain. A portion of physical
discomfort is produced by the
thinking mind. By learning to run
on awareness or consciousness,
runners will experience less
physical discomfort. This doesn’t
mean you should run with an
injury; but like Seme, if you’re
highly committed to the end
goal mid-race, you’ll be able to
continue for longer, with less or
no pain.
Consciousness does not negate
the importance of physical
fitness. It would be unrealistic
to expect a couch potato to
suddenly get up and run a half
marathon; you must have some
base fitness and strength. It takes
a balance between peak physical
fitness and peak mental fitness to
be the best runner you can be.
My discoveries even drove me to
become a runner. I’ve been using
my methods with some success.
But I’m not the best runner, and
admittedly, I need some training!
Still, I enjoy it.
“Initially, the key is
to use the mind to set
positive beliefs...”
HUMAN
RACE
PACK IT IN!
I’ll be travelling for the
next three months. Any
tips for taking running
gear along? – PETE,
Greytown
Shoes take up a lot
of space and are a
grudge item to travel
with. Minimise the
impact by
stuffing your
shoes with socks
and underwear,
cleverly using the
dead space in
the shoe cavity.
It also helps the
shoes to keep their
shape while they’re
squashed in your
luggage. Place the
shoes with the
soles snugly up
against the sides of
your suitcase, one
shoe on either side.
Life Hack