What you think about can affect your pace. #runchat

So here's a funny (interesting?) running story:

According to my training plan for the Grand Rapids Marathon Relay, I was up for four miles last night. This is a distance that isn't typically a big deal for me these days, so I like to push my pace on a route that feels comfortable (and easy). I also work to keep it constant from start to finish. But, so take a look at this:

Mile three, right? What the?!

Back story: We're rolling out PiYo Live at the gym this week and I decided to jam out to the music while I was running. Halfway through my first mile, I found myself going through the choreography in my head. And, man...was I nailing it! Which, consequently, made me run a little faster. #confidencebooster

I bet you can guess where this is going: Yes, I totally lost track of the choreography somewhere in my third mile. It threw me off. Big time. Thing is, I totally didn't even notice myself slowing down!

But I did get pretty down on myself for not getting the right counts, and I started playing with my iPhone, repeating the music and whatnot to get it right. All while running.

And then I figured out where I messed up.
And apparently that made me run faster.

Just goes to show that what you think about while you're running can affect your pace.
Here's how I finished my run:

And here's a few ways you can control your thoughts while you run:

1) Be aware of negative thoughts. Clearly they slow you down—in all aspects of your life, not just while you're running.

2) Plan ahead. If you know there's something you need to ponder, save it for while you're running in an effort to fight the boredom (which might set your feet free).

3) Tune into someone else's thoughts: I recently started listening to podcasts, which makes it feel like I'm running with a friend.

4) Make sure your playlist is jamming (if you run with music). Boring music or music that's just too slow will, obviously, kill your motivation and your speed.

5) Run free. This might seem like a contradiction to the whole "plan ahead" concept, but sometimes you just have to let go of everything and run. Sometimes you have to make a conscious effort to set your feet free, and concentrating on one foot in front of the other can block out all of the thoughts that might be distracting you.

Question: What do you do with your brain while you run?