Things you think of while exercising

kelsully
kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
edited September 30 in Chit-Chat
Ok ...so I run. Sometimes I run for hours. There is a lot of time to think and some really absurd things have come to mind as well as some wonderfully deep things but there are a few that are just fun
1. If you come across one shoe on the side of the road I bet there is a male from the ages 12-24 involved in that one shoe being on the side of the road.
2. Rocks in your shoes suck.
3. M.C. Hammer is a genious
4. I can make any workout more pleasant by trying to figure out how I am going to come up with a witty way to describe the workout here on MFP.


Have you had any amazing realizations while exercising?
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Replies

  • alittlebitofperil
    alittlebitofperil Posts: 6
    Not really had any revelations but seeinga s you can 'run for hours' maybe you can help me - I've just started running, I'm not the fittest of people and I can only manage pitifully short periods of running - about 15 minutes at a time. How long does it take, would you say, to get to a point when you can comfortably go for, say, a half-hour run?
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
    the only thing i think about is how many calories i am burning and how much food i can eat afterwards
  • haylz24
    haylz24 Posts: 225
    Food. Food. Food. Food and um food :) Katy Perry and fitting into skinny clothes! Oh and sleep hehe
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    Not really had any revelations but seeinga s you can 'run for hours' maybe you can help me - I've just started running, I'm not the fittest of people and I can only manage pitifully short periods of running - about 15 minutes at a time. How long does it take, would you say, to get to a point when you can comfortably go for, say, a half-hour run?


    15 minutes at a time is a great start..no pitiful at all...try adding 2-3 more minutes each week -10 days...you are a runner now so you just have to keep running to be able to add time and distance...keep at it..sounds like you on a great path to doing good things
  • liftingbro
    liftingbro Posts: 2,029 Member
    "only five more minutes on this treadmill. Only 4 more minutes on this treadmill. Only 3 more minutes on this treadmill....."

    I hate cardio with a passion.
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
    I just finished "Born to Run" and LOVED one of the quotes. It said, "If you got a problem that can't get worked out in a 4 1/2 hour run, there ain't no solution."

    Running is sometimes the most quiet part of my day. It's sacred. My body is having a conversation with God. Sometimes I'm so deep into it that I can almost feel a hand pushing me from behind, like I don't have any control over my pace. That's something magical.

    I love it.
  • kimi131
    kimi131 Posts: 1,058 Member
    I can't say I'm much of a runner. I just started c210k a few weeks ago, but here are some of my regulars:
    1. I'm not a fan of small, yippy dogs.
    2. I dislike speed bumps.
    3. 5:45 am is way too early to be awake, much less outside "running."
    4. How much longer until I get to walk again? :wink:
  • Riebop
    Riebop Posts: 275
    the only thing i think about is how many calories i am burning and how much food i can eat afterwards

    ^ That and "My god! Why is it so stinking hot in this room?" :P
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    "only five more minutes on this treadmill. Only 4 more minutes on this treadmill. Only 3 more minutes on this treadmill....."

    I hate cardio with a passion.

