All Things Will Pass
The Eternal Cycle of Life & Running
The Route Of Samsara
Each collection I create for my running brand Willpower, is a bridge between my personal, cultural, social, and political background and running.
Sometimes, the connection is obvious. In other cases, I feel a clear connection, but translating it into words, images, and garment takes a long time.
This was especially true with a collection called "Route of Samsara," which was relaunched this week.
I wrote about the entire creative process at Willpower a while ago:
But let's go back to where the original idea came from.
All Things Will Pass
I'm not religious. Not spiritual either, at least not in any way I'd admit at a dinner party. But after twelve years of running, you start noticing patterns. Ancient ones.
The miles teach you things no podcast, book, or algorithm ever could. Every time I run, I'm entering a cycle that's older than civilization itself.
Birth, life, death, rebirth.
The Hindus call it Samsara, theWheel of Life.
Finding Philosophy in Hardcore Music
This understanding crystallized for me through an unexpected source: hardcore punk bands from the early '90s. Groups like Shelter and 108 were different from their peers. They'd discovered Krishna Consciousness — Hindu philosophy that asks bigger questions than even the open-minded hardcore scene dared to explore.
The hardcore community had always been suspicious of organized religion, and rightfully so. But when these Krishna bands emerged, something clicked. They kept the raw energy but added depth. Instead of just raging, they were exploring what it meant to be human. “Krishnacore" became a thing and still is today.
Their lyrics spoke about compassion, devotion, about letting go, embracing cycles, about transcending perceived limitations. The same things I am experiencing every time I run.
The Wheel We Run On
At the heart of Krishna philosophy sits the Wheel of Life — Samsara, the endless cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. Every runner knows this cycle intimately, even if they've never heard the word.
Many runs starts with resistance. Your body doesn't want to leave the comfort of your everyday life. That's Birth — the reluctant emergence into effort.
Then comes Life — the gradual warming up, finding your rhythm, settling into the miles. Eventually transforming agony into joy.
Death arrives at the end — that final push, when discomfort peaks and fatigue becomes overwhelming. It's the crossing of your imaginary, or real, finish line, the moment when forward motion stops.
Rebirth happens in recovery, in rest, in the quiet satisfaction that prepares you for tomorrow's miles.
Training blocks follow the same pattern. Build up, peak, taper, recover, start over.
Injury and comeback, too. Get injured, rest, heal, come back. Sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker. Either way, you will get injured again.
A breakthrough workout? Enjoy it briefly, then wake up the next morning and start again from zero.
When the Bad Passes (And So Does the Good)
This is where philosophy becomes practical. That terrible run where everything hurt and your pace felt embarrassing? Already behind you. The magical morning when you felt like you could run forever? That's gone too.
All things will pass. The personal records and the disaster workouts. The days when running feels effortless and the days when every step is a negotiation with your body to keep moving.
Understanding this changes how you approach both kinds of days. Both kinds of phases in your running life. When you're struggling, you remember that this feeling is temporary. When you're flying, you enjoy it without clinging to it. Both states are just weather patterns passing through.
This isn't mystical or religious. It's practical. When you stop being so attached to how you feel right now, you can work with your current state instead of being victimized by it.
The Practice of Letting Go
Every breath teaches the same lesson. Every inhale pulls in possibility. Every exhale releases what you don't need. Every run is a small act of faith that the next one will come.
You're not trying to achieve some transcendent state. You're just running. But in that simple, repetitive act, something shifts. You realize you're not your thoughts about the run. You're not your split times. You're not even your tired legs or burning lungs. You're the awareness that observes all of this.
Running strips away pretense faster than almost anything else. It's hard to maintain illusions when you're miles from home with dead legs and no shortcuts available.
What the Miles Teach
You learn that you can handle more than you thought. You learn that how you feel at mile two doesn't determine how you'll feel at mile twenty. You learn that the voice in your head that whispers "quit" isn't necessarily telling the truth.
Most importantly, you learn that whatever you're experiencing right now — the climb that's crushing you, the pace that feels impossible to hold, the doubt that's creeping in — it's all temporary.
The route winds through everything. Triumph and failure, boredom and breakthrough, strength and exhaustion. Then it starts over with the next run, the next day, the next season. You participate in this cycle without being defined by any single part of it.
Keep Moving Forward
You are not the pain. You are not the victory. You are not the moment. You are the one who keeps moving through it all. That’s not mysticism — that’s running.
Everything Not Running
I'm not sure where the Das Z Sprachnachricht is headed right now. Help me out!
For those who don't know, Das Z Sprachnachricht is the German-language audio summary of Das Z Letter. It's supposed to be published weekly to accompany the corresponding text article.
Anyone who knows what Das Z Sprachnachricht is will have noticed that there hasn't been one for three weeks. I'm telling you, it's in a crisis.
Das Z Sprachnachricht has developed a life of its own. Somewhere between a podcast and an audio running diary, there's actually an audience for this weekly monologue. However, I'm no longer sure whether the current format is cool or if it could be improved.
I know you're readers, not listeners. But maybe you have thoughts on Das Z Sprachnachricht. In any case, I'm eager for any kind of feedback, so let's go!
On Repeat
In keeping with the Samsara theme of this Das Z Letter, Shelter has made it onto On Repeat today. I'm deliberately ignoring their über-album Mantra and choosing a song from its predecessor, Attaining the Supreme. While not as polished as Mantra, Attaining the Supreme has more lyrical depth and musical authenticity.
"Better Way" is a simple yet powerful song. It conveys positive energy and a feeling of liberation. At least, that's how I feel.
This brought to mind two bands I listen to (different genre, but maybe the same vibe): Samsara Blues Experiment, and My Sleeping Karma