Losing Track

I recently started running on Boston University’s indoor track on days that are too cold or wet to run outside, and while I will always prefer running outdoors, I am starting to develop a fondness for the track. However, I only realized this fondness once I found a way to overcome my initial frustration.
Ever since I trained for my first marathon last year, I’ve gotten fairly into calculating the distance I run. Treadmills obviously make this a no-brainer, and online mapping programs (like my beloved Map My Run) are also pretty straightforward. I assumed it would be just as simple on a track, where the “loop” provides a clear distance metric.


But on the relatively small track where 7 laps = 1 mile, I immediately found myself losing “track” (of course, pun intended), and within minutes my self-questioning of whether I was on my 2nd or 3rd lap compounded into uncertainty regarding whether I was on my 7th or 15th.

Feeling a bit frustrated with my apparent lack of preschool-level math skills, I decided I was better off disregarding distance altogether. To my pleasant surprise, I found myself able to completely relax and zone out—possibly more so than I have in a while: No pace-per-minute calculations, no street traffic to navigate, and best of all, no counting.

While I have no intentions of abandoning my distance tracking as a whole, I do think I’ll pursue a more Zen-like approach towards the track.