break time: Nathan Walker of Riot Act Media
Break time is a feature on the grey estates the explores how those in the music industry practice self-care. For this edition, we’re excited to welcome Nathan Walker of Riot Act Media. As Nathan revealed to TGE, self-care means marathon running.
As marathons are competitive, how do you find success or how do you enjoy the practice as self-care?
It’s the one thing that I love, and have loved since I discovered it in Middle School. Running long distance races are ultimately a competition with yourself. Sure, I won a few races here and there when I was much younger, but now that I’m not a college athlete, there’s no races to be won. I’m not sure when the day will come, but it will be sooner than later, that I’ll start to slow down naturally as part of the aging process and I’m ok with that. Running, to me, is self-care as the only person you’re truly competing with is yourself. Have you put in the work to run faster than you’ve ever ran before? Only you know and only you can dig into your will and your body to find out.
When you're running what are you feeling? How does it help you? And what are your tips for making the most of a moment meant for you?
Much like meditation, when you start out on a run, your head is buzzing with thoughts, ideas, conversations you wish would have went another way. Though many do love running with their phone and music and I agree that it’s a great motivator, I prefer to run with no phone. As the minutes and miles tick by, you can start to clear your mind. The endorphin rush of exercise helps give your brain a nice, warm boost and I find myself ticking off stressful interactions like it was a checklist. By around mile four or so, I start to be in a bit of a meditative state focusing on one foot in front of the other and hearing the noises of the world around me. The whoosh of traffic as my route passes over a freeway. The sounds of construction as a pass through downtown. Seagulls cawing on the waterfront. I try to make eye contact with the people I pass and say hello with my heart. It’s good to see strangers smile!
Pain will occasionally set in. A cramp, exhaustion… it’s your body giving you a warning sign that you’re doing it wrong and gives you a chance to check in on yourself. Much like in yoga where you breath into your feet, your arms, and your back, by focusing your mind and checking in on the different parts of your body, you’ll often be able to discover what correction you need to make. In that moment, I find my mind is completely free of thought or worry. Just keep breathing into the calf that’s causing so much pain, focus on alleviating it and putting one foot in front of the other. Mind you if it’s a serious injury, stop and don’t try to push through. I’m referring to the little aches that nag someone logging serious mileage.
When you walk through your front door, covered in sweat, out of breath, and take your shoes off, it’s rare that life’s stresses will come slamming back into my brain. Sure, I know they’re there but not for a few more hours.
How do you manage to make time for yourself and self-care with the demands of life and your career? Since you work from home, how do you ensure that you make time for self-care and log off?
Working from home and setting my own hours has been absolutely amazing for my ability to run. I’ll often start my day before the sun is up by handling all of the work tasks that can be done without waiting for someone to respond. Banking time in the morning means that I get to step away from my office in the full sun of the day and pause all of work’s stresses. I feel very fortunate that I have the ability to do that!
Another small change I’ve made recently is to stop stretching immediately after a run (a fairly typical practice for runners) and, instead, I save it for right before bed. The act of slowly unfurling the knots in my body in complete silence has boosted my sleep patterns for the better and it’s nice to climb into bed feeling a bit more limber. Plus, it’s 15 more minutes that I can dedicate to work during business hours!
What's your number one tip for finding a method of self-care that works for you?
At the risk of repeating the question, you have to find one that works for you. Running comes to me naturally and it absolutely isn’t for everyone. Does your self-care make you happy? Does it relieve stress? Does help or harm your health? Running, to Marie Kondo it, sparks joy in my body. I burnt out on it after college and it brought me no joy at the time. Years of racing and competition and 100 mile weeks left me bored with continuing the practice on my own. That period of my life after college was filled with a lot of self-hate. Too much drinking. Unhealthy eating habits. Complete lack of interest in exercise. All of it culminated with me in 2014 seeing a doctor to find out that my blood pressure was so insanely high that she was extremely worried for my health. She gave me the option to go on medication immediately or to change my life style drastically. The next day I bought a pair of running shoes and skipped my typical footlong sub for lunch. It felt like discovering running for the first time. The smells, the sounds, the city in constant motion. In 2015, I ran my first half marathon and have have ran four more halfs and three full marathons since. I was at the doctor last month and they told me that I have excellent blood pressure.
Love yourself. You only get one chance to do it so work on being kind. Find activities that bring you joy and pay attention if they stop doing so.