What do you think about when you swim / run?

while I would rather swim that run,

it is not necessary in any of these exercises to push yourself to the extent you can not talk, there is lots of benefits to lower grade activity, in fact just walking 3-4 miles a day is good, however if you wish to go fast that is fine but there is no need for anyone to push themselves unless they want to

I look a twat with those bands on my head [vain]

Hinting? To whom? No, thinking!

With swimming there's enough necessary awareness of others and counting lengths to prevent drifting into in depth contemplation. I find myself thinking about small but often enjoyable 'problems' like what recipes to cook, outfit to wear, little bits of everyday logistics, sometimes running through conversations.

With running I can get more into a topic. I do often find I work through negative thoughts about people and situations while running but then feel much happier afterwards, in the running high. Other times happier thoughts, again, imagined conversations and hinting about tasks and plans.

I've got one of those headbands too, I suffer with ear ache in cold wind but get too hot running with a hat on, is is just the thing, only problem is if I wear it over my ears it makes my earphones dig in and feel uncomfortable. It solves the finge problem nicely though, so all round it's a winner.

I have hair that is too short to tie up and long enough to get on my nerves when running. I've solved it with this handy little headband and it keeps my ears warm too.

Um, hold it back. Obvs.

I think it might be called your pinna? Haven't looked it up so am prepared to be very wrong :) I have fringe issues too and am on the look out for a bandy thing that will gold it back and keep my ears warm but not annoy me. Is a minefield.

mercury I know exactly what you mean about running being the best thing for a cardio workout. When I was injured and had to use the exercise bike I simply could not get going fast enough to get my heart beating the same way - not without increasing the resistance too much, and I didn't want to end up with massive legs!

Luckily, I don't find running at all torturous!

bigbad Ooooh, they're nice. I maybe have larger ear flaps (or whatever the top of the ear is called!) than you do. My overears stay over my ears, and also help keep my hair back at bit (though I have stupid hair for running - too short to tie up, but long enough to piss me right off when the wind is behind or to the side of me!).

bonkers I didn't get on with the over-the-ear ones I tried, they kept dropping off! I have these though I can't remember where I bought them. If you fancy a change I recommend them highly :)

for me the point of running is that it keeps body fat down like no other cardio i've tried.
It's also torture compared to other cardio:(
but gives a better high afterwards:)

i wish i found it effortless in the way that some people do!

Gosh couldn't run without my music! It's what spurs me on

And is it my imagination but could my running have improved due to downloading running trax by ministry of sound?

I've improved..... But is it the beat of the music or because I've been doing shred too and got stronger??

For running I go to ParkRun every saturday. It's a group, doesn't matter how crap u are, can have a chat with some n a rewarding brew after

Hah, I know, bonkers it's a bit mad of me, but I just can't work up the enthusiasm.

Jolly LOL at not seeing the point of running! What's the point of swimming then? ;-)

bigbadbarry I also have small ear holes and struggled with ear phones for running. The ones I settled on are these
They're great because they sort of rest in your ear so you're not worried about them falling out and the over-ear fit means there's nothing on your head.

I am not a runner. My knees don't cope well and I sort of don't see the point.

I love swimming though and have recently started going again after a few years of not really bothering.

I do 40 lengths (1km) and count lengths. I also think about what I'm going to do for the next length - stroke/speed. If I'm going fast I just think about swimming.

Last night I mixed it up by counting DOWN for the last 10 lengths.

I have imaginary conversations with people Dont know why, the thoughts just come in my head. Sometimes they are real people who just happen not to be next to me or Im talking to myself or some imaginary part of me.

I wish I could just turn off thinking, but I never can.

I listen to the archers when I run :) I have also struggled to find comfy headphones (I have freakishly small ears, it seems) but I found some bluetooth ones that are good because they are not attached to the ipod so don't pull, they just clip to my collar.

I swim a mile every weekday morning.
I watch the birds and the clouds and the trees
and write all my emails and work reports in my head ready to put down on paper when I get home.

Wow I never knew anything like aqua beat had been invented. That's going straight to the top of my birthday list.

sybilfaulty does the aquabeat not hurt your ears or fall out? I really fancy one, but I struggle with normal earbud type speakers as they hurt like hell after about 10 mins of use.

I write investment pspers

Oh and I can't run with other people, I need to be able to set my own pace and would prefer not to chat.

I've switched from running to swimming lately due to injury. I used to listen to music while running sometimes (I used an app to track my runs that spoke to you at intervals to tell you how you were doing which you could combine with a playlist). Other times I used to just go and run a route I had picked with no timings, no measurements, no music and just think about whatever, but try not to think about anything that required too much attention, just kept it vague. A lot of the time I just liked looking at the gardens and houses. Other times I listened to Radio 4 podcasts, which I also do at work to stop getting bored (on my own in a office much of the time).

In the pool, I used to try and do a set number of lengths or swim for a set time and really struggled to do either though boredom/thinking of all the other things that needed doing that day. I am now following a programme of mixed strokes to improve my swimming technique/stamina and keeping track of what I need to do and really concentrating on technique is all I need to do, I used to be ready to get out after about 15 mins, bored stiff, but now the time goes by much more quickly, also I count strokes. Our pool has music on at the weekend family sessions but not for lane swimming, which I'm glad about, I hate having other people's choice of music foisted on me, that's a problem with gyms too.