What do you think about when you Run?

Galatea_Stone

Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell" It beats through my head on a loop while I run, if I run alone. I zone out.

If I run with someone, I think to myself "don't look stupid, keep up with him ha pansy, don't fall, I want to ask him if we can walk some."

k8blujay2

1: Hey! I can do this, I'm going to be one sexy beast
2: My shins hurt, why are my shins hurting?
3: Now my side hurts too!!!
4: OMG! I'm going to die! I can't do this!
5:FTS <-- I start walking at this point.

skippygirlsmom

I have ADHD... I think about ALL THE THINGS! "Hmm... Nice tree... I'm sweaty... That reminds me, it's time for me to mow the lawn again... Did I take the steaks out for lunch?... Wait, did I remember to lock the door?... When did I get my oil changed last... That movie was sooo funny!... I wonder what that guy is thinking about me doing the Lion King while running up the street..." etc. Rapid fire. Oy.

This is so me too. What am I making for dinner, thinking about work, oh that house is for sale now, geez when did they get a dog, is that a person or mailbox standing there (I run without my glasses)....and on and on, all while listening to music.

MarshallLuke

I'm a writer, so I map out plot lines, create characters, try out dialogue, get into the head of characters.
Or I imagine what I would do with different superpowers.
Or I carry out conversations with people I will never see again.
Or sometimes it's just "Run 10 miles I said. It won't be hard I said. Forget this, I am just going to lay down and die. Yep, that sounds about right."

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

only two minutes down oh god i'm tired there's no way i'm going to finish this why do i do this to myself i don't like running oh yeah to burn calories right don't look at the time don't look at the time my legs feel like lead only three minutes down and twenty seven to go it's hot out here who is that guy is he creepy or nice i dunno my legs are tired i can't breathe don't look at the time oh god only three and a half minutes that's twenty six and a half left i hate this so much definitely creepy he smiled at me i don't like that how much longer don't look at the time....

....and then something happens and I zone out and I don't even know what I've been thinking about. I forget to look at the time and suddenly I've been running for 25 minutes and it actually feels good and I push a little longer and I make it to 40 minutes and then I'm happy and tired.

^this.

Plus I often count backwards from one hundred to shut my mind up for a minute.

mopar_lover

lately I've been focusing on my stride. I tend to take a short stride and I'm working to lengthen it and make better use of my legs. So, that's very much on my mind. Where I run, it's very hilly, so I'm urging myself up the hill, kinda like the The Engine That Could. Then down hill I'm again working on my stride trying to let gravity help me. Then there's my breathing...........huffing and puffing............and last, but very important to me is trying to push myself to run further and faster than I did yesterday.

In short, my thoughts are focused on my run and hardly on anything else.

DymonNdaRgh40

I usually work through any issues I'm dealing with as I run. I can plan my evening, the next day, or sometimes I simply daydream. I do zone out most of the time and always feel better after a run.

FitWarrior7

I think to myself, gosh I can't wait til this is over!

_Josee_

RushBabe_214

I tend to zone out to the tunes blasting from my headphones.

SunofaBeach14

Damn this sucks. Oh, wow look at that *kitten*! Humm, I could use some French fries. Oh, getting easier. Beer! Ouch, why do I do this again? Oh, bewbs! Damn, it's hot. Why didn't I run before sunrise? Oh, yea, hangover. Oh, damn, nice ride! Beer. Need sex. Bewbs. Is this over yet?

JoRocka

So I used to run a lot as a kid and I would say for any long run it was just happy zen time for me. I would notice smells, the wind, feel the clouds passing the sun, but very much detached from the day to day stuff like bills, traffic, problems in general.

Most runs for me started with a grand effort to simply keep going and ended with the sad awareness that the run was unfortunately over.

sounds about like mine.... random noticing of things- and day to day things.

I also notice people- I watch people a lot- and if I see them I wonder what they are doing- and make up a potential story. I make up another story to justify/rationalize/excuse some insipid behavior I'm probably judging them for and don't want to be.

I only run outside at this point- and I do not listen to music.

dbmata

i was reading the runners world forums one day when someone suggested bringing a gun to solve the problem..which then sparked this huge debate on whether to carry while running....very entertaining.

