Meditation for Advancement in

Long Distance Training

Michael C. Moul
Purdue University Global
HW 499 Capstone
Professor Kristin Henningsen
September 13, 2022
 Agenda
Overall Goal: “Using meditation to aid individuals advance in
their training for long distance events”
– Course subsets
• Long distance endurance training
• What is Meditation?
• How can Meditation be used?
• How to practice Meditation
• Specific “Body Centered” Meditation
• How to practice “Body Centered” Meditation
• Mindfulness
• Meditation vs. Mindfulness
• Guided Meditation Activities
 Long Distance Endurance Training
• Intense Training can Lead to (Chung et al.,
2021):
– Anxiety
– Depression
– Fatigue
– Irritability
– Low Motivation
– Muscle Tension/Fatigue
– Muscle Imbalance

https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/leg-stretches-flexibility
 What is Meditation?
• According to the Cleveland Clinic:
– Meditation can be used for, “Clearing your mind using a
combination of mental and physical techniques”
(Meditation…, n.d.)
• Regular meditation produces a
change in brain structure (Bayes-Fleming et al.,
2022)
– Following link to video and come back for discussion
– “Denser brain tissue in areas (Swerdloff, 2019)
– Larger areas in brain
– More/stronger connected neurons” (Meditation…, n.d.)
• Areas of brain enhanced through Meditation
(Meditation…, n.d.):
– Managing/controlling senses
– Concentration/thinking areas
– Emotional processing center
 How Meditation be used?
• Different types applied allow
for (Meditation…, n.d.):
– Relaxation
– Reduced anxiety/stress
– Improved
concentration/critical thinking
– Increased ability to adapt to
• https://www.marketing91.com/critical-
changes in environment
thinking/
– Improve health
• Quitting poor health habits
• Improve body awareness
 How to Practice Meditation

• Many forms Meditation can

take:
– “Body-centered meditation
– Contemplation
– Emotion-centered meditation
– Mantra meditation
– Meditation with movement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6yOWxrAjpg

– Mindfulness meditation
– Visual-based meditation”
(Meditation…, n.d.)
 Specific “Body Centered” Meditation

• Body Centered Meditation allows for (Horan, 2022):

– Formal time to be fully engage into body scan
• Brain can concentrate on “me and me only”
• Meditation while running can problematic due to:
– Injury
– Time constraints
– Panic over environmental stressors
• Formal meditation practice allows (Horan, 2022):
– Better preparedness when the individual encounters stressful
feelings/emotions
– Enhances ones running meditation
– Enhances overall wellbeing
– Leads to “Mindfulness” (The Mondays Campaign, 2022)
How to practice “Body Centered” Meditation

• Applying “Body Centered” Meditation (Horan, 2022):

1. Choose an environment with limited distractions
2. Hold a comfortable position
3. Find a focal point (breath, count, repeat a phrase, or choose one of
your senses)
4. When distracted, gently bring the mind back into focus using your
chosen focal point
5. Practice as long as you feel comfortable (More effort=More
benefit)
 Mindfulness
• What is Mindfulness? (follow link for short video)
– “The ability to be fully present, aware of where we are
and what we’re doing” (Bayes-Fleming et al., 2022)
• Goal of Mindfulness:
– To become aware of, “The inner workings of our
mental, emotional, and physical processes” (Bayes-
Fleming et al., 2022)
• Those who practice Mindfulness are more aware
of (Bayes-Fleming et al., 2022):
– Senses
– State of mind (The Mondays Campaign, 2022)

• Thoughts
• Emotions
• Training remodels brains structure physically
(Bayes-Fleming et al., 2022)
 Meditation vs. Mindfulness
Meditation (Horan, 2022)
• “Is the practice”
• Strengthens the brain in:
– Specific areas
– Neuron connections
– Gama brain waves
• Allows for one to be MORE
present in each moment
Mindfulness (Horan, 2022)
• “Is a state of being”
• Result of practiced
meditation
• A “nonreactive approach”
• Gives us a way of accepting
pain
– “Right now, this is how my
body is feeling, but I can feel
this, and I can still proceed”
 Guided Meditation Activities
• Activity 1
– Click on “Body Scan Meditation” and participate with the video
– Log your experience and note any insights
– After completion move onto Activity 2 when confident
• Activity 2
– Complete after engaging in Activity 1 when comfortable
– Click on “Meditation during Running” and participate with the
video on a chosen run (Preferably a tempo run)
– Log your experience and note any insights
 Resources
Bayes-Fleming, N., PhD, B. G. B., Boyce, B., Goh, C., Kira M. Newman and Janet Ho,
Newman, K. M., Staff, M., & Graham, L. (2022, July 6). Getting started with mindfulness.
Mindful. Retrieved September 12, 2022, from
https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/

Chung, Y., Hsiao, Y. T., & Huang, W. C. (2021). Physiological and Psychological Effects of
Treadmill Overtraining Implementation. Biology, 10(6), 515.
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology10060515

Horan, C. (2022). Why Mental Strength Needs a Place in Your Training Plan. Runner’s
World, 57(3), 28–31.

Meditation: What it is, Benefits & Types. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved September 12, 2022,
from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17906-meditation

Swerdloff, M. (2019, March 20). Harvard unveils MRI study proving meditation literally
rebuilds the brain's gray matter in 8 weeks. Providence Holistic Counseling . Retrieved
September 12, 2022, from https://www.michaelswerdloff.com/harvard-unveils-mri-study-
proving-meditation-literally-rebuilds-the-brains-gray-matter-in-8-weeks/

The Monday Campaigns. (2022, September 7). An introduction to mindfulness. The Monday
Campaigns. Retrieved September 12, 2022, from
https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/destress-monday/an-introduction-to-mindfulness