Running for training

[Appille]

Hi all,
I run everyday as part of my workout routine but I generally lose focus/will power pretty quickly. I find that if I concentrate on running I fatigue quickly but if I begin to day dream or let my mind wonder I can go for a lot longer. I was just wondering how you guys run and what you do to keep going when every part of you tells your body to just stop and give up. Thanks

[Reloaded]

Music... whatever hauling ass music you can shove into your ears.

For me NIN, Megadeth, Slayer, Fear Factory and Death from Above 1979 having been providing good fuel.

Being new I would recommend you to read the FAQ first, it'll answer a lot more questions faster that you might have... and welcome to the forum.

[MonstrositY]

music is sooooo detrimental for me when i'm working out, to each their own tho. it makes me lose focus, and i find i'm working out for the music rather than for working out. you gotta love what you're doing.

as for boring exercises eg running, i tend to just enjoy the pain and enjoy pushing myself. a thing i do to stop me from getting bored is i use different muscle groups, like eg i start my first few kms using mostly my calves and arms motion to run. after a while my calves start killing, so i swithced to a dif muscle group eg using mostly quads, which is where you're squating down low for each step - that doesn't last long, so i switch to using gluts and hams.

lil things like that to keep me entertained and make me feel like i'm training better than others.

[dip]

Music helps me when running, when I run w/o it I get bored out of my skull. Since you said you're running for training, it's always good to keep your competition in mind. Remind yourself that other guys are doing the same thing. I occasionally think of what I have to do that day/week, especially is something big is coming up e.g. a test or something.

Also consider other forms of aerobic exercise.

[Revok]

I like music whilst running, but you should be aware of the fact that is can mess up your pace if you depend on it too much. Particularly if you use heavy sounds to hype you up, you can end up burning out early and consistently failing to improve. Same goes for supplements and any other external stimuli.

You shouldn't need any motivation beyond your own mind in order to train to your best potential. Whatever you're doing, just do that thing, nothing extra, nothing besides. Focusing on the breath, listening to your body and controlling your thoughts is what you need to be doing until you're accomplished enough to allow nothing to interfere with that clarity.

And if you consider running to be boring, then you're not actually running. Set goals and train toward them with everything you have, and let everything else - boredom, pain, fear - slide.

[paolo27th]

I don't run with music. What keeps me going is reaching the goals I set for that workout, eg. running for "x" time, keeping "y" heart rate, doing "z" amount of sprints and so on.
I could never just run till I feel tired or something. With nothing to look foward to I'd get bored in 10 minutes.

[mschatz]

I always listen to music when I run.

[BayAreaGuy]

The same works for me...what the TS said.


When I start running I just day dream and think about other things- mostly pleasent thoughts.


The first 20 minutes of running is the most unpleasent, but once you get past that and get your sweat going, it starts feeling really good and you don't want to stop.


But if you keep focusing on how you feel while running (especially early on), you'll be miserable.

[JinKazama]

usually music

takes my mind off the pain

but yea, i tend to daydream as well, often times it pushes me to run harder

[Ian Coe]

I daydream, listen to music, listen to my breath.

Now I have a forerunner so can compete against myself on the same course that I ran previously and see how far ahead I am at each point and can see how much HR is developing.

Ah, technology