 |
| Don't worry - there will also be some photos that highlight the beauty of winter to distract you from my idiocy |
I have this habit when I'm running - it's been happening for years, and I don't seem to be able to stop or control it.
I count.
 |
| Deep breath, 'cause it gets weirder. |
I count to 100, over and over again.
 |
| Look - pretty snow and blue sky and sunshine. |
It lines up with the timing of my footfalls, but I don't count each step - it's usually either every 2nd, 4th or 8th step.
 |
| Some of which are heavier - and more difficult - than others. |
It's not an intentional act; I've never once said to myself "let's start counting". As a matter of fact, it happens so unconsciously that I'll just be out there boppin' along and suddenly realise I'm already at 42.
 |
| I told you it was weird. Here's some singletrack along the Grand River. |
I haven't listened to music on training runs in many years. I used to love my mp3 player - nothing like some punk rawk, metal or industrial to keep the legs ticking over when you're feeling a bit ragged - but when I started to run again after an injury (and almost a month off) somewhere around February 2012 I decided it would be better to listen to what my body was telling me than to some hard, crunchy beats. I was only running for a few minutes at a time to begin with, anyway - hardly worth it to get headphone wires sorted through winter clothing for a measly kilometer.
 |
| Not to mention that winter running surfaces can be a little...uncertain. |
Without music, I was better able to tune in to what my body was telling me. I could also spend time alone with my thoughts, processing things that needed working through or simply taking in the world around me as I plodded through it.
 |
| There's so much beauty out there, if you take a moment to look and appreciate it. |
Somewhere along the way, my brain decided I wasn't giving it enough to do, and started to count. Not in a meaningful way - I have to focus very hard to come up with an accurate number of anything, as I'll automatically reset at 100 if I let my mind wander at all. I did manage to count my steps over distance on a rail trail with kilometer markers one time (about 1,400 per kilometer, in case you wondered - my stride is short, choppy and awkward), but it took an immense effort. The background-noise counting endlessly from 1 to 100 is so effortless I seldom notice myself starting it at all.
 |
| Seriously. |
While it's not purposeful, that's not to say it's completely without purpose: over the years I've actually discovered that it's a pretty solid barometer of how I'm feeling on that particular run.
 |
| Especially when doing something weird, like running around 1 city block in extreme cold and blowing snow. |
While I say I count from 1 to 100, sometimes it's actually the opposite - counting down from 99 to 1, then starting over again. I never make a conscious choice as to whether or not I'm going to count up or down; the difference maker is my mindset in the moment.
 |
| Stay with me here.. |
If I'm counting up from 1 to 100, I'm generally feeling pretty good about the run.
If I'm counting down from 99 to 1 - or worse, sometimes it's just from 20 to 1 over and over - I'm having an awful time and can't wait to be done.
 |
| Like maybe I'm being whipped in the face and blinded by snow driven by 63kph/39mph wind gusts. |
It can actually surprise me to find that my brain is doing the opposite of what I'd expect. If I'm having a lousy day and generally feeling crotchety or depressed, I'll sometimes find myself counting up...which tells me that while I might be hating life, I'm not actually hating that run. I expected that last night's outing at -20c/-4f with -30c/-22f windchill would have had me counting down, just trying to get my sore, tired legs to crack out a minimum-time-and-distance slog to qualify for the 100 runs in 100 days challenge. Imagine my shock to find myself ambling along quite happily, with my internal counter ticking ever upward.
 |
| I ended up even frostier than I did the day before in sunlight at -18c, but was happier doing it. |
Another nuance that tells me how well or poorly I'm doing is how many steps my mind chooses to let pass for each increment. Generally the better I feel, the lesser the frequency of the count - I'll only count every 4th, or even 8th footfall.
If I notice I'm counting down by 1 every time my left (or right - I don't necessarily seem to have a preferred foot as a trigger) foot hits the ground, it's generally a very poor outing indeed.
 |
| Sometimes all the sunshine in the world won't help. |
So that's my weird little habit. I've heard vague tales of other people counting to 100 repeatedly in their heads while training, so maybe it's not just me - are you a counter too? Or do you have some other strange/interesting habit while you train? Let me know in the comments; in a winter that's doing some very odd things (from hovering near -20c to a predicted high of 4c two days from now), let's celebrate our weird!
 |
| And make some snow angels before it all turns to slush! |
