When you run...

kilbey1

LOL! I often think "Please, I don't want to throw up" and "Oh man, I hate to be sick, please don't let me toss my cookies" towards the end of a fast run.

But on a serious note, I find my long runs to be extremely therapeutic. Sometimes, while listening to music, I consider situations, problems and concerns of the day, but because the running is so difficult -- it makes my problems seem far less important. It tends to put things into perspective and forces me to live in the moment.

Anniversaries of loved ones who have passed are very special run days for me. I not only honor those who are gone from the physical world through my thoughts and feelings -- the rhythm and quiet of running forces you into a certain mindfulness -- but also rejoice in the fact that I am still alive, and physically able to run. One thing leads to another, e.g. not only can I run, I can walk, I have arms to hug my daughter, etc. -- making me reailze how truly blessed I am, even when things may be bleak.

lizo11

Usually, why I am running/the race coming up/the weight I want to lose/ etc.

Then I start thinking about the scenery, and how peaceful it is that early in the morning. And on trash days, not gonna lie, I look at other's people's trash/recycling and wonder about people.

Mainly, it ends up being relaxing, me time.

M_lifts

nothing! listening to my music and unwinding. its my me time!

wwk10

I listen to music, but I am thinking either

Nothing

or

I'm convincing myself not to stop.

This is a great thread on not stopping: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/544835-runners-how-do-you-deal-with-a-mental-block

Kilter

On all runs I think about my form and how to make myself more efficient. I do math and figure out how far I've gone (in miles and kilometers), how fast I'm going (in mph and km/h), how much longer (in time) I'm supposed to run and how much farther I'm going to make it in that time. I look at all the runners around me and analyze their form too (not just the girls *kitten* ), is it better than mine or worse? What can I learn from them?

Are my arms crossing over my center line (that's bad)?
Are my shoulders staying to tight and raising up (that's bad)?
Are my elbow pits getting sweaty indicating that I'm not getting a good arm motion (that's bad)?
Can I feel my toe scraping the ground as I flick it behind me (that's good)?
Am I landing on the forefoot as I run (that's good) or on my heel (that's VERY bad)?
Am I leading through with my knee (that's good)?
Is my running cadence high enough (180 is a good start)?
Am I breathing out on a regular rhythm (every second or third time my left foot hits the ground)?
Is my breathing in control?
Is my heart rate steady, is it too high or too low?

I think about little things like this, which take up the "front" of my brain. That lets me relax and appreciate all the rest of the world around me passively. I absorb the sunshine or the rain. I bask in the fresh air and wind or breeze. I feel one with the ocean, the forests and the mountains around me.

And I almost always think...

How can I make it so that I feel this good while running at Ironman this summer? How can I make it so that 30km into my run, after a 3.86km swim and a 180km bike, I feel like pushing through the last 10km? Before I hit the town and the crowds of cheering folks who will carry my forward with their spirit, how can I be strong enough to just keep putting one foot after the other.

Of course the answer to that one is... keep putting one foot after the other in training

LilRedRooster

Nothing. I tend to run on a lot of trails, next to the river or through the mountains, so I just run and let my legs go, and look at everything around me. My runs are the only time that I have to myself where I don't have to worry about school, laundry, cleaning, a toddler, dinner, or anything else, so I don't like to think about anything except the joy I get from running.