What do you think of on long runs?

Here is one for you:

By my observations, the farther you are out in the country the more Christmas yard ornaments a house has.  Is this just because of the size of yard?  Is it because they want you to notice their 'oasis'?  Is it cheaper for electricity?  Is it closer to the Wal-mart so they can buy them?  Since they have a larger vehicle, they can fit more in there thereby putting more out on the lawn?  Since they have a shed, they can store more of them?

This though process lasted me about 3 miles on Saturday!!

On my last long run, 29 miles... My IPOD quit at mile 14 so I had a long time with my thoughts... I think about everything, wonder what people I know are doing, where they are in life etc. I think a lot about my life, being single, wondering what my life would be like if I would have made some different decisions etc...

I was running late at night and was going past this old cemetary and actually kind of scared myself because I kept telling myself I was hearing noises. Then I started to wonder how fast I could run if there was something after me. I was pretty tired so I figured it would have to be a slow moving zombie because I doubt I had the energy to go much faster. Then I thought I hoped it would be a man zombie chasing me instead of a woman because how slow would I have to be for a "woman" zombie to catch me... Then I wondered what they would look like and if it was a woman zombie would she have a dress on or a pants suit and do women get burried in high hill shoes or flats, what if no shoes at at, do they have their toes painted to look pretty???

Yea I had way too much time on my hands during that run.

Chris...we need to talk my man....

Issues is the word that comes to mind.

Have you learned nothing from slasher flicks...you never go running near a graveyard at night...for one thing, zombies, no matter how slow they move can always catch you...and two you will always trip and fall at least once...thus increasing your chance for death or worse a running injury.

I count.  I have no idea why or how it started but on lots of my runs and bike rides I just count and count.  Maybe I was counting steps in my head or something?  I know when I was little and we were on a long road trip I would sometimes look out the window and try to count the lines on the road.  I guess I'm weired than I thought!

Other times I sing - I try to think of all the songs I knew from camp, Christmas carols, sorority songs - anything.

I quit using music at all this past year... I just run... and ruminate about some of the same things as trigods... I also have conversations with people... I sort of talk to myself... in my head... practice how certain conversations are going to go... or how I want them to go... if they go at all... Lots of times I work the "issue" out myself and never even have to HAVE the conversation. At least *I* feel better about things...

Sometimes I just get a song stuck in my head... and I replay it on an endless loop, driving myself insane.

I do this too...If something or someone is bothering me, I will work out what I want to say to them...I never actually say it...but makes me feel better. 

No music for me either.  I'm just alone with my thoughts.  I think for the most part it's like dreaming.  I don't dream but they say everyone dreams you just don't remember them.  I think my brain suppresses what I think about when I run so that after I'm done running I can't really remember what I was thinking about.  That's probably a good thing. 

The only thing I ever remember thinking about are other runs.  Old runs, runs coming up, races, workouts, runs with other people, whatever.  Planning and goals, too.  Other than that stuff, nada.  It can't be that I run for two or more hours and that's all I think about could it?  I think I need help.

• Life
• The universe
• Everything

Wow, that IS random!  You must've been tired at that point.  Do zombies even have toes anymore, or are they rotted away?   That's the kind of thought I'd have at mile 22+

A more typical random thought topic is pavement.  Asphalt is everywhere and it just stretches on for miles and miles.   The interstate highways don't have breaks.  They just stretch on and on to the horizon, crossing time zones, connecting oceans.  Yeah, I think of that often while walking or running alone.   I can imagine just going and going and going...till I get to the Pacific.

I will count also, but usually silly stuff like. How high I can count by odd numbers, prime numbers, in thirds, fifths and sevenths. I will sometimes do roman numerals.

I too work out a lot of sh!t in my mind and I actually do some of my best thinking on long runs.  Sometimes I will also think about what I am going to put in my blog regarding the run - particularly if it is race or a long marathon training run. 

Other than that, I think about girls. 

Life in general.  Goals and dreams.  What I'm doing and not doing to accomplish them.  What fears stand in my way and what I'm doing about them.  Some of that conversational stuff that Whizzzzz mentioned...playing out conversations in my head to put things in perspective.

Oh my god - that would drive me nuts!  I don't think I'm smart enough for that - it would take too much concentration.  And how do oyu count in roman numerals in your head?  Just imagine what they look like? 

Mostly it's "INhale 2, 3, EXhale 2, 3..." with an undercurrent of "what's my pace?"  My 'long' runs are only 7 miles these days though.

lol I say it in my head. I, II, III (like eye, eye eye, eye eye eye), IV (eye V) etc... Yea I know it is stupid but so is running 29 miles, so what you gonna do