Investigating the “Embodied Spaces of Health” in Marathon Running: The Roles of Embodiment, Wearable Technology, and Affective Atmospheres
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Recreational Running and the Embodied Space of Health
2.1. Recreational Running, Space, and Health
2.2. Theorising the “Embodied Space of Health” in Running
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Data Collection
3.2. Data Coding and Analysis
4. Results
4.1. Marathon Running and the Bodily Experience of Health
You know, medically speaking, running is the best cure for illness. I have hyperlipidaemia and fatty liver. So, I decided to change by running marathon. But I am not ready for a full marathon. I just ran around in the playground and hopefully I will be ready to participate one day. Despite this, I can see significant change that took place on myself. I became more self-disciplined. To prepare for the marathon, I have a morning jog and regular diet every day.
Marathon is normally considered as a boring and physically-intensive sport in outsiders’ eyes. But after you have participated in it, you would know that it’s a process of communication between you and your body. While your body was extremely tired, it persuaded you to give up. But simultaneously, your brain would generate endorphin that made you excited and joyful. Gradually, you would be addicted to these complex feelings… I think marathon has changed me from within, which manifested in not only the body shape but also the spirit and the energetic state of life. It is a systematic transformation of the self.
When I reached the last 10 km in my first marathon attempt, I intensively felt that I had pushed my body to its limits. I heavily and slowly moved my legs that went into convulsions. I could clearly hear my breaths and heartbeats. It was definitely painful…But, when I came back from it, I couldn’t help having a second attempt of marathon, to continue experiencing this kind of pain. I realised that pain was just a part of my experience that I didn’t need to avoid. I learned to attain happiness from being in pain during a marathon.
After a few years into the job, I had led an increasingly patterned and programmatic lifestyle, nothing had changed. I couldn’t find any passion until I took up marathon running. Running has enabled me to break up this patterned life trajectory that may constrain me in the expected future…Running a marathon felt like riding a roller coaster; it is painful yet exciting while you keep pushing the limits of your body. It seemed masochistic, but If you didn’t do this, you would never know your true potential.
4.2. Wearable Technology and Digitally-Mediated Body
I must use the watch from which I can see the indexes of my body because I think I am a scientific runner. It can help me more efficiently set up my own training plans. I can see the number and intensity of trainings that I have done and I intend to reach. After training, these devices can help you monitor your body—whether your body has re-energised or whether it is ready for the next race.
Sometimes losing your rhythms (jiezhou, 节奏) of running would really affect your mood and lead to frustration…You need to know where you can speed up and where you should preserve your strength. You may face topographies during marathon, so you need to adjust your paces accordingly. The running watch can help you achieve this by offering you in-situ data.
I rely on the data stored in my watch. If I forget to wear it, I feel anxious when I am running, because the device can tell you the locations, track your footprints, and record your heartbeat. They are very important for a runner. Without these data, you may be in a dangerous condition that you don’t realise. So, mastering this information is also being responsible to your own body.
If you run without the device, you can’t find the problems that may harm you. It’s unscientific. For example, you cannot know whether the strength from your two legs are equal. This may harm your legs if you don’t realise… Without the device, I will feel uncomfortable.
4.3. Atmospheric Experience of Health
I think the atmosphere of a marathon is something that really puts you in motion. It make you excited immediately. This is quite different from the situations that you ran individually because you can’t feel these atmospheres and especially the sense of ritual—you feel like you are participating in a very especial event.
I have been to Beijing three times, but this time is quite different. The starting point of marathon was set up at Tiananmen Square. That really gave me a sense of spectacle and ritual. It made you felt that this particular moments and the spectacular architectures were exclusively designed for you…
When you went to that mood and atmosphere, you would never easily quit even though you were extremely tired. There were quite a lot people around you. Not matter how fast and slow you ran, there were always people that accompanied you. We called each other running fellows regardless of age and gender. We would encourage and take care each other on the road. So, there was an atmosphere there.
