I will easily admit that sometimes when running, I get bored. The scenery is all too familiar. The play list on my iPod is stale. The thoughts about stopping the repetitive motion of my running legs is ever so prevalent in my mind. It is these times that I direct my mind towards my body, after all the health of my body is the reason I'm running, right?

First, I pay attention to my feet. I tend to put too much pressure on the insides of my feet (pronation), so I make sure that when my feet strike the ground I am putting pressure on the outside of each foot.

Then I make sure my feet, and my hands are relaxed. I had a running coach way back when tell me to keep them both relaxed.

Moving up my body, I make sure my torso is over my pelvis and that I am not leaning forward. I think of my pelvis driving me forward, instead of my leg - this makes my hamstrings and glutes kick in. Yay!!!!

Then I check in with my shoulders and think about relaxing my shoulder blades down my back. This helps keep my arm motion simple and aerodynamic.

Last, I make sure I am not tensing my jaw. Occasionally, I will do a raspberry with my lips to help remove tension from my clenched jaw.

This body scan keeps my mind occupied, and I forget that I was feeling bored. Instead, I easily focus on just feel how great it is to run.