At twilight, when the fulgent glow
of the setting sun flickers with fleeting
fatality, I often find solace in setting
out, stride by stride, for a nice evening
walk. It’s a wander of wonder. Sunsets,
after all, in their evocation of quiet
contemplation of celestial creation,
alter our sense of time, making us
meditate on meaning, prompting us to
ponder our plight, as the night falls and
the death of the day is at bay.
Walking, for those of us who are able
to do so, is an exercise of enormous
spiritual potential, allowing us to view
the vitality of all things around us as
we meander through this monumental
macrocosm of material existence. We
might be prone to see walking as a
rather arbitrary activity, devoid of any
divine details, yet this could not be
further from the Truth.
In her book “Wanderlust: A History
of Walking,” Rebecca Solnit describes
walking as “the most obvious and
the most obscure thing in the world,
this walking that wanders so readily
into religion, philosophy, landscape,
urban policy, anatomy, allegory, and
heartbreak.”
Many of us have profound childhood
memories
of
walks.
I
still
hold
memories of walking through the busy
Toronto streets on my dad’s shoulders
at age 4, moving through the Detroit
Riverwalk with my grandparents at age
8 and tirelessly trekking to the bus stop
every day at age 12. I recall the regular
route I would take in typical teenage
trepidation, as I trampled my way
around corners in the cold at 6 a.m. Even
now, I vividly maintain the memories of
those early rises — moving with haste
(dressing with no taste), cheap wired
headphones on, show tunes in my ear
going off. Those early morning walks
were a hallmark struggle of my middle
and early high school years. Yet they
remain key moments in my attempts
to mitigate my adolescent anxiety as I
anticipated the fateful day(s) ahead.
When we walk, there is a continuum
of choices to be decided upon, as events
quickly unfold much like the unwinding
path before us. One misstep has the
power to create major complications
with its implications. Enchanted by the
allure of detour we may find ourselves
under the dictates of fate as our
footsteps lead us astray, but ultimately
on the way to new people and places,
destinies and dooms.
On our walks we encounter a mirage
of faces and fits, with a flash of sonder
following, as we ponder the rich and
intricate lives of those we meet on
the streets. Walking gives way to a
tension found in the perception of
the self and the perceiving of others.
An assortment of vessels enters into
our vicinity. Eye contact, in passing,
evokes an evanescent intimacy. We
cross paths with close friends, new
crushes and old flames as separated
souls synchronizing, meshing in the
moment, only to diverge in dissolution
and disarray.
Walking also carries with it a great
particularity. We become attached to
certain paths, certain locations and
taking a certain path to those locations
at specific times of day. Walking a
favored or familiar path can evoke
an eeriness — a numinous nostalgia
within us as we reminisce on our
earlier encounters in those spaces. I go
to the Arb, and I’m reminded of all the
instances I’ve traversed the very trail —
day and night, alone or with company,
sober or well …
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 — 7
The Venus trine Neptune
transit might cause you
to fantasize about
romance, especially since
Neptune is in your 12th
house of subconscious.
Venus’s trine with Neptune is
encouraging you to explore your
creative interests. A reward for
the time and energy you’ve
invested in your home and family
life will trigger an important
period of rebirth for you
when the sun trines Saturn.
When Venus trines
Neptune, you will form
much more intimate
connections in both your
romantic relationships
and your friendships.
Your mind is brimming
with ideas, and this
Venus trine Neptune
transit is the perfect time
to organize and pitch
these creative projects in
your workplace.
The Venus trine Neptune
transit presents the
perfect opportunity to
organize your romantic
relationships or money
matters.
Your fantasies of love and
relationships are running
wild as Venus forms a trine
with Neptune. The sun’s
trine with Saturn indicates
that you can learn a lot
from elders in your family,
and you should take time to
talk with them more.
Now is a great time to
transform your living space
as Venus in your fourth
house of home and family
trines Neptune in your
eighth house of rebirth.
Venus’s trine with Neptune
is all about love for you. You may
have buried your feelings deep
within your heart in order to
focus on work, but now is the time
to let your mind fantasize about a
relationship and socialize in order
to discover the qualities
you want in a partner.
Venus’s trine with Neptune
finally allows you a chance
to relax and spend time
getting to know new people.
However, you’ll soon shift
your focus back to work.
Venus’s trine with
Neptune is making you
wonder how you can
show more appreciation
to your family through
service.
