"I'd rather be seen on my bicycle than on a park run" - Quote from the dark side

Wednesday 7 July 2010

What do you think of while running?

This post is in response to Christina’s Running Question Challenge.

Question:
What top three things do you do to help pass the time while running?

Answer:
This depends on where I’m running. I do 99.9% of my training alone and during the week this will be early morning (04:00 – 06:00). The week runs are on the road through the suburbs but on weekends I do some runs on trails in nature reserves in our area. I don’t think I’ve got a top three, but here’s what I do most of the time.

(1.) I make sure I relax. Even when I’m pushing it I’ll still make sure to stay relaxed.

(2.) I focus on upcoming races and specific things to try and train for. For instance, I focus on how and where I carry water, gels and other food/drinks/goodies. Sometimes I’ll carry something on a short run just to make sure it doesn’t bother me where and how I carry it.

(3.) I think about work and how to solve any problems I might be dealing with. Sometimes I solve problems while running.

(4.) I never look at my watch and always estimate my pace. At the end I’ll stop and look at my watch to see how far off or how correct my pacing was. During a run I often think about what pace I’m doing. I haven’t looked at my watch during a run for many, many years now. I only take my total time and don’t even have a watch that can take splits.

(5.) On trails I concentrate on running technical parts and downhill faster. I also take in the nature around me. That’s why I run trails as well. It brings me close to nature. I love the bush and wildlife.

(6.) I sometimes count wildflowers if the trail and season offers them. I always do this when hiking, but running can make this difficult.

Enjoy your running and thinking!

12 comments:

misszippy said...

You are a thinker when you run! I'm sure it pays off on race day for you.

ajh said...

You certainly run early! I do a lot of solitary running but I must confess I often have my Ipod. I tend to listen to podcasts and it keeps me distracted from the long miles.

Christina said...

We are opposites when it comes to the watch. I hardly go for a run without my Garmin and on the track I'm always watching my splits.

The Green Girl said...

This was an interesting read, thanks for sharing.

As the summer heats up, I'll be hitting the road earlier but I agree, you do run really early!

Jill said...

I'm all over the map with my thoughts when I run; I guess it just depends on what's on my plate at that moment. I admire your dedication to get up early and out the door for your run. I used to do this and just do not sleep well anymore so I just fit it in where I can. Summers are great though since I have them off work :). Good luck on your race this weekend!!

Julie said...

Hi Johann,
I am a pretty random thinker when I am running. I wish that I could be more like you and stay relaxed when I am doing my training runs. So much of the time I am attempting to push myself just a little. I know that things are going to change....you can be my role model:) I just have to run like Johann...stay relaxed:) Fun post!

Unknown said...

I totally agree with you! Running relaxed is so important and it's so much easier to enjoy the scenery! Great post, thanks for sharing your running thoughts!

Patrick Mahoney said...

This is a great post. I'm a watch watcher I must admit, but I also like to get some thinking done, review my day, things like that.

Anne said...

It's almost as if I don't think sometimes...I tend to focus on the job at hand and my surroundings. On my long runs, I'm usually thinking about the time of my next walk break :)

Giorgio said...

Great post Johann! While I'm running I sometimes think what I'm going to do the day after. I'm sure that running makes me feel good.
Have a nice running weekend!

Post scriptum: on the Fifa World cup front I say: GO NETHERLANDS, GO! It's the strongest soccer team in the World now. It's a real pity that Germany won't play the final match against Netherlands.

Jennifer said...

I usually think about what new artwork I want to make. It's a creative time for me. When the run is hard I sometimes can only think about my breathing and keeping in a good rhythm. Sometimes I spend the last part of my runs planning what I am going to eat for breakfast when I finally get done!

Molly said...

my thoughts are usually all over the place....if I'm listening to music sometimes I sing along to it, loudly!! : )