When I’m out running I often think about what other runners are thinking about. In What I talk about when I talk about running (WITAWITAR), here’s what Murakami says about what he thinks about:
On cold days I guess I think a little about how cold it is. And about the heat on hot days. When I’m sad I think a little about sadness. When I’m happy I think a little about happiness. As I mentioned before, random memories come to me too ... I just run. I run in a void. Or maybe I should put it the other way. I run in order to provide a void. But as you might expect, the occasional thought will slip into this void. People’s minds can’t be a complete blank. Human beings’ emotions are not strong or consistent enough to sustain a vacuum. What I mean is, the kinds of thoughts and ideas that invade my emotions as I run remain subordinate to that void. Lacking content, they are just random thoughts that gather around that central void.
I suppose my experiences are pretty similar to Murakami’s. I have tried meditation before, but never been able to consistently sustain it and get much benefit from it. Now that I’m running regularly, running is my meditation. It’s time to myself. I can let thoughts come and go. I can stew over ideas. I can dream of what my future might look like. The possibilities are endless.
A long time ago I used to listen to music while running. Occasionally I wear earphones and listen to a podcast. One podcast series I’ve been listening to while running recently that I’ve found supports this meditative experience is The end of the world (with Josh Clark). Josh goes pretty deep into theories for humans’ existence on Earth, life on other planets, and whether or not human life can be sustained into the future. Oddly enough, I find that simultaneously pondering our existence in the universe and pushing myself physically is really enjoyable!
Runners of Steem ... what do you think about while you’re running?
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I rarely listen to music at the moment, I prefer random thoughts, because like for you, running is my meditation.
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I actually spend a lot of time working out puzzles / problems that I'm stuck on -- sometimes they're related to my job, sometimes they're more related to some side-projects I'm working on, or even relationships.
I find that 'letting go' of where my thoughts go is a bit of a natural / organic method of passive problem solving. The brain'll work things out, whether or not I'm explicitly sitting down with the intent to solve an issue.
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I mostly listen to podcasts when I am running. It is a mix of technology, science and comedy. Some are quite thoughtful, but sometimes my mind drifts to other things. I value this listening time. I used to drive a lot more when I would get through a lot of podcasts.
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More running and less driving sounds like a great outcome!
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One of my favorite books about running is quite interestingly written
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