I once met a Russian at the Mission Peak summit named Vladimir who informed me without an extra breath that he’d climbed to the top in 49 minutes. My time was an hour and 20. Guy had serious legs. And lungs. Guys like him defeated Hitler. So ol’ Vlad was an insufferable blowhard on the walk back down but he did say something that stuck with me: On the way up he thought of nothing but the walk. An item over at Sports Geezer links to a Washington Post story that echoes Vlad’s point: Serious athletes need to tune out all distraction and focus on what their bodies are up to. That means no video, no iPod, no gawking at the hot babe three ellipticals over. It’s all about achieving “flow.”

For instance, visitors to the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, in Stockbridge, Mass., are encouraged to leave the headphones behind. Jennifer Young, director of healthy living programs, said she wants to keep visitors’ mind-body connections strong.

Hikers at Kripalu are coached to “scan” their bodies by concentrating sequentially on their ankles, hips, shoulders and so on. Even during weightlifting _ an activity linked more to Metallica then meditation _ people are asked to visualize what their muscles are doing, or to focus on their breathing.

Or you could declare yourself a non-serious athlete and enjoy your workout. We’re all about the choice around here.