I have been running mid distances for 3 years ( 3 miles ) almost every day.
I wonder what other peoples thought process are when running - given that running is a very difficult task to keep doing - especialy when you are almost 50 yrs old and have not run recently. I am looking for things that have worked for anyone - strategies that help keep you going and going.

Basically :

* I find that every run is different - different weather - thoughts in the head - breathing issues, etc .

* I prefer to run NOT under the influence of adderall because I have discovered that is is better to run with a chaotic mind. Therefore when I think a thought like "I want to walk now" when running I forget about it 2 seconds later and I am on to another thought.

*Why run ? : The root of my running is an outlet for frustration - this motivates me - then I think of peolpe who have made me feel stupid I run to get back at them....

* When you run it is important to focus on " I am doing this for myself - not for any other reason - you must own the experience.

* Some people run with a walk man type thing - this may help - I have never tried it. Does this help. I was thinking that playing a latin song real loud
over and over might work. Then those thoughts that say "I want to walk" may not invade the mind.

I ran regularly in the early eighties and had no trouble keeping going. I was entertained by the sheer magnitude of the stimulation I'd guess. I kept running when I shouldn't have though and ended up with some serious shin splints from goofy feet that had me over pronating badly.

After that injury, I got myself a road bike. I'd be tempted to head in the other direction if I was losing interest in my runs. I might try a more meditative state of mind. Just a thought. Have you scouted google on this?
ian

I used to run quite a bit from the 70s to early 90s. I did not like running with a walkman. I liked to concentrate on how I was feeling. Exercise helped a bunch with my ADD I am sure. I was undiagnosed at the time and did not know I had it. For me it was when I did my best thinking. I ride a rode bike now. I still think and it releives stress.

I wish I could give you some advice. I enjoyed running and developed ways to motivate myself. I had courses I ran regularly and kept track of my best times. I liked doing loops instead of out and back. It made the courses less boring.

I can relate well to this. What I do is use some type of goal to help motivate me. I love goals! Example: I'm doing this because I want to achieve this distance, etc..
You have plenty of running experience. So, in a short time your brain will recall it's intensity factors that were mutured through both, time, and experience. Then the fire returns! You can do it! Good Luck!

I miss running like I miss a best friend. I long to run through the woods on a foggy July morning again. So bad. I can't stand treadmills. And it's very cold and icy outside. Running around in circles on an indoor track is about as exciting as running on a treadmill. What should I do? There's no snow yet so I can't pick up cross country skiing.

I just love the way the ground feels as it passes so swifty under my feet. The way the moist air of the morning fills my lungs. The cool droplets of fog as they caress my face. The sound of the birds chirping a warning of my presence. The stream trickling a path toward the roaring river. As I race back toward the break of day when the sun ever so slowly rises and burns off the fog as it beams through the forest glistening the dew off the leaves. Sprinting toward the light the beams slowly disolve my tunnel. I pump my arms harder and harder to see the orange globe break from the horizon illuminating the entire valley with blazing orange beams of sunlight.

The contact with the environment is superb. I ran today and the fresh snow made a soft surface. I've run through winters here before but not for many years. I'll be trying to run through the winter this year.

I live in the country so I don't have traffic to compete with. The gravel roads around here make good winter surfaces for running. I would ski too but there is nobody else here that skis. I'll try and get my daughter involved this year.

We skated this weekend. Sunday I wore the skin off my right inside ankle chasing my 15 year old! What fun. I love winter.
Cheers! Ian.

Running is addictive and compulsive. The more days together i put in a row the more I feel compelled to get out and run every day. Just like any addiction you dont have to find reasons for doing it. I run because that was the only times I felt whole, worthy and secure, a part of the world in which I lived.

I can't stand listening to headphones while running. That is a diversion from the experience of running. Basically, the neurochemicals that seem to fix my brain temporarily are enough motivation for me to continue running.

Running has saved my life. I'm an over-focuser ADD, and so I automatically have co-morbid perfectionism, ocd, social phobia. These things put me on the brink of death when I was 19. Running, allong with my spirituality, literally brought me back out of the gates of hell. Since I was undiagnosed, running was all I had. I was able to start school and graduate with a double degree in Chemistry and Mathematics (I was able to put my over-focus to good use).

About 5 years ago I hurt my knee and had to cut way back on running. My ADD symptoms started coming back with a force. My life started falling apart. I still didn't know I had ADD, or why running seemed to help my symptoms. It was only about 6 months ago that I pinpointed the cause, over-focus ADD. Now, I'm trying to rebuild my life. Fortunately, I can still run 3 times a week.

My addiction is just kicking into high gear. Yesterday I probably should not have run but I did because I couldn't help myself. I got away with it by making sure I was not going anaerobic at all. The talk test is a wonderful thing!

Obviously you have much more experience than I do with this stuff. I'm glad you have found your groove at three days a week.

We seem to have a number of things in common. I too have been saved by the same things you describe. I'm now taking my exercise and spiritual needs much more seriously. I don't know if I'm an over focused type but I expect it might be an obvious explanation.

There is an ongoing thread in this section that I'd love to have you participating in if that's going to help you. I have things to learn from you.
Cheers! Ian

I don't see anything wrong with being addicted to running unless you don't have anywhere to run like me. I guess I could run back and forth from one end of my house to the other. If I bounce my legs up and down and swing my arms really fast it's kind of like I'm running. Right now I'm feeling like a caged animal. I'm losing my shape. I did have a wonderful day a few weeks ago. It hit 50 degrees and I took off like a rocket and ran for 2 hours. It was free-kin awesome because the sun was beaming down and I was actually hot in the middle of december. I ran past the slopes and people were skiing. I wish I could afford a gym membership.

What's wrong with outside? Or are the streets no place to be? Or is it the cold?

A two hour jaunt sounds rich. I will get there eventually but it's going to take some time. I'm slowing down more each time out as I try and hit my target heart rate. It's tough to back off though. I was running very quickly when I started but am slowly learning to work on my aerobic base.

It's painfully slow! eheh
Hope you get another break in the temperature soon janesays.
Ian