Venus’s trine with
Neptune encourages you
to think about your career
goals in more detail so
you have a much clearer
image of what you are
working toward.
Venus’s trine with
Neptune allows you to
relax and daydream of
your ideal relationship or
your next creative project.
By Andrew Nakamura, MiC Columnist
My perfect morning goes like this:
I’m awake at least two hours before any
commitment, class or meeting. I pour
myself a glass of water and make a cup of
coffee. I drink my coffee while snacking
on almond-stuffed dates for energy. I
change into my running clothes, slip
on my shoes and make sure I use the
bathroom. I stretch, put in my Airpods,
hit play on my Spotify playlist and take
off to the “start workout” command
from my MapMyRun App. With my back
straight, my shoulders pinched back
and my elbows bent and stationary at
my side, I start running. My feet hit the
pavement one after the other, while my
shoulders move in synchrony with my
legs. Right shoulder with left leg. Left
shoulder with right leg. My breathing
soon follows as I get into a pattern
matching my strides. Just like that, I
enter a meditative state. With drum
beats blasting through my ears, my feet
against the pavement and my breathing
steady, my mind is at peace. I feel
gratitude in running, pride that I am a
runner and dedication to make this run
a meaningful one. I am interrupted only
by my phone announcing the distance
and speed at which I am running. It’s
one of my favorite feelings in the world.
Back at home, I quickly get myself
into the shower hearing my brother’s
“Leen you smell so bad” and my sister’s
slightly kinder “Were you running?”
with a hand over her nose. For the rest
of the day, I carry a certain openness in
my
chest and lightness in
my step.
I absolutely love running. Yes, I
am one of those people. I’m not very
good at it, but I love it. Running has
been an integral part of my life for the
greater part of three years. Anyone
who only knew me before that would
be astonished that I am a runner. I
tried running track in high school and
quit after two weeks thinking that
running was not for me. But during
the winter semester of my sophomore
year of college, I came across a video
of a woman challenging herself to train
for a marathon in 10 weeks. There was
something very inspiring about the
mental strength needed to train for
and run a marathon. The runner in the
video had trained her mind as much
as her body to fully prepare herself. I
remember texting my friend “I want to
do that,” and with that text, my running
journey started.
For the past two and a half years,
I have continuously fallen further in
love with running. It got me through
quarantining,
MCAT
studying,
family arguing and countless other
challenges. Having made it through
those challenges and reflected on those
experiences, I have learned a lot about
myself through running. Here, I wish to
share some of those lessons:
Lesson number 1: You don’t have to
be the best at something to claim it as
yours.
I became a runner the moment I
decided to put on my shoes and leave
the house. I have come across many
runners who don’t claim this status
until they’ve reached a certain mileage
or pace. To me, it does not matter how
fast you are running or how far you
go. If you run, you’re a runner. It was
important to rid myself of expectations
that force me to reject activities I deem
myself not good enough at. Because of
this lesson, running has opened many
doors for me. Picking up running as
a hobby has allowed me to pick up
painting as a hobby as well. Nothing I
paint could sell at a museum but that
has never stopped me from picking up
my brush. This brings me to my next
lesson.
Lesson number 2: Anyone can run, All
you need are running shoes.
There are countless guides on the
internet discussing which running
shoes to buy. For me, I bought my first
pair off the clearance rack at Marshall’s.
Only after getting to long distances did
I start using orthotic inserts from my
doctor. Those same shoes stayed with
me until my 18-mile run before I finally
switched them out.
Lesson number 3: Caffeine and good
music can help
Part of the reason that running is fun
for me is the music I listen to. Research
has shown that music can boost
preparation for, performance during
and recovery after a run. Multiple
studies have found that listening to
music can ease the effort exerted during
running. When it comes to caffeine’s
effect — both physically and cognitively
— on athletes, the scientific community
is in overwhelming agreement that it
can improve performance and speed
during runs as well as help recover
muscles and enhance circulation after
runs.
Lesson number 4: You are a lot
stronger than you think
During periods of intense physical
activity, our bodies resort to anaerobic
respiration, or the production of energy
without the use of oxygen, to generate
the energy we need. During anaerobic
respiration, a mixture of compounds
builds up in the muscles exerting
activity. In 2014, researchers at the
University of Utah injected that same
mixture into human subjects’ resting
thumbs. Without exerting any effort,
their thumbs started to feel tired, achy
and even shake. The researchers found
that these metabolites activate neurons
that give our muscles the sensation of
pain and fatigue even when they are in
perfect condition to keep exerting.
