Tonight as I got ready for bed...at 10pm on a friday night...applied a cup full of bengay to my left leg... following an hour with the foam roller... took advil to ease the pain... layed out bengay patches to adhere pre-run... set my alarm for 5am (on saturday morning)...looked in the mirror and said I can do 22 miles....frankly I started to see their point.
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There is a debate in the running community over music – ipod or not to ipod. My brother is firmly in the not to ipod camp. He has been running since he was 8, maybe younger. He started to run pre-ipod, pre-mp3, pre-discman, pre-walkman….sorry bro, not meaning to make you look old, technology has just progressed quite a bit. When I first started to run, Travis encouraged me to train without music. His number one argument – you begin to depend on it. Kicking the dirt. It’s a valid point. Wait a second. Here’s mine – I’m running for multiple hours! I’ve earned the right to rock-a-beat.
Easy Run: This is typically used for my recovery run, or an early morning, girl-needs-to-clear-her-head run. Slow, easy, mellow. These are all tunes that put me in a happy place.
Pick up the Pace: This is my most used playlist. It’s happy and light, yet motivating. I use it to start out a long run, or to do my mid-week mileage.
Kick It: I go to this playlist when I need some extra motivation on an afternoon or evening run, or if I have to move my run indoors to a treadmill.
If I am in a store, driving my car, wherever and I hear any of these songs, I feel compelled to run. What music moves you? What's on your playlist?
- thanks to Richelle for asking what was on my playlist!
Saturday was a BIG day for me. Nineteen big ones were on my marathon training schedule. Longest mileage of my life. The legend that most first time marathoners hit their wall at 18 the first time through, was hanging heavily in my mind. At the same time, there were (and still are) fires in the Los Angeles area. I convinced myself that the air quality would be deemed too poor for such long mileage. However, as I made my way to training, I could clearly see blue skies. I arrived at my standard time, approximately 11 minutes late, and joined the group mid-stretch. I was just in time to hear that 19 miles was still up for the running. Oh….. Goody.
For the first 6 miles of my course, I looked, well sniffed, for any excuse to call it off. To my dismay, I mean, uh, excitement…. the park had the usual scent – cut grass, tilled dirt, fresh horse manure, and a slight whiff of skunk. Mmmm. Breathe that in deep. Not even a hint of smoke.
Take the labels off. 19 miles sounds long. But, it isn’t as scary when I think of it as – Hill Loop, Out and Back, Reverse Hill Loop, Water Stop and Back. If I take it in pieces, and take the label of “long” off, take the number off, it becomes attainable.
Mini-Goals are Less Scary. On our route there is a big hill. Bertha. The Beast. THE hill is a hefty and steep one. Early in my training my friend Lori told me to focus on the hydrants. There are fire hydrants, at a somewhat equal distance apart, all the way up the hill. I run to one, walk to the next, run to one, walk to the next. Focusing on mini-goals gets me to the top without injury, without feeling defeated, and without doubt.
Believe in yourself. Determination is a funny thing. It really moves you forward, but it also forces you to really believe in yourself. This week I did, and it made all the difference.
P.S. There is no such thing as too much bengay. And, never underestimate the power of ice.
