What Are You Thinking?!

I was reminded of a time, almost three years ago, when I ran my second marathon. I was somewhere past the 20 mile mark of the Columbus Marathon...very injured, very embarrassed, and, apparently, verbally upset. I thought I said, in my own little brain, "I'm never doing this $h!t again!" What I found out one short second later is that I said it out loud. The man beside me said "Shut up! Yes you will!!"

Then, I wondered, what do my friends think about while they are racing?

 

In addition to the above, I often think:

 

Why am I doing this to myself?  Stay relaxed. Don't give up...there are people that want you to fail....and people who want you to succeed. I hope my pictures look good this time.

 

That's just naming a few. So I asked some of my runner friends, "What do you think about while racing?" The responses were entertaining to say the least! I decided to put them into department store categories for your reading enjoyment.

 

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Food/Drink:

• when to take your gel.
• "How many drinks can I slam when I'm done before I have to parent again?!"
• "Can't wait to drink a lemonade and eat a ton of food."
• "I wanted Starbucks so bad when I passed the store right on the race route. I basically cursed the race directors that put a Starbucks on the route."

 

Clothing:

• checking out all of the cute outfits...and the ugly ones!

 

Health and Beauty:

 

• "Please don't poop."
• "I hope I don't puke."
• "I wonder if I look like *$* when I run?"
• "Where can I poop mid-run if necessary"
• "Do I really look as bad as my cap city pic when I run?"
• "I hope the girls don't smell me."
• "I thought about all the ways to try to hold it in the last few miles!!"

 

Entertainment:

• laughing at funny signs
• needing high fives, etc. from spectators
• "I like to just sing to my music."
• praying to God
• talking about people
• "I tell people off in my mind because I always seem to have a better conversation/argument when I can have 10 do-overs."
• "I think about people that are motivating to me when the race gets tough."
• I repeat this "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
• "I find myself always thinking about who my 'person' is going to be when I am racing. My 'person' is someone that I use as my visual to go after in the race. If I pass that person, I pick a new person."
  

  
  

Sports:

• "Do not walk."
• "Just get to the finish."
• "That *b* better not pass me!"
• "*$*, I hope I don't get tripped"
• what my next race will be
• how I need to push through my comfortable zone
• "I get really pissed passing people who obviously put better finish times to be in higher corrals. Seeing people already walking in mile one *f's* with my mind"
•  targeting people to pass and try to pass them until I'm done.
• cursing the hills

School Supplies:

• mentally calculating my finish based on current average pace
• frustration about the course being too long or too short

 

Other:

• "I don't think much."
• "Why am I doing this?"
• "Will this ever end?!"
• "Why did I pay for this *$*?"
• thoughts of gratitude that I am physically able to endure 13.1
• Life...work through things that have been bothering me
• the goal I set and not stopping
• "I analyze peoples' gait and often decide that they are an injury waiting to happen."
   

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Do you have any thoughts that aren't on this list?!