The Top Ten Things I Say to Myself While Running

I seem to be constantly talking to myself while I'm running. There are however ten phrases that seem to be said more than others and I put them in order of their frequency. Am I the only one who talks to themselves during exercise or running? What types of things do you find yourself saying to, well, yourself?

10. "Dangit! Blinded by salt filled sweat again. Where's my rag?" - There are often times that I run with my eyes closed because of the acid that drips down from my forehead. People who pass by must think I'm nuts!

9. "Please wind, don't blow directly in my face at 126 mph." - Sometimes it seems like the wind blows directly in my face no matter which direction I go. Can the wind purposely be picking on me?

8. "Man it's hot out." - Luckily it's getting to the point now that it feels pretty good if I run early in the morning or early in the evening. But for the past 4 months there was NO WAY I was going to run after 7am or before 7 pm.

7. "This song stinks. Next!" - I generally listen to the same couple of playlists depending on my mood. It's either a hip-hop playlist or a mellow folk playlist. Somehow though a song always sneaks in there that I'd rather not listen to.

6. "There's no way it's only been 10 minutes!" - This is definitely one of the worst feelings. Sometimes I'll run for what feels like at least half an hour only to look down and see that it's been a mere ten minutes. Keep in mind though, 10 weeks ago I was praying for just 2 minutes to pass...

5. "Dear Lord, please help me up this hill." - This is another one of those things where it seems no matter which direction I'm going I'm always running uphill. The worst is when I try to pick up my pace a little bit and then all of the sudden I get to Mt. Kilimanjaro with dead legs. It's a good thing that God is willing to drag me up most of those hills.

4. "You really need to take a deep breath." - If I don't pay attention to my breathing I'll start taking really short and shallow breaths. If I do that for too long then I start to get the old cO2 headaches. I often have to remind myself to take some good deep breaths. It also seems to restore some energy in my legs.

3. "How in the world do my legs hurt already?" - There are some days that I am just sure that I should not be running. These days usually happen when I immediately start to hobble or limp at the beginning of my run due to some leg pain anywhere from my toes to my hips. Don't get me wrong, I always run through it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't stink.

2. "Seriously, it would probably be better if you just stopped." - I probably say this to myself at least five times during my thirty minute runs. When I tell people that I am literally trying to talk myself out of running the ENTIRE time I'm running, I mean it. There are times when I swear to myself that I will pass out, but then a little voice always comes into my head when that happens. The voice says, "Well then I guess you're just going to have to pass out cause you're not stopping". Splendid.

1. "There's no way I'm stopping. I've put in too much work up to this point." - For every time that I repeat number 2 in my head, number one comes quickly afterward. I just know that I have gone through to much pain, sweat and tears in order to sell myself short now and just throw in the towel. For me, failure is not an option. Failure will literally make me sick. To avoid failure, I run. I run until I reach my goal, no matter how high it's set.

I'd love to hear the things that run through your mind during exercise or running. Just try to keep them clean :)