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Original poster

What do you think about when you're running?

49 replies

soreyes · 28/09/2015 17:29

I think I need to train myself to focus on certain things when I'm running and NOT how many metres I have left to go till I reach a certain km, not I will keep going till I reach a nice round figure, not when I get to 30 mins I'll cool down, not I WILL NOT cheat and not check the time or km until this song has finished (treadmill running here), etc. etc.!

I'm so negative until the adrenaline gets going, usually 30 mins in, that I am ready to give up sometimes even after only five minutes! I don't though, but I hate the negative thought processes going round and round, because I just can't wait for it to end, even though when I do keep going of course I am chuffed and feel great. But it's like that every single time and I would like to change it.

I heard that Paula Radcliffe used to keep counting to 100 over and over...does anyone else do anything as monotonous? I need to hear what goes on in your heads to see if I can alter how I think when I run. Music is a big thing for me, and running to a track I really like can inspire me to go just that bit further but I'm stuck in a rut.

Please share!

OP posts:

Suzietwo · 29/09/2015 16:47

i generally just let my mind wander until i realise all im thinking about is my body moving and breathing (i.e. not thinking at all) at which point i realise i am running fast enough!

KeyserSophie · 30/09/2015 06:17

I pretend that Hk has been invaded and that I'm a resistance scout trying to evade the occupiers as I go from one side of the island to the other across the trails, carrying vital intelligence. In RL it wouldnt work because I stick to marked trails which would be swarming with enemy troops, but there are wild pigs and snakes in the bushes so I'm not tempted to make it too realistic.

Sometimes I just mentally write awkward work emails. Somehow easier to find the words when you're moving.

Allgunsblazing · 30/09/2015 06:54

I have chats with myself. One of the reasons I love running is because it is a very very precious half an hour alone. So I do a 'reality check', talk to myself as if I were a friend. Try and imagine myself through my friends' eyes etc.
Sometimes I just think of books I am reading, conversations I had.
Swimming is for problem solving, I keep going untill I have reached a conclusion/made a decision. Running is more about my mental health if you want.
If you feel like stopping, just take your mind off it with something else, really.

whatdoIget · 30/09/2015 06:55

I try and remember and tell myself that I actually love running and it keeps me sane and how great I'll feel after the run (and during it too)
If I don't, I get caught up in negative thought cycles about wanting to stop, how slow I am, how I must look daft to any passers by, etc
It's only recently that I've learned how to counteract the negative thoughts and it's made a big difference. Also, anyone can run after a bit of training, and anyone can stop. The trick is to keep going! It's all in the mind.

ButtonMoon88 · 30/09/2015 07:03

I am training for a half marathon next year, so that's what I think about mostly, how I would feel when I finally finish it.

I have some running music on, it's a playlist that I found on Apple Music, I didnt know many of the songs before but i do now!

Anything that you find distracting but relaxing, so I suppose that's why counting would work for a lot of people.

mollyonthemove · 30/09/2015 07:08

Another who listens to music! I also think about what I need to do when I get home, what's going on at work and how to manage it - generally treat it as a clearing space!

suzannecaravan · 30/09/2015 08:45

I dont count deliberately, it's involunary, 1234567 repeats over and over in the background, sometimes it's replaced by a bit of a song

HemanOrSheRa · 30/09/2015 08:59

For the first 5 - 10 minutes I concentrate on my pace, form and breathing. I HATE the first 10 minutes. I have to fight the urge to stop! After that I settle down.

I do have my earphones in with music playing but it's just a noise in the background. If I start to flag a bit I'll listen to it to 'properly' to help me focus. I'm not sure what I think about . Thoughts just sort of float in and out. Which, as other pp's have said, running is good for my mental health.

I do run once a week with a friend and we have a good chat. That's nice too.

Abzs · 30/09/2015 09:12

I have a good chat to myself. Then another one about how I shouldn't chat out loud...

Punctuated by saying hello to dogs, squirrels or birds and deciding whether to stop to pick bilberries/look at the view.

SouthWestmom · 30/09/2015 09:20

I'm still at the run, walk phase. I have to invent an imaginary scenario and just let it play out otherwise I get bored and fed up and cross that I have to get home again

mollyonthemove · 30/09/2015 11:50

Oh the first few minutes are hell!