There is one bike circuit I like, but has a lot of human flotsam that thinks my bike should be their bike, because stuff.

I'm not the sort to carry often, but one day I happened to have my LC9 on me when 3 of them decided that my bike was theirs. They quickly decided to go somewhere else, and everyone went home safe. Win win.

Fortuitous..glad it worked out for you!

Me too, I really don't want to be in that situation again. I haven't ridden that route again since actually.

HornedFrogPride

The animals around me! Especially after being dive-bombed by a pesky bird (oriole?) who landed on my head (must've liked my visor or something) while running this week! Swiped that bird away with my water bottle. He kind of grabbed my hair a bit, realized it wasn't removable, and flew away.

Saw a magnificent large grey heron while running this morning. He flew away before I could snap his pic. Moments like that make me want to run longer.

sengalissa

Hello.

Odd question I guess, but I'm primarily a cyclist who has taken up running for the extra fitness. When I cycle I feel as If I'm constantly thinking about things. I'm reading the road and the traffic etc. Keeping an eye out for obstacles or where the best line is.

However, I ran 10k last night and my mind was all over the place. I suddenly realised that I'd gotten to half way and couldn't remember how I'd got there. It was odd but pleasant. I guess I just zoned out.

Anyone else come across this phenomenon? Or should I be concentrating on something?

That's what I love about running. It is meditation. My mind wanders. Rhythm, happiness, nirvana.

_Waffle_

Nice sunrise today. I like how the clouds are letting just the right amount of sunlight in.
*starts running*
I think this left shoe is tied a bit too tight.
There's definitely some small rocks in there though. I can feel them occasionally.

What's my pulse now? Ah 160 at this pace? Well, that's okay factoring the humidity, the temperature, the fact that I'm 10 lbs. overweight, and I'm running into a wind which is added resistance, but then it is cooling me off which could lower my heart rate. Sure, that sounds perfect. I guess I'm okay but who even knows.

Oh, here comes another runner. Some girl. I didn't shave yesterday and I barely combed my hair after getting up. She sees me. No doubt, she probably thinks I'm going to rape her. I have to assume that's what all women think after reading the stories on MFP. I hope she doesn't have mace. Not that I would do that but she probably watches too much Law and Order SVU and assumes any male wants her body. Yeah, I'm totally running straight at her but I don't want to run in the grass. I'll glance down at my watch so she knows I'm more interested in running than her.

*Nods while passing*
Phew! Made it past her without getting maced. Now she can worry about someone else and I can stop questioning how long mace lasts. But wait. What if she really does disappear after this? Say she falls off in the river or she gets nabbed by some other person. They'll blame it all on me. I just know they will. Someone will say "I saw that guy out there before she disappeared" and even though I don't know a thing about it they'll bring me in for questioning. Who will feed my dog?

I know. I'll have to submit my GPS data to court to prove that I couldn't have killed her while maintaining this pace. Yeah, that's what I'll do. "Your honor, I couldn't have possibly have killed her while maintaining this pace and as you can see my heart rate didn't even change when she passed by so I wasn't anticipating a kill."

Will they accept that as proof? No doubt they will. I read about a biker using that to prove he was stopped when a car hit him. See, this Garmin was totally worth the money. What's $300 if it proves you're innocent? A lawyer would charge this much per hour. Great investment for sure.

There's definitely some small rocks in the left shoe.

*glances at watch*

Ah, I've gone a half mile already?

kluvit

Because I typically run intervals, I'm typically thinking about the next change in speed or incline or the next calorie burn milestone, or adding a couple of runs together in my head to see when I'm going to meet my mileage or calorie goal for the day, or debating about whether I'm going do strength or abs after.

It would be very nice to zone and just "wake-up" and realize I'm almost done!

congruns

play memory games. i try to remember distances between major intersections and estimate how long i have ran. now that i am getting a gps watch, i practice memorizing license plates.

MiloBloom83

"God that was a douche move to pick up my pace like that as i approached that other runner, then slowed back down after i passed them. I wonder if they did the same thing?"

Novus175

The Oatmeal! I totally loved this whole thing.

"When I run, the world grows quiet. Demons are forgotten, krakens are slain, and blerches are silenced."