Today I hit an entirely new level of running crazy. We’re not talking speed, distance or course, but rather my actions while out and about.

Today when my phone rang about half way through a run I proceeded to answer it and then kept running, all while holding a normal conversation .

Crazy, I’m telling you. It’s not normal to walk past someone having one of those bluetooth conversations, let alone while running down a trail with plenty of other people out and about.

I hadn’t historically even carried a phone with me while running, until this little incident, but now it’s my new safety line. Typically, I would just ignore calls and texts while out on a run, but thanks to those handy little iPhone headphones, I no longer have to fret about that.

Handy little chatting devices, thanks Apple.

Running with a friend is the ultimate surefire way to improve your pace. If you can learn to keep a good pace while holding a conversation, just imagine how you’ll feel out on your own or on race day with adrenaline pumping. I’ve spent the last year and a half running with a dear friend who is quite the chatty Kathy Katie, and I absolutely love her for it. Thanks to our running conversations, I took off almost two minutes per mile in a year of half-marathoning.

My running buddy recently started a new job that is slightly further away from our former mutual office, meaning I’m running solo a lot these days. So a phone call seemed like a perfect way to mix both worlds, even if it was a the cost of my looking slightly nuts while talking away to thin air and barely catching my breath.

At least I’m not quite this girl, but oh don’t you worry, this reality is only about half a mile away if this running solo thing keeps up. I have been known to follow the instructions in the lyrics of “Spice Up Your Life” whenever that comes on my iPod, so I make no promises for what’s next in the world of crazy running.

How do you keep yourself motivated and entertained during solo workouts? Am I alone on this one?