This what I think when I run...

Click the lock shut. Bend and touch your toes. Straighten up. Walk out of the locker room, Bound up the first set of steps. At the second set, use the middle step to stretch your calves. Walk past the men's locker room and wonder why there is a sign telling them to wear at least a towel while the women's locker room has no such sign. Say hello to the attendant. Scan the gym. Climb the stairs. And stretch. And Stretch.

Start around the track, Clockwise on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Walk briskly. Feel the cold air coming in the windows. Breathe. Count off five minutes. It is faster than you can imagine.

Start to run. Feel strong. Think about your posture. Don't spill the water from the bowl of your pelvis. Keep your feet straight. Arms loose. Shoulders loose. Head up. Think about where you foot hits the track. Smell the gym smell. Count the laps on your fingers. 11 times is a mile. Do you count the lap as you do it? Or when you finish? Why did they change the radio station? The other one was better. Why don't you have an ipod? Wonder if birds ever fly in the windows. Is that bird poop on the blue rubber of the track, or is a drop of white paint?

Should you be breathing that fast? Running that fast? How many laps was that? This song is okay. Maybe this station won't be so bad. You can look at your watch after four songs. Or after 15 laps. How do you count again? Look at the track. No, keep your head up, Look at the brick wall. Don't look at that clock. Think about work. Think about work some more. Some more. See? You ran a lot while you thought about work. But how many laps was that? If you just think about work, you won't get tired. You can't think of anything to think about. How can this song still be on. Don't look at your watch. Don't look. Don't look.

Think about the kids. When will that rash go away? What will you feed them for dinner tonight? Your hip hurts. You should have stretched more. How many laps? How many fingers? Try to do the math. If 11 laps is a mile and 16 and three quarters laps is 1.5 miles, how many miles is 25 laps? But if you run faster than a lap a minute, which you do now, you will run more than 25 laps in 25 minutes. And you want to run 2 and a half miles in 25 minutes today. Wait. How fast do you have to run each lap if train A leaves the station on time?

Why did you look at your watch?

Just sing along with the song. Sing. Sing. Sing. Your voice in your head is a really good singer. Sing. Sing. Sing.

It is over! Now you can walk! Walking feels so good. And that was easy. You could have run for many many more minutes. Oh shit. This is why you should start your run on a time ending in five or zero. You should have been running until 12:28 not 12:26.

So add an extra minute. Sprint. Sprint. Sprint. You are fast fast fast. You think about work again. If you can run this fast now, you were not working hard enough before. Run fast fast fast. Make sure the time is up before you stop. There. And walk.