    Listen to podcasts that you love (that will help a ton!). Check out some of the more funny ones out there (careful though, you may have to fight not laughing out loud).
  • durangocal
    durangocal Posts: 90 Member
    I've realized I have my best workouts when I am listening to inspiring music. Otherwise I think about how much more time I have on whatever machine I am working out on and the seconds DRAG by. When I am listening to the music the time slips away! I dread the days I climb on the bike or elliptical and my IPOD battery is red!!!
  • MeganBeezy
    MeganBeezy Posts: 4
    I was thinking the same exact thing as alittlebitofperil. I can push out about 30-40 minutes at a boarderline average pace and all I can think about it to keep putting one foot in front of the other and I have to keep telling myself that I'm not actually in pain or too tired. My brain is just trying to fool me. That pretty much consumes my thoughts. How the heck do you run so long?? Teach me!
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    I have thought a lot about food too...I know about how much I burn per mile...so there have been times when I actually YAHOO! outloud when I realize that I just earned ice cream after dinner or that I totally ran off breakfast.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I do Zumba so mostly I just think about getting the moves right. :laugh: I do the DVDs and sometime I think how funny and cool it is that Beto (Zumba creator) seems to be the one enjoying it most, which is also a pretty good motivator.
  • 27strange
    27strange Posts: 837 Member
    While Running I think on.....
    I ponder life and the pursuit of happiness.
    I constantly think about the current run and also the next run planned.
    I think about family
    I think about work
    I people watch as I run and picture their lives and what they are doing.
    I think about the rabbits and squirrels and birds I see along the way.
    I think about the music I am listening to...the lyrics and the artists.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    I just finished "Born to Run" and LOVED one of the quotes. It said, "If you got a problem that can't get worked out in a 4 1/2 hour run, there ain't no solution."

    Running is sometimes the most quiet part of my day. It's sacred. My body is having a conversation with God. Sometimes I'm so deep into it that I can almost feel a hand pushing me from behind, like I don't have any control over my pace. That's something magical.

    I love it.



    love this and think it is pretty true
  • 27strange
    27strange Posts: 837 Member
    I just finished "Born to Run" and LOVED one of the quotes. It said, "If you got a problem that can't get worked out in a 4 1/2 hour run, there ain't no solution."

    Running is sometimes the most quiet part of my day. It's sacred. My body is having a conversation with God. Sometimes I'm so deep into it that I can almost feel a hand pushing me from behind, like I don't have any control over my pace. That's something magical.

    I love it.

    I like this!!! Both the quote from the book and your quiet time while running.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    "only five more minutes on this treadmill. Only 4 more minutes on this treadmill. Only 3 more minutes on this treadmill....."

    I hate cardio with a passion.

    I used to be the same way on a treadmill. Or the eliptical. Or the stairmaster. Or running outside.
  • otr12
    otr12 Posts: 632 Member
    I was feeing nostalgic so I popped Ministry and Skinny Puppy into Pandora today. Damn! No wonder I was a depressed teenager!
  • shybelle
    shybelle Posts: 254 Member
    Here lately I keep thinking about:

    1. I need new shoes
    2. I need some underwear that fit properly
    3. It is so effing hot out here
    4. I look at the time and think "I can do anything for 20 minutes..." " I can do anything for 10 minutes.." etc.
  • mariposa326
    mariposa326 Posts: 14 Member
    "only five more minutes on this treadmill. Only 4 more minutes on this treadmill. Only 3 more minutes on this treadmill....."

    I hate cardio with a passion.


    I think that quite often! But then I look at how many calories I've burned and it makes me feel better :)
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    Yes, I especially like how one random thought leads to another, to another, to another and they are not really related except by the very thinnest thread.

    Sometimes, I wonder, "What's that smell? Dead animal? What kind? Where is it? Maybe it's a person. They say runners always find the bodies."

    I think about people, sometimes the ones I see on the trail. Often I find myself thinking, "Wow, she needs a better sports bra. She's going to regret that."

    I think about running in New York. I think about my dad. I think about people on MFP all the time. So many people on here crack me up.
  • liftingbro
    liftingbro Posts: 2,029 Member
    "only five more minutes on this treadmill. Only 4 more minutes on this treadmill. Only 3 more minutes on this treadmill....."

    I hate cardio with a passion.

    Listen to podcasts that you love (that will help a ton!). Check out some of the more funny ones out there (careful though, you may have to fight not laughing out loud).

    Oh... I always am listening to something. I'm mostly into lifting and just do cardio to get warmed up.
  • skaliya
    skaliya Posts: 3
    I have been running for past 3 years and couple of months ago ran my first half-marathon in Cape cod. I remember when I first started running even half a mile was a himalayan task!!! In my opinion if you run regularly by slowly increasing your distance and building mental strength, you should be able to run more than 30 mins or so in 2-3 months time frame
  • spampeg
    spampeg Posts: 24 Member
    1) Ow. Rock. Ow. In. Ow. Shoe. Ow. Hurts.

