Distracting Yourself from the Run:

Running alone for long periods of time can become boring. On a tough run, it’s often hard to avoid focusing in on the pain which makes the run even harder. By shifting your thoughts, challenging runs can become much more pleasant.

Listen to something.

The most common and obvious solution is to listen to a podcast, audiobook, or music. It’s important to test out different types of podcasts to discover which you prefer on runs. Try bringing Ornery Mule Racing on the run and listen to our podcast. Audiobooks are another great option. Let a story carry you along and distract you. Long runs are a great time to catch up on the latest OMR book club read. As for music, try making a motivational playlist; it doesn’t matter what genre, just choose the songs that lift you up. Alternatively, running is a great time to discover new music. Try making a playlist of new songs you’re interested in and go through them on your run. Be sure to stay aware of your surroundings while wearing earbuds. Try hear-through mode on your earbuds or wearing them in only one ear so you can still hear around you.

While these are great options, if you’re preparing for a race where you don’t plan on wearing headphones, it’s a good idea to practice running without audio and instead entertaining yourself with your own thoughts.

Take in your surroundings.

Rather than focusing on what your body is feeling, force your attention outward. If you’re on a trail, pay attention to foliage—even if you’ve done the same trail hundreds of times, nature is always changing. Look for new growth in the spring and fall leaves in the autumn. Notice the trees, rocks, and animals. Or, if you need a change of scenery, try to find a new trail. Not in to nature? Pay attention to people, buildings, or houses instead—it’s surprising how many things you can pass by every day and still not notice.

Make up a story.

If just looking and observing your surroundings isn’t enough, create a story about them. Maybe that squirrel is on a magical quest? How did that rock formation get there? How did those two people meet? The options are endless; let your imagination roam until you forget you’re even running.

Play a game.

Try playing I Spy with yourself. Choose something to search for (the color red, birds, etc.) and then find as many of that thing as you can. Running by a lot of signs? Try the alphabet game: search for each letter of the alphabet on the signs you pass (starting with “A” and not moving on until you find it).

Do some math.

If you’re doing a work-out, calculate out your splits while you run. You probably already know your goal split for the half-way point, but calculate out the times for a quarter, sixth, eighth, etc. Or, if that is too involved, just count in your head until you lose track and your brain wanders. Making up simple math problems can also be a good distraction. When you’re busy focusing on numbers, it’s a lot harder to pay attention to your pain.

Tell yourself you feel great.

Even if you feel absolutely horrible, tell yourself you feel fantastic. I’ve gotten myself through many races by lying to myself repeating: “I feel great, this feels easy”. Repeating positive mantras is a great way to drown out the negative thoughts. How you think truly has an impact on how you feel.