Odd Music, Odd Run

Hey all,
 Back after a week of training and traveling. Tried to get in a decent run last night as I missed my long run due to travels on Sunday and had a pretty goofy 7-miler. I started out strong, actually having to slow myself down as every time I looked down at my watch, I saw a pace that was roughly a minute to 1:30 faster than I wanted to be going. Foolishly, I thought to myself, "wow, I'm so athletic that I can run this fast pace and it feels normal!".

Wrong.

After about 2 or 3 miles, my aggressive pace gave way to me feeling like general crap ( did I mention I was operating on 3 hours of sleep?) Ugh. Not what I was hoping for. Making matters worse, I was running "down and back", so even if I stopped, I would still have the "back" leg of my run left.

I simply took my time, made sure to drink my fluids (Nuun - cola flavor was my choice yesterday, not bad) and focus on finding some good music.

"We dance to all the wrong songs"

There were two songs that stuck out in my run that really helped propel me towards finishing, and they are very different.

First, helping me find a groove was Air's "New Star in the Sky" off of their Moon Safari album. Sort of slow, ambient music - not the typical running jam. It just sounded right at the time though.

Then, as I was finishing the run and looking to end on a high note, The Refused's "New Noise" came on. This song holds a special place in my heart given that it was a song I used to play with my band in college. It was exactly what I needed to kick it in gear.

Should be a busy next two weeks, but hopefully I can get as many runs in as possible. No use getting worked up over missed runs - we can only do our best, and sometimes that's suboptimal. And that's ok.

Drive slow.

Longer Runs, Better Music

 Back after a blogging break! Things have been a bit hectic with work, school, and getting prepared to make a local move to a new place. That hasn't stopped me from training hard for NYC!

The miles are starting to get longer, and in turn, the runs are becoming more challenging and stressful on my body. As noted before, it's important to work gradually up to longer distances - or else you may end up injuring yourself.

I had a 10 mile run last week and followed that with a taper run this past Sunday of 8 miles. The 8 felt easy, so it seems I'm on track. This coming Sunday will be a 12 miler, so we'll see how fit I really am!

During my tempo run last week, I was thinking about what music goes best with pushing yourself. Typical upbeat rock and whatnot is generally a safe bet, but a song came on my iPod that seemed to work for me that was a bit unexpected. It was "Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups. I think it helped me zone out a bit and just focus on pushing my legs to go faster.

Next time you're working out, experiment with your music selection - try not using music at all too. Find what works best for you.

Drive slow