a lot of steps to count
i count my footsteps while jogging. the more i try to stop myself, the more difficult it becomes to stop. my entire mind becomes absorbed with the impact of my feet against the pavement, and can focus on nothing else. also, i count in pairs of 7. it is destroying my ability to run. HELP!!!!!!!!
x8
x67
I do this with every step I take, especially on staircases. I count in multiples of 4. If stairs don’t fit the pattern I have to skip enough of them so they do.
It’s never affected my ability to walk/jog/run though, it’s so ingrained I hardly notice I’m counting.
Pairs of 7? Hmmmm…not sure that’s even mathematically possible.
I do the same thing, except I’m a rower and I count strokes. I come up with different combinations of numbers to get me 500 meters at a time (50 strokes). Things that work for me to stop counting include focusing on good form, looking at a far away object and pondering about it, or thinking about dinner and what I’m going to cook.
I know exactly what you’re dealing with too. It happens the worst for me during races.
I always run counting 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4. I find it helps me to ‘zone out’ a bit when I havve been running for a while and keeps me from stopping for a rest. Not too good an idea if your running beside a busy road though!
Get a pedometer. Then you can zone out and listen to music, while you have that counting the steps for you. If you finish and the steps aren’t divisible by 7, jog a few more steps!