JAMES � ( Sit Down Lyrics )
I know that runners are not supposed to listen to music while running. You are supposed to be able to hear cars and bikes passing you, you are supposed to regulate your breathing and you are supposed to enjoy the silence. I know all of this and I try to mitigate the risks, but I still love the music. I run on a trail, so I don’t really have to worry about cars. I also use headphones that let in a lot of sound (which of course means I have to have regular headphones and running headphones). I keep the volume pretty low; to start with at least. And I don’t listen to music at all when I am traveling and have to run along a street in a different town. But I refuse to give up my music.
My music is my running partner. It helps me keep my mind off the boredom. It distracts me from my fatigue. Most importantly there is no gel, energy bar or sports drink that can give you the boost that a perfectly timed peppy song can.
On Sunday, I ran my first long run since coming back from my stress fracture. I started really early in the day, so the weather was perfect. I had planned to run only 8 miles but everything was going well, and I was so happy to be able to do the sport that I love that I continued on a little further before my turn around point. When I finally started to tire and bore during my return trip James’ Sit Down came on and it was all I could do not to sing aloud:
Those who feel the breath of sadness
Sit down next to me
Those who find they’re touched by madness
Sit down next to me
Those who find themselves ridiculous
Sit down next to me
Love, in fear, in hate, in tears
Today’s Mileage: 9.4 Week to date: 23 Month to date: 32
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
I Want to Run
I want run
I want to hide
I want to tear down these walls that hold us inside
-Where the Streets have No Name, U2
I got into running kind of late in life. Oh sure, I ran as a kid and even a bit in college, but it was more of a distraction than a hobby. But recently I have attacked running with gusto and it became a very important part of me. I ran in local races to give myself goals and to keep me motivated. Eventually, I decided to take on the ultimate goal: to run a marathon.
I attacked this goal with a little too much gusto. I downloaded a training schedule and stuck to it religiously. But the early mileage was less than my base and I felt it needed to be more challenging. So if my training schedule told me to run three miles, I thought, “Sure, I’ll do three, but I’ll do them on hills.” And so every time I had a low mileage run, I would do it on hilly terrain. While this concept might be sound for many runners…it is not recommended for those carrying around a few extra pounds. As you may have guessed, I injured myself and I was out of the Chicago Marathon with a stress fracture.
While this may sound like the end of a challenge, it was actually the beginning of my biggest challenge: surviving the next 9 weeks without running. I tried swimming and biking, and enjoyed them, but not as much as running. With running if you felt like a quick workout, you just left your house and came back 30 minuets later after running 4 miles. With biking or swimming there seemed like much more preparation, and to get a similar amount of exercise; it felt like it took longer. Traveling also had its problems. With running, just pack your shoes. Swimming or biking on the road often meant hoping a hotel had a pool where you had to do twice as many laps or worse: riding on a stationary bike.
Now that I can run again, I appreciate it more. I am having even a harder time pacing my come back. I want to put in that frequent high mileage right away. I will try to avoid hills in the beginning, and then when I introduce them, I will do so in moderation. But I missed it so much that I want to get back that lost time.
I will remember for a long time that first day back after my injury when I started very slowly to test my leg. I was not even paying attention to the music in my MP3 player; I didn’t even know I had turned it on because it started so soft. And then all at once I recognized a familiar guitar riff, then the words broke out, “I want to run…”
I want to hide
I want to tear down these walls that hold us inside
-Where the Streets have No Name, U2
I got into running kind of late in life. Oh sure, I ran as a kid and even a bit in college, but it was more of a distraction than a hobby. But recently I have attacked running with gusto and it became a very important part of me. I ran in local races to give myself goals and to keep me motivated. Eventually, I decided to take on the ultimate goal: to run a marathon.
I attacked this goal with a little too much gusto. I downloaded a training schedule and stuck to it religiously. But the early mileage was less than my base and I felt it needed to be more challenging. So if my training schedule told me to run three miles, I thought, “Sure, I’ll do three, but I’ll do them on hills.” And so every time I had a low mileage run, I would do it on hilly terrain. While this concept might be sound for many runners…it is not recommended for those carrying around a few extra pounds. As you may have guessed, I injured myself and I was out of the Chicago Marathon with a stress fracture.
While this may sound like the end of a challenge, it was actually the beginning of my biggest challenge: surviving the next 9 weeks without running. I tried swimming and biking, and enjoyed them, but not as much as running. With running if you felt like a quick workout, you just left your house and came back 30 minuets later after running 4 miles. With biking or swimming there seemed like much more preparation, and to get a similar amount of exercise; it felt like it took longer. Traveling also had its problems. With running, just pack your shoes. Swimming or biking on the road often meant hoping a hotel had a pool where you had to do twice as many laps or worse: riding on a stationary bike.
Now that I can run again, I appreciate it more. I am having even a harder time pacing my come back. I want to put in that frequent high mileage right away. I will try to avoid hills in the beginning, and then when I introduce them, I will do so in moderation. But I missed it so much that I want to get back that lost time.
I will remember for a long time that first day back after my injury when I started very slowly to test my leg. I was not even paying attention to the music in my MP3 player; I didn’t even know I had turned it on because it started so soft. And then all at once I recognized a familiar guitar riff, then the words broke out, “I want to run…”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)