Thinking About Thinking

Oh I am a delinquent blogger- so sorry to those of you that have been waiting anxiously for my next post…well here it is!

Lately, I have been fielding many a question as to how to keep oneself entertained on those nasty long runs that one must do in order to accomplish the feat of completing a marathon. It really got me thinking- besides my ipod, how DO I entertain myself on a leisurely 3 hour jog? In order to understand how on earth I can resist boredom for this long, I underwent a little experiment on my last long run. More specifically, I tried to focus on what exactly I was thinking about during this time.

The answer surprised me a bit. Truth be told I am one of those people whose mind does not ever stop working. No matter how much I try or am aware of the problem, I am constantly thinking about “things” like work, running, friends, stress, summer, life, school, students, family…the list could go on and on. Even in an environment like yoga, where the mind is supposed to be free and clear and focused on the breath in a meditative like state, I just can’t do it.

Here’s the strange part- I CAN do it while I’m running. I guess for me, running IS meditation. It’s the one time that my mind is totally free and clear of all thought and I am focused on my breath. I realized this when I looked at the time during my run; I was about an hour and a half in and I had NO IDEA what I’d thought about in that period of time. Not to mention I felt like I’d only been running for about 15 minutes, forget 90! This little tidbit of info came as somewhat of a relief to me. I’ve always felt kind of inferior that my very type A western born and bred personality wouldn’t allow me the luxury of clearing my mind and focusing on my breath for even a second or two. Now I realize that meditation is different for everyone, and for me, running is simply that. It’s a way to clear my mind, relax, focus on my breathing and just enjoy.

Having said that, there are times when I do solve the world’s problems while I’m running. Well, maybe not the world’s problems, but at the very least a lot of my own. Or at least I come up with some kind of plan, and that in itself is reassuring and is also a reason to keep on truckin’.

I suppose I really haven’t solved the problem of running boredom…if metacognition (thinking about how and what you’re thinking about) is skill you simply can’t master, maybe you need to join a running group, find a running buddy or download a book or a podcast to your ipod. Maybe there isn’t a solution- or maybe you can think about a solution on your next long run!

18 days until the Calgary Stampede Marathon! Oh- I suppose that means we should talk taper…