- It simply consists of running for fun, without any type of competition, without training, nor race rhythms, nor pulsations, nor marks, nor times to beat
Just as there are “freesurfers”, surfers who do not compete but surf for pure fun and transmit the essence of surfing to the world, why not Free Runners?
There is already the concept of freerunning, something very similar to parkour (acrobatics with street furniture).
But this new ‘Free Running’ would simply be about running for fun, enjoying running, even if for many it seems difficult. No competitions or training, no race rhythms, no pulsations, no marks, no times, no kilometers, no meters of unevenness, etc.
Those of us who have competed find motivations in overcoming goals and objectives, which can be summed up in lowering times or running more kilometers. But I must confess that after spending many years involved in this training and competition environment, this type of running has me “hooked”, because I have discovered other motivations,
as is the pleasure of running, the will to take care of my health and enjoy nature.
Health
Take care of the body and mind
The main purpose of any person should be to enjoy life fully and that can only be done from a healthy body, understood globally (not only physically, but also mentally). The fact that a person decides to take care of their health supposes a lot, it represents the will to take care of themselves,
turning the body into a central value of life. If we take care of our health we can not only live longer, but with better quality.
The main purpose of any person should be to enjoy life fully and that can only be done from a healthy body, understood globally (not only physically, but also mentally). The fact that a person decides to take care of their health supposes a lot, it represents the will to take care of themselves,
turning the body into a central value of life. If we take care of our health we can not only live longer, but with better quality.
I am not going to highlight the enormous benefits on a physical level that everyone already knows or intuits.
But in recent years there has been an explosion of scientific articles that relate less complex physical activities than Running with the improvement in mental capacities.
Running freely through nature or Free Trail Running is a major motor challenge.
Its unpredictable dynamics because it takes place in a permanently irregular environment requires intense mental work, which produces great neuronal stimulation.
This stimulation activates neural plasticity that can produce new neural connections in our brain until very advanced ages and, therefore, can improve our cognitive abilities.
In addition, it has been observed that performing aerobic activities, such as running,
produces an effect of neurogenesis (creation of new neurons) at all ages that until recently was unknown.
Benefits
Creativity and self-knowledge
Movement is a cognitive activity like any other. It involves complex cognitive processes such as spatio-temporal perception, sensory perception, attention, concentration, information processing and analysis, memory, decision-making, preparation and execution of action plans. With this stimulation we promote learning and intelligence. And the fact of not being focused on the activity, or the effort, or the journey provides moments of great creativity and self-knowledge.
Its positive effect on a psychological level is widely accepted, such as in the control of stress and anxiety.
But if you also add the fact that it is an activity that can be done in nature and for pure pleasure, its beneficial effects are multiplied.
The pleasure of enjoying running long distances requires a training period that leads us to not have to suffer to run, as has always been believed.
But once achieved, what remains is to propose stimulating routes that give us the opportunity to admire some natural place with a special attraction or some new space that generates curiosity.
And having arrived by our own means, taking care of our health, is a great reward. And that is why Free Running is more than running, it is questioning, it is learning, it is valuing oneself and it is growing. It is not simply knowing our limits and trying to overcome them.
Movement itself is an important source of knowledge but it can also be a source of ignorance. The flight is the opposite of the going, they may even be identical movements and displacements, but the emotional motor is very different and the results also.
Better to run in search of … than to run away from …