    2) Damnit, the sun is really bright. I need to stop forgetting my sunglasses.

    3) I can't let them pass me (people running on the track). Even if nobody else knows I got passed by a girl, I'll know. (Yes, I know it's a bit sexist... and yes, I continue to get passed)

    4) I wonder if the music in next weeks C25K is as good as this one? ( free NHS C25K podcast )

    5) A few weeks ago I was struggling to run <x amount of time>. What will I be like in two weeks? old me is so slow, new me is fast.

    6) If I slow down/speed up a little, my steps can match the beats of this song.

    7) Wonder what that other person running is listening to?

    8) I'm not sure what dinner will be, but whatever it is, I earned it.

    9) That guy needs to put a shirt on! Well, ok. If I was in that good of shape, I wouldn't wear a shirt either.

    I pretty much think about everything and anything, and my mind just drifts.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    a wonderful realization I came to this spring shortly after dedicating my marthon training to a little girl at my daughter's school who is fighting cancer is that I GET TO DO THIS...it is my choice and I am fortunate to be able to torment myself in such a wonderful way...my friend HAS to be with her little girl while she pukes from Chemo...I GET to run 15 miles as a training run...I am pretty lucky that the toughest thing I do most days is done willingly and excitedly.
  • annabaloo
    annabaloo Posts: 12
    I just started a running program that my uncle used when he started running (he's now a multi-time Boston Marathon runner, and multiple Ironman). It was created by Budd Coates (giving credit where credit is due)

    Walk for 20 minutes a day for four days, then increase to 30 minutes a day for four more days. Then your legs are ready to start running.

    Run Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. Take Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday off.

    Week 1: Run for 2 minutes, walk for 4. Repeat 5 times.
    Week 2: Run for 3 minutes, walk for 3. Repeat 5 times.
    Week 3: Run for 5 minutes, walk for 2.5. Repeat 4 times.
    Week 4: Run for 7 minutes, walk for 3. Repeat 3 times.
    Week 5: Run for 8 minutes, walk for 2. Repeat 3 times.
    Week 6: Run for 9 minutes, walk for 2. Repeat twice, then run for 8 minutes.
    Week 7: Run for 9 minutes, walk for 1. Repeat 3 times.
    Week 8: Run for 13 minutes, walk for 2. Repeat twice.
    Week 9: Run for 14 minutes, walk for 1. Repeat twice.
    Week 10: Run for 30 minutes.

    If Week 10 is too difficult, repeat Week 9.

    Hope this helps! I completed this program last summer, successfully completed a 5k race, but fell out of it during the winter. I'm back on track again and hope to keep it up!
  • sunyg
    sunyg Posts: 229
    I think wow it's so quiet. With a house full of 4 kids, a husband and 3 dogs I never have any quiet. Running gives me that so I try to enjoy it.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Here lately I keep thinking about:

    1. I need new shoes
    2. I need some underwear that fit properly
    3. It is so effing hot out here
    4. I look at the time and think "I can do anything for 20 minutes..." " I can do anything for 10 minutes.." etc.

    Haha pretty much me too! Why is it that underwear is so uncomfortable these days....especially for working out! And don't get me started on sport bras.....torturous contraptions!!
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    I have 4 kids too and I do desperately enjoy the quiet or the chance to listen to music that makes me smile.....I have a busy mind and thus it wanders ...so much so that I make myself giggle sometimes....
  • pjol79
    pjol79 Posts: 50 Member

    6) If I slow down/speed up a little, my steps can match the beats of this song.

    Yup, that's me! If I don't have music, I usually try to remember an old running cadence from way back when, and usually end up with that stuck in my head until I'm done.
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