I LOVE pretending I'm someone (or somewhere) else when I run outside.

I've been really into the Women's World Cup soccer tournament. Today as I was running I imagined I was a fit, toned, elite female soccer player jogging lightly onto the field in Germany as my ponytail was bouncing in the wind.

Sometimes I pretend I'm a model or someone whose gorgeous and in shape. Like the Allstate commercial where the guy is jogging and says "I'm out making sure that this stays a 10." I imagine that I'm working out to "stay a 10" rather than lose weight.

Sometimes I'm barefoot and jogging on the beach with a hot guy next to me, on vacation in the Caribbean. In this fantasy I tell myself I can jump in the water when I'm done.

Also depending on what action movies I've seen lately, I imagine I'm the @ss-kicking chick as I run (ie Trinity from the Matrix).

I think it just helps to imagine myself as being thin and fit while I'm running, rather than feeling like a fat girl trying to catch her breath.

Ha! I run on the treadmill, but I do this too. The other day (in my mind), I rode to the beach with the window down and wind flying through my hair. Then when we got to the beach, we started playing volleyball. I looked so good and was doing so well a crowd formed around us to cheer me on! Some of my old boyfriends/worthless guys were in the crowd looking on wishing they still had me. LOL. I got so into it my run seemed to fly by.

I love doing this while I run. But lately I seem to be out of ideas.

I play mind games all the time, otherwise I would be bored to tears...

I think this is a great idea! Will have to try it next time I run.

I LOVE the idea of playing mind games with myself - I am just starting to exercise and really don't care so much for it - lots of negative thoughts as I am doing it. Perhaps this fantasizing will help... Thanks for the idea!

I do this all the time!! When I'm walking I pump a stream of serious rock tunes into my brain, and I find that I will be imagining myself as an amazing rock chick, hitting every note!! And when I do the more intense stuff (running, etc) I seem to always pretend that I'm a serious athlete-I also like the soccer reference. I'm chasing that ball down, bending it like Beckham, and slam!! GOAL!! Love it, it keeps me going :-)

Ha Ha! I totally do this! Sometimes I'm a cheetah running through the jungle chasing my prey...

I also pretend I am the kick a** girl and I am saving someone or something!

It can be dangerous-I do it while I run outside and sometimes I look up and realize I don't remember running. It totally makes the run go by fast! And it encourages me.

I mentioned at dinner last night that I was pretending to be a soccer player while running and my family said I was nuts. Glad I'm not the only one!!

OMG you guys crack me up. I find this so weird - I've never done anything even close to this. And I hate running - maybe that's my problem! Tomorrow is a run day, I'll have to start working on my fantasy tonight!

I love daydreaming things like that Or maybe not someone else, but I like imagining I'm already at or near goal, and I'm sweating up a storm while being fit and thinner, and enjoying my time on the treadmill.

Guess we aren't so weird!

I do this too, but in a different weird way. I pretend the grim reaper is behind me chasing me and that I can't give up running until I meet the goal I had set for the day or he will "get me".

That may sound odd, but it's kind of true in a milder way. If we don't move our bodies, we will meet an earlier demise. So far, it's worked for me. When it doesn't, I will think up some other way to play mind games. LOL

OMG I thought I was the only one who did this !!!

While running I often imagine being a tough action movie hero like Angelina Jolie (as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider), or Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil or similar. It's amazing how that little diversion helps take my mind off the discomfort/boredom of my run. It's also fun to pretend I'm at a rave.

On yesterday's run I pretended I had ripped abs and I had a fan crowd following me telling me how great I looked... LOL!!!

Are you kidding? I do this all the time. My mom's gone now but I imagine in my head that she's running with me and we're having a great conversation. Or I'll imagine that George Clooney (my secret celeb-crush) is running with me on the beach, lol. If I didn't visualize something or someone, I'd never get my butt in gear.

A friend of mine drums, and on the treadmill, he'll be airdrumming to what he's listening to. I've so picked up that habit.


When I swim, I do the calculations in my head of how far I've gone, how many lengths to go to get to xx distance, what speed I'm going depending on lengths per minute/hour. It's kinda geeky, but it really distracts me.