feeling bored while running

[Judy2]

@LastThursday yes, i generally enjoy it. i just notice my mind getting in the way at times... for example, when i'm thinking about some stressul events, personally i'm more prone to enter freeze-mode. but when my mood and the music are good, i enjoy it.

it would help if somebody could observe me while running and give feedback on my posture, though. 

 

[Carl-Richard]

Run faster. I sometimes pull up the forum between 4x4 runs or sprints, but my mind physically can't move.

Do you not listen to music while running?

I basically only do high-intensity running/sprints (aiming at basically max BPM) and low intensity cardio (125 bpm fast walking for 40-45 minutes). And I walk 10 minutes after every meal (but I have slacked on the evening meal). When I walk, I just mind-wander or do nothing. I like it, it's an insight generator and simply mindfulness. It feels like cleaning. Afterwards, your mind is clearer, or you get fixated on an idea which you'll explore further.

Edited 13 hours ago by Carl-Richard

[Judy2]

1 hour ago, Carl-Richard said:

Run faster. I sometimes pull up the forum between 4x4 runs or sprints, but my mind physically can't move.

Do you not listen to music while running?

I basically only do high-intensity running/sprints (aiming at basically max BPM) and low intensity cardio (125 bpm fast walking for 40-45 minutes). And I walk 10 minutes after every meal (but I have slacked on the evening meal). When I walk, I just mind-wander or do nothing. I like it, it's an insight generator and simply mindfulness. It feels like cleaning. Afterwards, your mind is clearer, or you get fixated on an idea which you'll explore further.

i do listen to music:)

some time ago i also tried doing maths with my speed, time, distance - but my maths brain stops working when i'm running (which i guess is the whole point).

yes, walking is fine - but with running the need for fast-paced distractions seems more urgent. hence why the same podcast i enjoy during a walk won't cut it when i'm running.

 

i remember having a discussion with you about noises at the gym, and what you said implied they shouldn't bother me. fact is, though, they do, and i feel especially vulnerable when i'm trying to exercise....not just running, but this seems to be a related issue. it's mentally tougher to push my muscles till failure, for example, when certain triggers in my mind and environment are on, causing me to feel like i'd much rather recoil and lay on the ground than put stress on my muscles while staying nonresponsive to triggers in that environment. 

[LastThursday]

8 hours ago, Judy2 said:

i just notice my mind getting in the way at times...

Do you meditate at all? I find the two activities for me are quite similar. But I suppose I've practised quieting my monkey mind for many years now. I just keep bringing my mind back to what the body is doing and my breathing. 

The one thing I find tough is when fatigue sets in and my mind screams at me to stop! My solution to that is to look up at the sky (don't trip), for some reason it lessens the feelings. I think if you get to that stage I think you'll find it's quite hard to be bored.

8 hours ago, Judy2 said:

it would help if somebody could observe me while running and give feedback on my posture, though. 

Yes that's ideal if possible. But you can learn a lot just by being attentive. Notice your pace, how heavy and flat your feet fall, how you hold your head, how you swing and position your arms, what tension you hold in your body, how you pronate you feet, how you breathe - long and deep or short and shallow, how the breath co-ordinates with the rhythm of your legs.

Edited 8 hours ago by LastThursday

[Judy2]

10 minutes ago, LastThursday said:

Do you meditate at all? 

i don't.....i probably should.

10 minutes ago, LastThursday said:

The one thing I find tough is when fatigue sets in and my mind screams at me to stop! My solution to that is to look up at the sky (don't trip), for some reason it lessens the feelings. I think if you get to that stage I think you'll find it's quite hard to be bored.

okay, interesting.

sometimes when i play the piano i look up at the ceiling...maybe that's a similar effect.

12 minutes ago, LastThursday said:

Yes that's ideal if possible. But you can learn a lot just by being attentive. Notice your pace, how heavy and flat your feet fall, how you hold your head, how you swing and position your arms, what tension you hold in your body, how you pronate you feet, how you breathe - long and deep or short and shallow, how the breath co-ordinates with the rhythm of your legs.

okay:)

[Carl-Richard]

5 hours ago, Judy2 said:

i do listen to music:)

Maybe my appreciation for music doesn't translate but that tends to be enough for me when running and lifting at the gym. I don't have to look at my phone (although I intentionally decide to that sometimes, but it usually feels like more work than not doing it).

 

5 hours ago, Judy2 said:

i remember having a discussion with you about noises at the gym, and what you said implied they shouldn't bother me. fact is, though, they do, and i feel especially vulnerable when i'm trying to exercise....not just running, but this seems to be a related issue. it's mentally tougher to push my muscles till failure, for example, when certain triggers in my mind and environment are on, causing me to feel like i'd much rather recoil and lay on the ground than put stress on my muscles while staying nonresponsive to triggers in that environment. 

I said that when the noises aren't there, they shouldn't bother you, but when they are there, they could definitely bother you (and they sometimes do for me if it is particularly loud).

 

1 hour ago, Judy2 said:

i don't.....i probably should.

Honestly could solve 95% of your problems. Perhaps focus on meditation techniques where you try to catch thoughts when they happen and then recenter on a sensation when you notice being lost in thought.

I had a period I was so addicted to catching and breaking trains of thought that it was hard to take any thoughts seriously (even hard to think at times, certainly to mind-wander). However, I could still get anticipatory anxiety, but that was more a physical arousal issue than being bothered by thoughts. It's a bit of a tangent, but I find anticipatory anxiety is best dealt with by changing some expectation or interpretation of an outcome, rather than trying to silence thoughts.