A Head Thread

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Little Miss Happy Sep 2021 6:16pm, 20 Sep 2021 4,973 posts	0 Little Miss Happy It varies for me Sharkie. A lot of ‘look at the birds, look at the trees’, some ‘stay tall, relax your shoulders’ and a fair bit of problem solving depending on circumstances.
Dvorak Sep 2021 6:36pm, 20 Sep 2021 23,455 posts	0 Dvorak I'm still trying to come to terms with my reacting as a prey animal at parkrun What do I think about whilst running? Usually not running. But sometimes it is. Sometimes I have to remind myself to do so, or to be. Be there. It's not that I grind to a halt, it's just that the body is doing all the running, I've kind of wound it up and set it going. The mind's work, running-wise, is just to keep me on the route and from falling over or running into traffic. Reading that back though, I'm not so sure. Hmm. Often I'm running over the same pointless and imaginary thoughts I would whilst not running. Imaginary railways networks and the passenger numbers at the stations thereon, with their route distances and timings. Often I'm doing some kind of mental arithmetic, which may or may not be running related. If I'm doing run/walk, I'm more likely to be thinking about those numbers. In a parkrun, or race, I'll be working out my finish time. If my time at distance x is y then my pace is z and my hr has been q so if I make that q+r for t(otal)-x then with pace z+ I'll finish in nn:nn. I don't think I'm quite as mad as reading that back suggests, but I could of course be wrong. Might go and have a run and think about it.
Hanneke Sep 2021 9:25pm, 20 Sep 2021 79,675 posts	0 Hanneke Do you mean Murakami Sharkie? What I Talk About when I Talk About Running?
Dvorak Sep 2021 9:31pm, 20 Sep 2021 23,457 posts	0 Dvorak Reading back, I saw that Sharkie had specifically excluded counting. Please disregard the second half of my above post. It doesn't count
HappyG(rrr) Sep 2021 9:06am, 21 Sep 2021 39,765 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) I'm like Little Miss Happy - a variety. If a familiar route and easy pace and I'm work or home stressed then I can work through issues and put them aside. ✔ If concentrating on terrain or pace then think of nothing else. Very in zone. ✔ If generally relaxed then can enjoy birds n trees and remind myself how luck I am. Also v good! ✔ The one thing I never do is distract myself from the running with audio. I don't want to distract myself from running. I use running to distract me from other probs! G
Sharkie Sep 2021 9:10am, 21 Sep 2021 18,644 posts	0 Sharkie Counting/other mental arithmetic is an odd one. I dis-counted it because I think it's mainly (only mainly) a displacement/distraction strategy. I do it at the start of dog walks and on my infrequent distance runs (run-walks tbh) So I lump it in with listening to music or podcasts.
Canute Sep 2021 9:46am, 21 Sep 2021 2,441 posts	0 Canute Distraction in one form or another is employed by a very large number of runners, perhaps even the majority of casual recreational runners. There is evidence that in some instances it enhances performance. For me, it would be a missed opportunity for enjoyment or exhilaration. It can potentially be counter-productive as it might reinforce the belief that running is intrinsically unpleasant. On the other hand, I find running in the natural world, especially on trails through woodland enhances the delight. Sight of a woodland trail make me want to run. Music is special. While I would never wear headphones when running as I would not want to be cut- off from the world around me, I love the sound of a roadside band when running a marathon or HM. Studies of the health benefits of exercise show that dancing is one of the most healthy forms of exercise. Maybe this is partly because it social, but even more, I suspect it is because rhythm promotes movement. It enhances integration of mind and body. I almost always run alone, but there are occasions when I run with friends. It is a very companionable activity.
riggys99 Sep 2021 10:40am, 21 Sep 2021 379 posts	0 riggys99 I run alone sometimes I have music on mainly if running on the pavements. When I run along the canal at home or the beach when away I like to hear the birds etc. Never listen to music when doing efforts etc as I want to listen to my bodies feedback. Sometimes I use distraction techniques over times I find they can tire me mentally. One tip I read recently was if the legs are tired/aching etc to focus on the action of the arms to take away the monitoring of the legs
swittle Sep 2021 10:41am, 21 Sep 2021 79,559 posts	0 swittle There's always something new to catch the attention along the beach: from 24-hour vessel movements - container ships, ferries, pilot boats... - to the restless sea; from soft, muddy 'no go' areas to dunes of fine sand; and the bird life on the Marina lakes. At night, when I almost always run, I might even see people, dogs, bikes, scooters, and the occasional parked car...
Chrisull Sep 2021 12:19pm, 21 Sep 2021 18,432 posts	0 Chrisull Music and running are two entirely separate activities for me, and must always be kept so. (Not least because you need to be able to hear tractors around here) I am often distracted by internal monologues or thoughts, which is what makes running so difficult currently, as added discomfort makes it hard to "drift".