I think about that study every
time I am struggling to push myself,
whether it’s on a run or off. Without
fail, I have always gained the reward of
achieving a task I didn’t think I could
do. When training for a marathon,
after completing my 6-mile run, I knew
that I could hit any distance I set my
mind to. Every time I thought to stop,
I reminded myself that I had completed
a 6-mile run so I could do anything.
If I am strong enough to run all this
mileage, then I am strong enough to
finish this homework assignment, have
that dreadful conversation or ask for
help.
Lesson number 5: Running is not
pretty
On any given run, I have sweat,
mucus, spit and sometimes dead bugs
on my face. If I have a nose bleed on a
run, there is blood. If it’s a particularly
emotional or difficult run, there are
tears. My face gets red and my frown
lines begin to show. I am in fight
mode. Pushing yourself past what you
think you can do is never pretty. It is
exhausting, ugly and uncomfortable.
But when I make it to the other side,
the reward and the confidence gained
from my accomplishment makes all the
trouble worth it.
Lesson number 6: No one can take
that strength away from you
Once you realize lessons 4 and 5,
you possess something that is yours
and yours only. No matter what is
happening in my life, when I put on my
shoes and get out the door, I can block
all of it out even if for just the duration
of my run. The strength that allows
me to run beyond my comfort is the
same strength I carry with me in every
challenge and that is something nobody
else has access to but me.
Lesson number 7: Every uphill is
followed by a downhill
I think every runner develops an
intuition to detect uphills. No matter
how fit I am, uphill running is a lot
more difficult and to be avoided at all
costs. However, what gets me through
each uphill jog is my certainty that
a downhill will emerge. It gives me
comfort that my agony will end, no
matter how long it lasts and a well-
earned downhill will follow. I hold
on to this principle whenever I am
experiencing adversity — it is only a
matter of time until it is over and I get
to enjoy the ride down.
Lesson number 8: Your mental health
is intrinsically linked to your physical
health
Many studies I have mentioned
explore the differences in performance
when we trick our brains to work
harder and run further demonstrating
the great impact our minds have on our
bodies.
Though people generally associate
runner’s high with the rush of euphoria
following
activity,
recent
research
has found that runner’s high is caused
by receptors in the endocannabinoid
system. These receptors are present
in
the
lungs,
kidneys
and
bone
marrow
and
affect
your
immune
response, reproductive health and pain
modulation. Not only does runner’s high
affect our mind and feelings, but it is
intrinsically connected to our physical
health. In my experience, running helps
my mental health in the same way that
meditation does and I feel much better
after my runs. However, there have
been days when I have had to skip a run
because I was losing confidence in my
ability to perform. Which brings me to
my next lesson.
Lesson
number
9: Knowing
and
listening to your body is key to
successful running
I
cannot
emphasize
this
point
enough. Learning when to test your
limits and when to rest is one of the
most fundamental skills to build as a
runner. It is absolutely necessary to
continuously acknowledge cues from
your body and mind as to how you are
doing and trusting the messages they
are sending. Research can guide us in
learning what our bodies are doing at
different points during our training but
establishing that knowledge needs to
happen on an individual level. Learning
about and trusting my body allows
me to put up boundaries and set goals
better suited to my abilities.
Lesson
number
10:
The
most
important part of a fitness journey is
finding a workout you enjoy
If you have been on TikTok or
Instagram reels recently, you have
seen videos that preach discipline over
motivation. I agree with the sentiment
— discipline establishes a regimen
that takes the thinking out of making
choices. Discipline allows me to run
the number of times a week that I do;
however, it makes a very big difference
when I wake up excited to run and give
it my all. It’s not to say that I have never
dreaded a run and in those moments
when motivation is lost, discipline
keeps me running. On and off the
running course, a balance of discipline
and motivation is essential for growth.
***At the end of this article, I would
like to acknowledge the privilege
allowed to me as a white-passing
woman of color that allows me to
pursue running as a hobby. I want to
remember and honor Ahmaud Arbery,
Mollie Tibbetts, Karina Vetrano and the
countless other people who have been
killed while running due to racism,
sexism and other forms of bigotry.
The lessons in the stride
LEEN SHARBA
MiC Columnist
Graphic by SoJung Ham
KARIS CLARK
MiC Columnist
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
What the walk reveals