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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

4/4 time

Counting 4/4 time is a great little metronomic meditation I’ve encountered on various hill trainings. Four steps on the inhale, four steps on the exhale. It keeps you just right at that perfect level of effort for training, solid yet sustainable. I first noticed it a few years ago up above El Prieto Trail and was reminded of it yesterday in the residential hills around my house. Going up the mountain, breathing becomes, understandably, pronounced. As the ascent steepens and fitness lags this effect compounds. But with drive to get to the top, to get better ready for Wilson, we push ourselves and we begin to sink deeper into this rhythmic aerobic cycle. Intentionally ignoring the deficit and suffering in the rest of the body, we begin to realize, to become aware of a collaboration between footfall and heartbeat and deep breathing, even resting a bit by its song.

2 comments:

amidnightrider said...

I used to do double breaths when I was running. Two inhales followed by two exhales. They matched my cadence.

mindful mule said...

Midnight: When it gets really steep and/or fast it’ll shift to 2 steps to the inhale and 2 steps to the exhale for me, too – more than that at it seems to go anaerobic pretty fast, which doesn’t last long.