a trick for those running laps

nikibob
nikibob Posts: 165 Member
edited September 30 in Fitness and Exercise
for all of you who do your running on tracks or loops--i found a great way to keep track of your mileage. i always get distracted and lose count of how many i have completed so i took an idea i heard from someone else and modified it:
decide how many laps you want to complete, get that many pennies and hold them in your hand as you run.
every time you complete a lap, you can reward yourself by putting one in your pocket.
now any time you want to know how much farther, just see how many pennies you have left in your hand!
this little trick seems silly but the reward of putting it in your pocket and actually seeing how much closer you are to your goal instead of just another lap of the same scenery is a great motivator in the last few laps! i hope this helps someone as absentminded as me out there! :P

Replies

  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
    Great trick!
  • maryd523
    maryd523 Posts: 661 Member
    That's a great idea, thanks!
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
    Clever - thanks!
  • HoopFire5602
    HoopFire5602 Posts: 423 Member
    Good idea but I would find someway to screw this up....I'd put them in the wrong pocket or forget to put them in...(I zone out when I run) Also I can't have anything in my hands when I run. it's weird. :) I will pass it on to my friends though who run the track often. :)
  • minadeathclutch
    minadeathclutch Posts: 375 Member
    great trick.. i thought you were gonna say put them in your pocket.. and throw them out at every lap you finish lol when you throw them all out youre done
  • seattlerain
    seattlerain Posts: 189 Member
    l always lose count! Great tip!
  • nikibob
    nikibob Posts: 165 Member
    great trick.. i thought you were gonna say put them in your pocket.. and throw them out at every lap you finish lol when you throw them all out youre done

    something like that was the original idea that i heard but i'm a tightwad and don't want to be throwing my pennies on the ground!! lol also i have decided that if i don't complete all the laps i wanted to do, i can't put those pennies in my pocket, i have to leave them at the park. yeah its just pennies, but every little bit helps!
  • atisketataskets
    atisketataskets Posts: 28
    How do I get change for a penny, because I can't do a singe lap YET!

    Just kidding. Simple ... excellent idea, thank you for sharing.
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
    They have small clickers that you can keep in your hand and click once every lap. It's much less heavy for me, considering the mileage I take on. :P
  • nikibob
    nikibob Posts: 165 Member
    They have small clickers that you can keep in your hand and click once every lap. It's much less heavy for me, considering the mileage I take on. :P

    yes, this definitely works best if you aren't doing many laps. lol i can't imagine having to carry a roll of pennies around
  • s_cheryl
    s_cheryl Posts: 18
    That's a great idea! I do something similar: I put hair elastics/rubber bands on one wrist and move them to the other as I complete each lap.
  • cherylwhite
    cherylwhite Posts: 68 Member
    Any ideas for keeping track of laps when you are swimming? I don't run but I often loose track when I am swimming...
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
    The gym I go to now doesn't have a track, but the one before was like 13.5 laps per mile. And once, I had to do 19ish miles there. I tried to split it up between the treadmill and the track, but the lap counting would have been crazy.
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
    http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/4028.htm

    But this is the one I have:
    http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/2836.htm?color=207
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
    I just count using my fingers, though sometimes forget whether I'm on lap 3 or 4 as my thumb will slip off my pinkie. I just realized I should count my pinkie first to resolve this problem.
  • minadeathclutch
    minadeathclutch Posts: 375 Member
    you could go back when youre done and pick them up lol
  • mindy14456
    mindy14456 Posts: 552 Member
    What a fantastic tip!! Thanks so much, I can't wait to use it!! :happy:
  • minadeathclutch
    minadeathclutch Posts: 375 Member
    How do I get change for a penny, because I can't do a singe lap YET!

    Just kidding. Simple ... excellent idea, thank you for sharing.
    lol!!!! seriously ! good thinkin :-p maybe you can break the penny in half haha
  • lt3ag4s
    lt3ag4s Posts: 835 Member
    I was talking about this topic with a friend of mine who says that he changes lanes on the track each lap. I use my Garmin.
  • nikibob
    nikibob Posts: 165 Member
    I was talking about this topic with a friend of mine who says that he changes lanes on the track each lap. I use my Garmin.

    that would be a great tactic, but the path i run on at the park is just that, a path with only one lane!
  • Stormyyy
    Stormyyy Posts: 247 Member
    I jog around a pond and each lap i throw away a leaf but if i forget one leaf then i'm lost and looking for other tricks to help with my dozy mind lol...

    Thanks for the tip! :)
  • nicothepotato
    nicothepotato Posts: 306 Member
    Any ideas for keeping track of laps when you are swimming? I don't run but I often loose track when I am swimming...

    Maybe the rubber band idea? I zone out too when I swim so I just count time. 10 minutes of each stroke.
  • cherylwhite
    cherylwhite Posts: 68 Member
    Great idea! Thanks!
    Any ideas for keeping track of laps when you are swimming? I don't run but I often loose track when I am swimming...

    Maybe the rubber band idea? I zone out too when I swim so I just count time. 10 minutes of each stroke.
  • Jenn728
    Jenn728 Posts: 683 Member
    I have been doing some research on this and came across this old thread...I think on my next run, I will bring 13 dry beans since I want to jog that many laps. Each time I make a lap, I will drop a bean. I can keep them in my running pouch my phone rides in.

    If this does not solve my dilemma, I will invest in a baseball clicker.

    As of now, I can only successfully keep track of my first lap and then after that, I can't remember.
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