Practice
- March 2012
- Simple Living Climb
For a long time, practice to me meant practicing piano. It was a verb. I started playing piano when I was three. I don’t really remember much about it when I was really small, but I know I had to practice a half hour a day throughout childhood and an hour when I got older, and go to weekly piano lessons. If I didn’t practice, I couldn’t do what I wanted to (mostly go outside and play or read), because I wasn’t allowed. A lot of times, I played scales with a novel propped up in front of me. And if I didn’t practice, I would be humiliated in front of my teacher at my lesson (which happened a lot anyway).
When I started doing yoga, I started thinking of practice as a noun. A yoga “practice.” For a long time, I wasn’t entirely sure what it meant though–was a yoga practice a certain set of poses you did? And you practiced them to do them right? Or was it just the fact that you did yoga? Though I’m annoyingly literal, for some reason I never quite pinned that one down in my head, though I heard and read it over and over. I just let it be one of those things that I know what it means but wouldn’t be able to describe it precisely to another person 🙂 (so, pretty much the definition of not actually knowing something).
In the last year, since adopting Cajun the wild reservation jackal, I’ve started running again. Running was something I was dedicated to for years, almost as much as climbing. But when my beloved companion Fletch first retired from running and then died of old age, I lost my passion for it. Frankly, it became kind of depressing to run without her.
And then Cajun came along, a bundle of energy and crazy athleticism, with extra-long legs that haven’t stopped growing, and one day I found myself putting on my running shoes and taking her out to the Jackson’s Loop trail beside the river. The first day, it wasn’t very fun, as usual when you haven’t been running. Running isn’t anything like fun for at least two weeks when you first start (maybe one week if you have a long history of running and are just out of shape at the moment)–which is my theory about why a lot of people think they don’t like it. Cajun, on the other hand, was in heaven, and watching her pure puppy ecstasy was about as much fun as the actual run was not. A few days later, we went again. By the third time, I was remembering how much I used to love running, watching Cajun leap and dart all over the desert like a greyhound/pronghorn hybrid creature, all full of smiles and bouncy ears. By the second week, I realized I was running again and I remembered I love running.
A while ago, I heard a radio interview with Edward Wilson, a fascinating man who has devoted his life to studying ants. He commented that one ant by itself is nothing. It may as well not even exist. Only as a part of the group, can an ant even live. For some reason, that really stuck in my head. And on the third run back it occurred to me that just like an ant, one run by itself is really nothing. In a way, it doesn’t even count as running. It’s only when you keep running, when you go day after day, week after week, that running becomes something, a thing you do, all the runs slowly adding up into this thing called running. It’s the total of running, the continuity of running that is running. And that must be the meaning of practice.
Great post, Steph. Do you know Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule? (from his book, “Outliers”)  He found that it takes piano students 10,000 hours of practice to become expert. Kids who practice for 8,000 hour become good. 4000 hours become teachers. And the more you practice the less talent matters. Â
I love this! it sure does make it a lot easier to get out and run when you have an energetic puppy. if my border collie doesn’t get his run for the day he is not a happy camper:)
Wow, Steph. I really enjoyed reading this post. I was listening to Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn5ken3RJBo) while reading this and I reached the end of your post at the end of the piece and it seemed to fit really well. I’m really happy I read this. Thanks for being you!Â
Brillante association Steph ! This is like a yogi or martial thought. I like very much your posts which are true sources of inspiration and reflection. In your book – High Infatuation which isn’t traduced in french unfortunately, there’s a fine and strange chapter whose title is “Running”and this post is about practice and practice of running in particular (but also dogs, ants and many other subjects). I’d like to ask you if you think that running is really a good and natural practice for the human beings like for example, practicing yoga. Sorry for my awful english and thanks for your inspiring accounts.
Laurent.
Thanks Emily 🙂
Merci Laurent! Ton anglais est vraiment bon 🙂 I think running is a good thing for humans, I think it’s meditative and I think it also makes you feel happy and playful like a dog or a child–I mean trail running, in nature of course.
I’m glad you liked reading this, and thanks for writing to me,
Steph
thanks Kim! I did read that book, it was really interesting.
they are born to run….!
Hi Steph, I love your passion and natural gift for climbing and when I am out on a trail run and i past slippery moss laden rock ( western WA), I do wish for some dry sturdy rock like in Utah to climb on, or bask on:). I am so excited you are enjoying running again. I always wondered if you ran or why not.  After being a snowboarder for sometime, I still enjoy the purity of a run and the cute kritters I meet more than carving powder turns, or a fast steep thrill.  May you enjoy the smells and feel of the wind that make for me all the cares of the world to fit in my hand along with my empty water bottle at the end of a 1200 mi gain/ loss 5 run:)
Wishing you a great time in Utah! Think of you and love Prana! Hoping my hubby can make me a practice climbing wall outside our home like you have! Looks like so much fun!! Esp. since Bremerton Vertical closed its doors. However,  during our travels all over WA for mostly looking for sun and rock like in EAstern WA,  I try and find some boulders to climb since dont have a lot of time to learn all the technicalities of real climbing. I’m 37, mother of three boys, lifeguard, trail runner, and now starting a vegan, organic mocha and hot cacao company called instant karma. If your interested I’d love to share some with you.Â
 You are an amazing Athlete Steph!! And inspirational and ultra cool one too boot!
Take Care,
Khristian Page
Congrats on the new business, and I wish you lots of luck with Instant Karma! 🙂
Thanks Steph so sweet! I wish you the best too! If you have a P.O. Box I will send you a bag! You are amazing in case you forgot, lol! And piano is rad!  It is as good as meditation. I enjoy your blogs and pics! Thanks for sharing!
What an awesome post. I might use some of your quotes in my next yoga class, if you don’t mind. My friend sent me a link to your blog and this post was totally what I needed to hear at this moment. Awesome
it’s po 572, Moab UT 84532.
🙂
I’m glad to hear that 🙂
Hi Steph, I really loved this post and it really got me thinking. For a long time I have wanted to get back into running but didn’t want the pain you get the next day or the 3rd (which is always worse). Â But reading your post I started to remember that yep it is going to hurt but after I have been a few times, I wont even think about it! So here I am on my first rest day between runs, a bit sore but ready and really looking forward to tomorrows run!Â
Anyway I just wanted to say thanks for the inspiration and keep it up.
Rob.
p.s. loved the book and I’m looking forward to your next one. 🙂Â
Cool beans 🙂 You are super wonderful!
That is great Rob, I’m psyched you’re back in!
🙂
I love this article!!
I relate totally and fully.
Thank you for this new perspective. 🙂
You’re welcome 🙂