Thoughts to contemplate on those long runs

skedaddle

skedaddle

Barefooters
Sep 3, 2011
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#1
Just thoughts to mull over on those long runs
Usual internet etiquette applies, no religion or politics but everything else goes.
I'll kick it off

"Nothing is external" Athenes theory of everything

"The universe may not be a spherical, it could be flat and thus infinite" Tests on the observable universe indicate that there is no curvature.

 
#2
"If oranges were blue, would they still be called oranges?" Basically, what came first: The color or the fruit?

"Should I trade in the Bonneville and get a KLR650? Or do I want an F 650 GS, instead?" Basically, self serving thoughts.

Outside of that, my thoughts are generally disorganized. It depends on what went on that particular day or if I have some issue I'm trying to sort out. I try not to get too deep...
 
#3
I'm training myself on my long runs to take in my surroundings (former addict to ipod running). I'm goign to call it mindfulness though, because it feels more new age. Mostly I just try to be happy with my mind going blank.
If I start to think too much about my own worries, I focus as hard as I can on, say, the color of the trees/flowers, the houses, the fields, the way the road winds around, whether that dog in the yard is going to chase me, praying that the car on its way doesn't kill me on purpose.......
 
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#4
The universe is both spherical and flat if you really think about it. Which obviously I have been on a great many long runs to contemplate that one.

Oranges are only called oranges in the US because they are more orange there. In Taiwan, oranges are more a yellow and green color when they are ripe, never the bright orange color in the States. Also, the color orange and the fruit orange have different names.

I usually study Chinese when I am running through the city. Once I get into the country and there are fewer signs, I start thinking about what happened yesterday and what I will be doing the rest of the day, week, month - basically planning my schedule. If I have everything planned, then I start thinking about random things.
 
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#5
As long as you all are looking for something to think about, I'm building smallish boats and kayaks on the side and I'm looking for a name for my potential company. So far my leading name is Barefoot Boats, but that feels kinda weak.
 
#6
Please explain the lack of curvature of the universe to me. I did my undergrad in physics and my GR class spent a lot of time working with the curvature of space. Granted, in the vastness of space between galaxies the curvature is basically nil. But that is also like saying that space is empty. On average there is 1/3 proton per cubic meter. Yes, so that means we have some serious expanses of space with just about nothing in them, but you can not generalize that to say all space is empty.

I really don't know what kind of things I think about. Just random stuff. For races I have my MP3 player, but I keep it at a reasonable volume so that I can hear people and things around me. I like to have background music in my life...hahaha.

Sometimes I think about my writing and new situations for my characters. Of course, I usually forget them by the time I get around to actually doing any writing. hahaha.

One thing that I have started to do on races...it's just kind of a fun thing...once I get to the halfway point of the race, I must maintain a net positive number of people passed. I figure that by the halway point the field has spread out pretty much according to time. So if someone passes me, that is a negative, if I pass someone that is a positive.

Sometimes I count my strides. Sometimes I count prime numbers. Sometimes I do my finances. Sometimes I am thinking about what I'm going to eat afterwards. And I am always enjoying the view. I definitely look around when I'm running.
 
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#7
4xharley said:
As long as you all are looking for something to think about, I'm building smallish boats and kayaks on the side and I'm looking for a name for my potential company. So far my leading name is Barefoot Boats, but that feels kinda weak.
Click to expand...

The problem is that name conjures up images of the Barefoot Sunsetter (Malibu) ski boats...howzabout Bared Sole Boats? Toe Boats?
 
#8
Barefoot Boat Builders...people love alliteration in a company name....makes it memorable.
 
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#9
devilnuts said:
Please explain the lack of curvature of the universe to me. I did my undergrad in physics and my GR class spent a lot of time working with the curvature of space. Granted, in the vastness of space between galaxies the curvature is basically nil. But that is also like saying that space is empty. On average there is 1/3 proton per cubic meter. Yes, so that means we have some serious expanses of space with just about nothing in them, but you can not generalize that to say all space is empty.
Click to expand...


The math used in my little example was simple, project a triangle onto a sphere and the angles will add up to more than 180 degrees, if the angles add up to 180 degrees then the object must be flat. The results came back that the observable universe is flat, and that's what caught my imagination so i thought i'd share it.
I'm not sure about if parts of space are empty or not, i read somewhere about negative energy filling the voids.
 
