What I think about when I'm running

“People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they'll go to any length to live longer. But don't think that's the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you're going to while away the years, it's far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive then in a fog, and I believe running helps you to do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that's the essence of running, and a metaphor for life—and for me, for writing as whole. I believe many runners would agree.”


Haruki Murakami wrote a particularly excellent memoir, called What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, which I recommend to anyone and everyone who either enjoys his books or enjoys a good run.

I was thinking about this book today, and thinking about how visualizations help when it comes to setting fitness goals, and also during the actual fitness process itself.  That's not to say you have to picture the grand final result of it all, which can sometimes seem so far away as to be disheartening.  But something that helps you to keep going when you are mid-run and just want to quit.

So today I thought I'd share my own visualization, the thing I think about when I am running.  I have a tough time finding my groove sometimes, but once I settle into it and my arms and legs hit the right rhythm, my abs are pulled in nice and tight, shoulders back... only then can I settle into my visual, which propels me through the rest of my run.

I am a robot.  My arms and legs all move like clockwork.  My pace is consistent, my movements are fluid.  Robots do not tire, robots can run forever.

It is surprisingly effective.

What is your visualization?  What do you picture or think about to get you through a run?