Distractions

Distracting yourself from the actual running process is one of the easiest ways to forget the pain, heat, humidity, cramps, nags, or other naggings that putting one foot in front of the other can bring with it. Now I know we should all be concerned with thinking about our breathing, our posture, and our foot strike, but let's be honest, after the first mile or two those are the last things that matter. Sucking wind becomes your dominant feature, and there is only so much of that you can think about! The most widely used distraction is, of course, music. A good series of songs can not only make the minutes and miles fly by, but can serve to motivate you through a rough patch on the run. Everyone has that one song that hits home and makes them want to push themselves further and further. I have mine, but I'll keep it a secret for right now.

Resolved: Thinking about literally anything other then running while running can be useful.

I tried a book on tape once. I think it was "The Da Vinci Code" the book, for all the rave it got, was really a let down. I had set a goal that I would only listen to the book while running. That way, if the book was amazing, I'd want to run more. Makes sense in theory. That being said, I wasn't very impressed with this book and began dreading going out and listening to an utterly unremarkable book. I might try it again in the future, but only if its something I'm pretty sure I know I'll like. There are several merits to a book on "tape"; its generally pretty long, which means you'll have something to run to for many hours, if it is interesting you'll be motivated to keep running / go out again, finally, it can be immersive and a fantastic distraction.

My personal basis recently has been comity shows / albums / podcasts. I'm a big Kevin Smith fan. Say what you will about the guy, but he's a self made man who is a terrific writer and is at the forefront of internet entertainment. He has a few daily, live shows, one with his witty wife Jennifer, and one with his constant, hedro-life mate, Jason Mewes. Both are free and available on his radio website, SIR. I highly encourage you to check them out as a great distraction. The shows are generally both entertaining and funny. Speaking of which, you should try Smith and Ralph Garmon on their weekly show, "Hollywood Babylon". It's amazing. Anyways, the other day I was running to Smith and TV's Joe Rogan and had to stop to catch my breath from all the laughter I was belting out. So, while I did look a bit insane holding my side, laughing up a storm with sweat pouring down my face, that run was one of the one's that went quickly. Indubitably a fantastic distraction.

Some people however, can't seem to get into the hang of running with electronic equipment. I was in this camp for a long time. My headphones hung on me weird and I didn't enjoy them. I'd brainstorm in my head over writings, the daily life, etc, in order to whittle away the time. This worked well, but couldn't deal with the "hard" times during the run. During these times I did some weird things, the oddest being pseudo-complex math problems. Quick, what's 357 x 125? Can't get it yet? Exactly. Keeping track of this problem in my head would take upwards of ten minutes to complete! The miles would fly by as I struggled to maintain what numbers were where and the totals. Jeesh, it's a hassle, but fairly rewarding, especially when you missed an entire mile of running time! Of course math isn't for everyone. There are a host of other ways to bide your time; mentally going through / preparing yourself for the day, reflecting on a hobby or other activity, trying to memorize your drivers licence or other useful information, learning a foreign language via audio. Do you have any distractions you use? Tell me about it and I'll give it a try one day.

Until next time, trying to be honest with the world and myself.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Out: 1211, In: 1243
Distance: 2.85 miles
Walks: 2, Inhaler Use: 3
Distraction: Plus on Per Diem on SIR

Calories took in Friday, July 1
2580
Expelled: 2767
Net: -187