B210K W2R1- Battered brain bonds with Britney!

[emkeenan]

Hello alliteration lovers

I've noticed a pattern in my runs and I wondered if others might have noticed the same phenomenon. It seems, the more tired my brain the better behaved my body.

Today, I'd been in work from 8 until 7 (not a physical job) including several hours spent being grilled by my new boss and with 1001 other things going wrong in the background. After rushing home to eat I snuggled into my bed for a precious hour before reluctantly tell my duvet (and the Kardashians) I'd be back ASAP. Usually I'm quite an analytic runner, I'm busy mulling over advice from this forum, checking my pace, time, distance and comparing my run to previous runs and future targets etc. Well tonight, I could not be bothered. I trusted Sam and stopped checking my watch and told time it better pass because I was feeling tired, stubborn and frankly wasn't in the mood to mess around. Neither did I even think about stopping because I was too mentally exhausted to come up with the usual category of excuses I consider at length before rejecting wholesale on every other run.

I only checked my distance when I stopped for the 1 minute walks and ran 3 lots of 15 minutes with very little trouble indeed AND at one point I found myself humming along to Britney Spears. I repeat, I was Running AND Humming- I barely recognise myself!

Anyway, I made my target of 7K (managed 7.1) in the 47 minutes and it has perked me right up.

Does anyone else feel if they could turn their brain off, or at least down a little bit, it would benefit their run? Or does anyone have any tips for doing so?

Thanks and happy running Emily

[misswobble Graduate]

I think you were in the zone as they say. Oooh Britney!!! I never thought I'd like a Britney offering but I do! I let my husband listen to it on the mP3 player yesterday but he just rolled his eyes. Running is good for emptying your overloaded brain which is why so many folks like it as it's so stress busting.

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to misswobble]

The Zone, eh. Get me It really was good tonight and my brain no longer feels in such turmoil.

Circus last week, Womaniser this week- Sam is spoiling me rotten! I have been wondering how men get along with B210K actually, Sam loves a female soloists and it musn't be for everyone (your husband included!)

[misswobble Graduate]

I'm an old biddy but I love these new tunes. New to me that is! I absolutely love Surrender and the Rhianna Pon de replay, which is a blast and great to run too, even in my creaky state. I like the Go G0's Head over Heels too. Kelly Clarkson, who I'd never heard of, I find I like that one. The Shakira one makes me laugh! One of the best ones though is Starry Eyed surprise. Nonsense but good. They do keep you going don't they!

[Miles_Yonder Graduate]

Hi Emily. Sounds like a great run you had, despite the tiredness; excellent distance you ran in a really good time, well done. You might have something there, with being so tired your brain just closes off and allows you to run. When I've been quite tired on my runs a similar thing happens but I always feel I'm too tired to enjoy it, or that I might actually doze off at any given moment, whilst running, which certainly wouldn't be good, or that I'll shut off to such an extent that I get a bit careless and forget to make the necessary precautions before crossing a road, or just stumble about like I'd consumed a barrel of rum before heading out.....

I must say, I'm already looking forward to starting B210K. The music sounds much, much better. I feel I'll get on well with it; both my ex-girlfriend and a good friend have said that I have the musical tastes of a thirteen year-old girl, so I should have no problem with it at all!

The only tip I have for switching the brain off, is to imagine running somewhere else. I often imagine myself running along the French Riviera, enjoying the view; it does sometimes work and helps zone out a bit.

Thanks for continuing your B210K reports, by the way.

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to Miles_Yonder]

Thanks Miles I was very encouraged by this run and the distance I managed to cover, I was so determined to get myself over 7 k I practically had a sprint finish!

Thanks for the tip re turning off my busy brain for a while, I do quite fancy a run among fields of tulips or along the canals of Venice, nowhere too hilly though!

I'm glad it's helpful to hear about B210K and I look forward to reading your posts when you get here. You are in for a treat as it seems you and Sam have similar taste in music.

Onwards and upwards, Emily.

[Becca66 Graduate]

Crikes, you're fit and quick: well done you!

I find I fret less about the run, how much longer I've got to go, how I'm breathing etc if I have something else to think about. I usually run before 9 in the morning and if I can't face the podcast, or the iPod has wiped it, or I started with the wrong one, I switch over to Today on Radio 4 (can I find the breath when running to swear at politicians? Yes I can!) My husband downloads TED talks to listen to (even lower politician-tolerance than me). A friend of mine concentrates on Mozart.

I know with the morning run that if they get back to football AGAIN (just how much coverage does it need?) then I have run for quite long enough and it's time to stop!

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to Becca66]

Oh thank you! I did speed up to make my 7 k target, but if you have the energy left, why not!

I do like your idea about podcasts, once I'm finished B210K I'm going to go programme-free and I think something like that could really work. Having not tried it I find the thought of running without a 'rhythm' quite strange but I'm sure I'd adjust quickly. I'm becoming convinced that finding distraction is the key to everything.

[Oryxx Graduate]

Well done! Sounds like an awesome run! Where do we find these B210K podcasts? Or are they not podcasts?

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to Oryxx]

Oh thank you, there is a link to the podcasts on these thread healthunlocked.com/couchto5.... If you search on line you can find the training programme intervals written down and some people just use their own music and run the intervals the programme sets out.