This morning, as
I slowed down my speed on the treadmill from running to a walking pace, I
looked at the screen in front of me. One hour, eight minutes. For a moment, I
thought to myself—what was I doing that whole time?
And then I realized what I was doing. I was in a state of flow.
According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow
is a state of awe and bliss, which results from a person being intensely
involved in what they are doing. Csikszentmihalyi, in his video “On Flow”,
describes a musician in the state of flow: ecstatic to a point where he felt as
if he almost didn’t exist. He claims that flow comes from something that requires
a high level of challenge but also a high level of skill. Well, running is very challenging for
me, but I also am a skilled runner. I’ve known I was a talented runner since I
was in elementary school and won the 50 yard dash during Field Day (our
school-wide “Olympic” competition), since I was a 6th grader in
middle school and the coach put me on the 8th grade track team,
since I was a member of my high school track team’s 4x200 relay team that set
the school record.
I do have a lot of skill when it comes to sprinting, but running longer distances is much more of a challenge for me, especially after breaking my leg and foot within a year of each other. Putting these different ideas together, I determined that what I had always considered to be a “runner’s high” was really a state of flow. I was doing something that was challenging, but I was qualified to take on. During my run, I had lost track of time and had no idea what I was thinking about, characteristics of someone in a state of flow. All I knew was that when I began my run, in my head I was singing along to my music but by the end my head was no where—not paying attention to my music, not paying attention to how hot I was, and not paying attention to the time. Rather, I was fully absorbed in my run. I was so focused on my run that I did not even realize just how focused I was, but as I began to cool down, I realized this run was the perfect example of flow.
Running, yes. Exhausted,
no. Sweating, yes. Thinking, no.
 |
| My teammate and I in the 4x200 race when we set the school record |
I do have a lot of skill when it comes to sprinting, but running longer distances is much more of a challenge for me, especially after breaking my leg and foot within a year of each other. Putting these different ideas together, I determined that what I had always considered to be a “runner’s high” was really a state of flow. I was doing something that was challenging, but I was qualified to take on. During my run, I had lost track of time and had no idea what I was thinking about, characteristics of someone in a state of flow. All I knew was that when I began my run, in my head I was singing along to my music but by the end my head was no where—not paying attention to my music, not paying attention to how hot I was, and not paying attention to the time. Rather, I was fully absorbed in my run. I was so focused on my run that I did not even realize just how focused I was, but as I began to cool down, I realized this run was the perfect example of flow.
I've definitely experienced flow in music. You can get into to a zone, especially when improvising where you're no longer thinking about the you're playing. Its almost as if your brain just takes control of your body for a little. Of course, you can really only achieve this type of flow, in music at least, from practicing all the time. - Jonathan Miller
ReplyDeleteAs a cross country runner in high school I have experience a "runners high" many times in my career. I definitely believe that this can be considered a "state of flow". When running I often reach a certain point where I don't want to stop because I feel amazing and it feels like an outer body experience. I have no sense of what's going on around me, and I actually don't even care. It is a state of complete elation. Now that I am at school and I am working out more inside opposed to outdoors I was surprised that I can also experience this
ReplyDelete"state of flow" while running on the treadmill. For me at the end of my work out I continue to feel this incredible state for a period of time. I think "runners high" is one of the greatest "states of flow" you can experience.
-Shannon Funsch
Due to the major quest in this class, I have recently taken up running. I have never been a runner. I have always worked out and played on sports teams; however, the urge to get up and go on a run was not something that ever stuck out to me. Therefore, this major quest has been quite challenging for me. I have started running about 4 times a week and have increased my distance every time. As of now, I am running about 3 or 4 miles at a time without stopping. While I never thought I would be someone who could run this far without a break, I realized that it is not as hard as it looks. Yes running is tiring and hard--especially living somewhere that is so cold. However, it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever experienced. In regards to this, I definitely believe that you get into a state of flow when running. I am always surprised to look at my phone after a run and see how far I have gone. I think I have run about a mile or so and than realize it was really 3. This is definitely related to flow. I think that being in a state of flow like this is one of the best ways to relax. This sounds ironic to me, because running is anything but relaxing. However, it is more of a mental relaxation than anything else. Overall, I think you have brought up an interesting point here Alexa and I would definitely have to agree with what you have to say.
ReplyDelete-Emma Kessler
Lexie,
ReplyDeleteAs Emma also mentioned, I have taken up running as part of my major quest as well. I thought your post was very insightful because it different from any of my experiences with running. My main issue with running is that I am now able to experience any "flow" while I am running on the treadmill. All I am able to think about is how tired I am, how much I want to stop running, and the exact minutes and miles I have run so far. I don't give myself the chance to fully immerse myself in the activity for what it is. Instead of taking it as a time to think and calmly listen to my music, I think of it as a annoying, unwanted task. Thus, I decided to start running outside instead of on the treadmill, because I thought this might help change my attitude towards running. This really helped. I am definitely not planning on running track any time in the future, like you, however, it really did help my mood. I realized that by incorporating something I already enjoyed into running, like being outside. When I was outside, I was able to focus on how much I love the fresh air and the sun shining on my face. This helped me get closer to what is considered "flow." While I am definitely not there yet, I think I will be able to accomplish this in the near future.
Taylor Rothman