Marathon is like a journey in that you can view different landscape and experience different cultures in different places of China. But the difference [between marathon and travel] is that you are embracing the landscape while you are running, you are using your foot to measure the land you ran through. For example, I participated a marathon in Yangzhou. That was in March, as the Chinese ancient poetry says: “In the mist and flowers of spring, I journeyed south to Yangzhou” (烟花三月下扬州). When I ran along the West Lake, I can feel the connection with this place. This experience was quite different from that of tourism visitors.
It was a cold and rainy morning, around nine degrees Celsius. My body hadn’t warmed up even though I had ran away from the starting point for 20 min. When I ran across the city centre, it’s strange that I didn’t see the streets thronged with people and traffics as I expected. At this moment, the city hadn’t yet revived from the night time, peaceful and cool. This somewhat purified me and brought me peacefulness at that moment.
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Number | Gender | Age | Occupation | Number | Gender | Age | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
M1 | Male | 30 | Manager | M16 | Male | 27 | Freelancer |
M2 | Male | 30 | IT developer * | M17 | Male | 41 | Doctor |
M3 | Male | 28 | Architect | M18 | Male | 30 | Company staff |
M4 | Male | 40 | Teacher | M19 | Male | 50 | Constructor |
M5 | Male | 22 | Student | M20 | Male | 28 | Entrepreneur |
M6 | Male | 25 | Student | F1 | Female | 40 | Manager |
M7 | Male | 40 | Teacher | F2 | Female | 28 | Company staff |
M8 | Male | 23 | Student | F3 | Female | 50 | Accountant |
M9 | Male | 38 | Manager | F4 | Female | 35 | Manager |
M10 | Male | 48 | Manager | F5 | Female | 34 | Banker |
M11 | Male | 25 | Company staff | F6 | Female | 26 | Banker |
M12 | Male | 24 | Student | F7 | Female | 23 | Teacher |
M13 | Male | 29 | Company staff | F8 | Female | 29 | Researcher |
M14 | Male | 34 | Manager | F9 | Female | 28 | Company staff |
M15 | Male | 28 | Teacher |
Aggregate Dimensions | 2nd-Order Concepts | 1st-Order Concepts | Examples of Illustrative Quote |
---|---|---|---|
Bodily experience of health | Capacity of the body | Pursuing the healthy and desired body | “I have hyperlipidaemia and fatty liver. So, I decided to change by running marathon.” |
Exploring the potentials and limits of the running body | “That felt like riding a roller coaster, which made you addicted and kept you pushing the limits of your body.” | ||
Autonomy of the body | Cultivating self-disciplined bodies | “You paid more attention to manage your body and time and stopped staying up late.” | |
Resisting social norms | “Running has enabled me to break up this patterned life trajectory.” | ||
Digitally-mediated experience of health | Self-betterment through wearable technology | Establishing quantified self | “I can see the number and intensity of trainings that I have done and I intend to reach.” |
Self-monitoring | “After training, these devices can help you monitor your body.” | ||
Negotiation of digital agency | Constraints of the wearable technology | “Without the device, I can’t ensure whether I was leading a scientific running. It made me uncomfortable”. | |
Atmospheric experience of health | Affective atmosphere | Sense of ritual | “You feel validated because of this sense of ritual.” |
Interaction of the bodies | “We would encourage and take care each other on the road.” | ||
Aesthetic place and landscape | “When you are running, you can experience different beautiful landscapes across China”. | ||
Therapeutic environments | Nature, urban environment, and weather | “This [environment] somewhat purified me and brought me peacefulness at that comment.” |
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Ouyang, Y.; Cai, X.; Li, J.; Gao, Q. Investigating the “Embodied Spaces of Health” in Marathon Running: The Roles of Embodiment, Wearable Technology, and Affective Atmospheres. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010043
Ouyang Y, Cai X, Li J, Gao Q. Investigating the “Embodied Spaces of Health” in Marathon Running: The Roles of Embodiment, Wearable Technology, and Affective Atmospheres. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(1):43. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010043
Chicago/Turabian StyleOuyang, Yi, Xiaomei Cai, Jie Li, and Quan Gao. 2022. "Investigating the “Embodied Spaces of Health” in Marathon Running: The Roles of Embodiment, Wearable Technology, and Affective Atmospheres" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 1: 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010043