What are some things that you practice while running which help you get your mind off running?

In philosophy class we are studying the mind, and one of the things we've made a distinction between is something that you can do while paying attention to it and something that you can do while not paying attention to it. What are some thing that help you run without paying attention to running (which for me would make my run a lot more pleasant). I used to smack the floor with my heel and now I run on the balls of my feet, which I hope will soon become natural to me and let me go for those long thousand mile runs and actually enjoy the scenery (I currently suffer through a one mile run, although I am athletic). I think that most of the mental suffering is coming from the fact that I am paying attention to my body while I am running. What are some thing that you do which help you get your mind off your body and also are good for your form (like running on the balls of your feet)?