Curiouserandcuriouser30 · 30/09/2015 12:02

I look at running as my time to just think and plan. I think about my day, I make a little to-do list in my head, I think about conversations I have had/will be having, what to make for dinner, what I would like to watch on tv later, basically everything except the fact that I am running.

I agree that running is as much mental as physical though, if I am very stressed some days I can barely run 2km, when two days before I did 10.

MajesticWhine · 30/09/2015 12:09

This is really interesting. I usually think about when I can stop. I only really enjoy it when my mind wanders and I am not thinking about how hard it is. Good music really helps though. Sometimes I focus on my breathing and try to breathe out rhythmically. Sometimes I focus on good posture: looking ahead, knees and feet straight.

ThomasRichard · 30/09/2015 12:30

I listen to music and embellish my favourite daydream, involving lots of heroics on my part, a graceful acceptance of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, wrangles with the media and my eventual marriage to Prince Harry.

It's a miracle I haven't been run over really.

Bjornstar · 30/09/2015 13:31

I think, 'please let it be over soon!'

Original poster

soreyes · 30/09/2015 13:40

I'm envious of all you people with active imaginations to keep you distracted!
I just finished my run for the day so I tried out the counting thing - 123456 over and over. Definitely not for me though! I nearly fell off the mill! I kept trying kept going out of sync plus it was sometimes at odds with the beat of my music.
Who said "the trick is to keep going"? Can't scroll back on this. Well thank you because it kept going round in my mind at tricky points.
God it's tough. But god I feel good!

OP posts:

Lottapianos · 30/09/2015 13:41

Great thread!

It's hard, it really is. I think even the most experienced runners among us struggle with getting going. It's tough, and its meant to be.

Here's what works for me:

listening to music / radio
ticking off percentages of the run in my head - when I do my 5 mile run on a Saturday, I tick off 20, 40, 50, 60, 80 and 90%, along with a postive little cheerleading note to self. Example - '20% done already! Piece of piss. Doing brilliantly'. Very sad but it works
thinking about how totally fantastic I feel when its done!
reminding myself that its only 30, 40, 60 minutes or whatever, but the benefits are with me every minute of every day. Cheesy but true
thinking about what's for dinner / what I've got to look forward to at the weekend
getting mildly enraged about stupid stuff that happened at work

I find my easiest runs are when I'm a bit distracted, stressed out or mildly hungover - I end up zoning out a bit and not thinking about every step

ButtonMoon88 · 30/09/2015 13:50

It's interesting that a lot of posters say they need a little stress to run better but it's quite the opposite for me, something I have recently learnt/learned? Maybe I need to go over my grammar whilst running

AsYourMakerICommandYou · 30/09/2015 13:54

I run with DD in her pushchair....I keep my mind busy with pulling stupid faces at her to keep her entertained...she finds the view of vast nothingness on the airfield a bore - so mama pulling stupid facing while she's sweating and blowing out seems to entertain her and stop me thinking about the heart attack approaching

ButtonMoon88 · 30/09/2015 14:06

What pushchair do you have maker?

ButtonMoon88 · 30/09/2015 14:07

Sorry slightly of thread but wondered if I could ever run with my DD...I don't know if her bugaboo would take it!

RunningGingerFreckleyThing · 30/09/2015 14:19

I found podcasts are really good at distracting me from the hard slog. Someone suggested Desert Island Disks to me. I thought pfft, I'm not old enough for that but gave it a go and I really enjoy them! There's such a wide range of people, there's bound to be someoneyou would be interested in. A few running friends listen to some comedy podcasts which I think I'll start on when I can remember what they are...
Otherwise I have imaginary conversations with people I'd like to have it out with. Sometimes I think about what we'll have for dinner or a checklist in my head of things I need to do.
Treadmill running is tedious though and when you are able to run outside, give it a go.

TheoriginalLEM · 30/09/2015 14:32

i listen to a green day album - i NEED a new download.

AsYourMakerICommandYou · 30/09/2015 15:14

I have the silver cross pioneer Button - its identical to the wayfarer except it has wheels that are more suitable for off-roasting. can lock the wheels off of the swivel setting and it pushes like a dream while I'm running

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