Counting steps while running??!!??

DG_Allen
DG_Allen Posts: 219 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Am I the only one who does this?? I count my steps from 1 to 8 over and over again when I run. I can't seem to stop doing it. It gets quiet if I concetrate on my form but it's still there in my head.

Am I nuts??

Replies

  • DawnVanSlim
    DawnVanSlim Posts: 10,468 Member
    Am I nuts??

    ^ You ask this question, as if being nuts is a bad thing? :drinker:

    Not a step counter here, you are nuts!
  • Superchikanthem
    Superchikanthem Posts: 362 Member
    I do up to 12 sometimes
  • johnlatv
    johnlatv Posts: 654 Member
    i sometimes would just to know my cadence, but i stopped... Hey whatever you need to do to keep running is ok by me.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    Funny. I don't do it when I run, but I do it when I walk. 8 also.
  • sjv1966
    sjv1966 Posts: 121 Member
    I used to do that and it was kind of driving me nuts. Then I started focusing on my breathing and it helped me get the numbers out of my head. Have you ever tried listening to music? I tried once and found it anoying but maybe it would work for you.
  • DG_Allen
    DG_Allen Posts: 219 Member
    I feel so much better, I'm not alone! Thank you sjv and lporter!

    I have used music and that helps but my ear buds always fall out and that bugs me. I've learned to just go with it and use it for pacing. I'll focus on my breathing and my form (land on the mid-foot!) and try to quiet it if the numbers bug me.

    I'm hoping for a personal best in a 5k on Sunday. Wish me luck!
  • Bailey543
    Bailey543 Posts: 375
    Ugh, why did I read this?! I count EVERYTHING....except steps....now I'm sure I will, though! :tongue:
  • DG_Allen
    DG_Allen Posts: 219 Member
    Am I nuts??

    ^ You ask this question, as if being nuts is a bad thing? :drinker:

    Not a step counter here, you are nuts!

    I am a little nutty!
  • DG_Allen
    DG_Allen Posts: 219 Member
    I do up to 12 sometimes

    Now I'm going to count to 12.
  • stacymama5
    stacymama5 Posts: 391 Member
    No, I count the seconds!!......lol
  • blaklabz
    blaklabz Posts: 4
    I listen to music, but sometimes I count too, random counts to take my mind off of it...I'll count 60 on the treadmill and then tell myself to incline a degree after each "set" , or decrease, or whatever. I think runners are nuts, it's a good thing! When I was training on a 1/4 mile track I would count the pieces of litter in the gutter-ugh!
  • finallyFIT_ForMe
    finallyFIT_ForMe Posts: 26
    I go...1,2,3,4 then 1,2,3,4 and sometimes take in a breath at the moment my right foot hits the ground; every single time. Makes me breathe too fast but I have to really concentrate on my breathing to make it stop. My daughter says I'm OCD and thats why I do it; but what does she know, she's only 11:)
  • mestop1
    mestop1 Posts: 54 Member
    I feel so much better, I'm not alone! Thank you sjv and lporter!

    I have used music and that helps but my ear buds always fall out and that bugs me. I've learned to just go with it and use it for pacing. I'll focus on my breathing and my form (land on the mid-foot!) and try to quiet it if the numbers bug me.

    I'm hoping for a personal best in a 5k on Sunday. Wish me luck!

    If I'm not listening to music I catch myself counting every 2 -3 steps depending on my breathing.

    Bose makes earbud headphones that actually stay in my ears. They look funny and they're on the expensive side but they sound great and they don't fall out as soon as I break a sweat..
  • DG_Allen
    DG_Allen Posts: 219 Member
    I feel so much better, I'm not alone! Thank you sjv and lporter!

    I have used music and that helps but my ear buds always fall out and that bugs me. I've learned to just go with it and use it for pacing. I'll focus on my breathing and my form (land on the mid-foot!) and try to quiet it if the numbers bug me.

    I'm hoping for a personal best in a 5k on Sunday. Wish me luck!

    If I'm not listening to music I catch myself counting every 2 -3 steps depending on my breathing.

    Bose makes earbud headphones that actually stay in my ears. They look funny and they're on the expensive side but they sound great and they don't fall out as soon as I break a sweat..

    Thanks for the tip on the earbuds. I'm being cheap and not getting some new ones. My wife made me feel kinda paranoid too about getting hit by a car that I don't hear coming up from behind me if I have the music on.
  • DG_Allen
    DG_Allen Posts: 219 Member
    I go...1,2,3,4 then 1,2,3,4 and sometimes take in a breath at the moment my right foot hits the ground; every single time. Makes me breathe too fast but I have to really concentrate on my breathing to make it stop. My daughter says I'm OCD and thats why I do it; but what does she know, she's only 11:)

    Wow, she's got the 'tude and she's stilla tween. Good luck with that :tongue: :wink:
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I'm a bassist, I can only count to 4. (But I catch myself counting 1-2-3-4 as a way of relaxing my breathing when I want to slow the pace down a bit)
  • DunnaStunna
    DunnaStunna Posts: 22 Member
    lol I do this all the time! I thought I was alone on this one, good to know i'm not ;)
  • Kristy_Elizabeth
    Kristy_Elizabeth Posts: 435
    I do this and the number I count to depends on how fast I'm breathing. If I'm only getting to six, I slow my breathing down. I usually count to 8, running about 6 to 6.5 miles per hour. I do a 10 count if I'm trying to slow it down. My oldest daughter counts to, but she counts her steps also. I can't really comment on your sanity or mine, just that I do the same thing. =)
  • DG_Allen
    DG_Allen Posts: 219 Member
    I do this and the number I count to depends on how fast I'm breathing. If I'm only getting to six, I slow my breathing down. I usually count to 8, running about 6 to 6.5 miles per hour. I do a 10 count if I'm trying to slow it down. My oldest daughter counts to, but she counts her steps also. I can't really comment on your sanity or mine, just that I do the same thing. =)

    My counting is more habitual and I can't really control it. Maybe I'll try to and then I'll be able to make it stop. I try to contol my pace with my breathing. If I'm huffing and puffing too much, I try to slow down. I find that I have trouble slowing down however.
  • DG_Allen
    DG_Allen Posts: 219 Member
    lol I do this all the time! I thought I was alone on this one, good to know i'm not ;)

    That's why I asked! I thought I was too!!

    My wife posted a question on her knitting website (Ravelry) to see if there were people like her who like to untangle yarn. It turns out there were and she started a group that now has more than 1000 members.

    Our quirky habits aren't so quirky after all :smile:
  • Nonymou
    Nonymou Posts: 8
    Naw, I'm nuts. I count variations of 60, 30, 45, 90, and 120. I'm a beginner runner so I am working on basing my running on the steps I take. I usually run for between 15 and 30 minutes with short stops for breath -- my running is always between 1000 and 1800 steps (basically I count to between 15 and 30 sets of 60)
  • darcy1111
    darcy1111 Posts: 1
    Ha! I must be nuts too... unless I'm listening to music i find myself counting my steps, but I'll count up to the 2 or 3 hundreds before i start back at 1 again. It makes running more rhythmic and i think it helps me keep my pace and breathing consistent... or maybe just my mind off being tired!

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