#10
It depends,when I'm on a really long run (4hours+) man oh man :Dsometimes I got whole movie scripts going onLOL!Just fantasizing and letting my mind wander off.On short runs,sometimes it seems as if I fell asleep after 10min. and woken up at the end of the run.I might go on about how I can change things in the world(believe me,there are a lot of things I'd like to change),wondering what it would be like to be a serial killer and just off-ing everybody who gets on my nerves;)(just wondering you guys!LOL)What car to buy next,as if I were going out for shoes.Meanwhile my dog is hunting so I have to keep an eye on him,then daydreaming continues.When I'm worried about anything,I'll keep going on 'bout it on my runs and let all possible scenarios pass by in my head,at least the ones I can think of,still upon arriving at my house I feel much better then before.Even without any answers...
It is the main reason why I don't like running with others,I feel they keep me from my time alone with my mind.6 Hour runs can seem short,1hour can seem very long,its just my mind playing trics with me...:barefoot:
 
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#11
4xharley said:
As long as you all are looking for something to think about, I'm building smallish boats and kayaks on the side and I'm looking for a name for my potential company. So far my leading name is Barefoot Boats, but that feels kinda weak.
Click to expand...

Weren't Vibram five fingers initially deck shoes that were adopted by the BF community? If so there is a nautical connection in minimalist running folklore.:)
Using running time to find solutions is something i can relate to, using the time of many runners to find solutions is such a neat idea.

Just of the top of my head how about Paddlepup Boats.
 
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#12
Sometimes I try to do simple math. For some reason this is really difficult when I am running. Here's one example that kept me occupied on a run awhile back. If I am running on a 1/4 mile track and I start my run on the starting line and run counter clockwise at 8 min. mile pace and my wife starts on the same line at the same time but is walking clockwise at 16 min. pace, at what point will we meet?
When I determine where that point would be, then my competitive nature kicks in. Now it becomes a race to see if I can get to that point before she does. Since the point is constantly changing with each crossing it becomes more interesting.
My wife bought me a MP3 player for my birthday. Today I was listening to an Audiobook about Lopez Lomong. I only use one ear bud so I can hear whats happening around me. People must have wondered when they passed me and I was laughing out loud or trying to hold back tears.
 
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#13
skedaddle said:
The math used in my little example was simple, project a triangle onto a sphere and the angles will add up to more than 180 degrees, if the angles add up to 180 degrees then the object must be flat. The results came back that the observable universe is flat, and that's what caught my imagination so i thought i'd share it.
I'm not sure about if parts of space are empty or not, i read somewhere about negative energy filling the voids.
Click to expand...

wow...
 
#14
I do a lot of that math calculations in my head as well, barefootn. I found that the most difficult part is setting up the numbers for what you want to solve. In your case, you want to know when your distance equals your wife's distance. Anyway, I did it real quick and it comes out to about 2/3 of a lap. So every 2/3 of a lap you should pass each other. This makes sense. On your third pass, you should have completed two laps and she should have completed one. Since you are running twice as fast as she is, then that would be the expected result. On my race Sunday, I was thinking that. The course was basically a big loop of about 3.8 miles. I kept trying to figure out based on my pace, what I expected the elite finishers times to be, our respective distances to the end, etc. to figure out if I was going to get passed by one. I am happy to say that only 1 passed me and it was just before the finish line. So my calculations were close that I was going to be right about to the end before I got passed. Like you, I was trying to get competitive and make it there before he passed me, but it didn't happen. I'm not fast enough...and I wasn't going to speed up to 6 min/mile pace with 3.5 miles to go just so he wouldn't pass me. hahaha.
 
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#15
Sometimes I have been thinking about something and really concentrating on my thoughts instead of the road and 10min later am surprised at where I am at and how far down the road I had run. Then it gives me a scare not realizing if any cars or people had passed me and how dangerous that actually is.
 
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#16
spoonerweb said:
Sometimes I have been thinking about something and really concentrating on my thoughts instead of the road and 10min later am surprised at where I am at and how far down the road I had run. Then it gives me a scare not realizing if any cars or people had passed me and how dangerous that actually is.
Click to expand...

I get that a lot, but try to do my thinking or run to music out on the trails, on the roads focus is essential, and always wear fluorescent kit.
Good point to bring up spoonerweb.
 
#17
spoonerweb said:
Sometimes I have been thinking about something and really concentrating on my thoughts instead of the road and 10min later am surprised at where I am at and how far down the road I had run. Then it gives me a scare not realizing if any cars or people had passed me and how dangerous that actually is.
Click to expand...

Been there, done that. Good thing the dog was with me because 5 minutes after I ran by my turn off he started nudging me to get my attention to inform me I missed my turn. It helps to run with a dog that knows my routes. ;)
 
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#18
What kind of dog is he, dutchie?
 
#20
Lomad said:
So...ummmm...not to be the IQ dropper, but i usually just think about what I'm going to eat when I finish my run. That and beer. Always, always, beer.
Click to expand...

Haha...I do that a lot. I seem to think about food waaaaaaay too much. The bad thing is, I'm not on a restrictive diet. I just want to eat all the time...hahaha.
 
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