Sunday, November 8, 2009

Random thoughts while running


Things I think about when I run. I am reading Haruki Murakami's book titled What I Talk About When I Talk About Running at the moment. A few chapters in and I am enjoying his thoughts and stories. But enough about him and the book - I will post a review when I am finished. J

I don't run with an IPod. I prefer the solitude of the run. I enjoy hearing the squirrels getting angry with me when I force them to scamper to a nearby tree. This is a regular occurrence on my runs and I don't know why they haven't worked out that I am not a threat to them. Just a random runner on the path. One minute I am there, the next I am gone. I enjoy hearing the rustling of the trees. Sometimes it is a friendly companion on the runs but other times it can startle and I wonder what animal is hiding in the forested areas. I hope that they too realize that I am not a threat.

I spend my times on the run doing one of two things; thinking about the run or just thoughts of randomness. Of late I have added a lot of speed work to my program so my thoughts have been generally turning to technical running aspects: Am I hitting the right pace? Is my form correct? Can I maintain this over multiple miles? Damn, I need to maintain this speed over multiple miles. When will this run finish?

I must admit I prefer the other type of runs. The mind wanders aimlessly and jumps from topic to topic as only a woman's mind can. I recollect conversations I have had with friends; reminisce about some of the amazing trips I have been on; brainstorm small business plans and ideas. Sometimes I chastise myself for giving up running two decades ago. I recount books recently read about running and its ability to offer freedom and peace of mind.

Regardless of the topic, generally the thoughts are random. But somehow issues are resolved and ideas are filed away for later. Time spent running - time spent thinking, or un-thinking - letting go. Randomness.

1 comments:

Kenley said...

Great Post. When I am running, I think and focus on my form. There are a couple of things that motivate me to get my miles in. I pay myself a savings dependent on the miles I run for running gear, etc. $1 for a great mile, .50cents for an ok mile. .25 cents for a crap mile, so on and so forth. So when i run, I aim for the $1 mile. I posted an article (Using your Mileage to save for Running Gear) lol. check it out. Anyways, I enjoyed your article. Have a good one, and Keep Running.

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