Today I'm going to talk to you about my "preciiiooouuussss" (read in creepy gollum voice). It's my sexy little yellow Ipod Nano 5th generation. It is such an amazing little device. Billy bought me the 16GB one (it also comes with 8GB for about $30 less), which is enough to hold every single song I have in itunes with some more room to spare. It also records video - how cool is that? VERY cool.
So why I am rambling on about this to you? To make you absolutely envious? Because I get royalties from Apple to plug their products? Hardly! Because I asked for said gadget (with accompanying sexy Nike headphones and neoprene armband) specifically for this marathon training experiment that I have embarked upon.
Now first you should know a little something about me: I am a no-frills runner. Some flashy shoes in high school was about as trendy as I ever got. It always seemed silly to wear fancy gear and have electronics strapped to your head because to me the beauty of running is the simplicity of it: you don't need any equipment besides some good shoes, your legs, and the ground beneath your feet. No rackets, clubs, balls, goggles, pads...you get the picture. I always secretly mocked those Under Armour bedecked people I'd see running along the side of the road with their ipods and fanny packs. "Unplug yourselves!" I'd say to them from out of earshot in my car, "For crying out loud, enjoy the day! Why do these people think they need to be plugged into something electronic all the time?" I'd lament to anyone lucky enough to be passenging with me at the time.
And then I started thinking: sometimes running just sucks. It doesn't suck on beautiful mornings when I'm running with my dogs and we're out for a leisurly 30 minute jaunt and are free to chase the frogs and crabs on the beach and pick up seashells. But running does suck on a track - circle after monotonous, painful circle; or while doing agonizing hill repeats; or if circumstances call (God forbid) for you to run on a treadmill (we'll talk about treadmills later. I'm convinced that's where runners' dreams go to die).
The last time I was subject to such soul-crushing workouts, I was on Concordia's Cross-Country team, and before that in high school. Being on a team running up a grueling hill is MUCH better than doing it by yourself. There's camaraderie and support and motivation. I am not going to kid myself into thinking I am motivated enough to endure the most craptastic of workouts without some sort of help. And that's where my precious comes in. To keep my mind distracted enough during to finish my workout on the days when running just sucks.
I even have "Ashleigh's Ultimate, Definitive, Most BAD-ASS Running Mix" saved and it's come in handy so far while I put in laps on the track at Camp Smith. Would you like to know what this lady listens to while she's plugged in? Stay tuned...
Somewhere in the mix must be a rocking version of Margaritaville!!!
ReplyDeleteI often think fondly back to the days when I was living in Lake Norden & could hop on my bike & ride down dirt roads & just enjoy the outdoors. No headphones or "frills" of any kind, not even a very good bike or shoes, actually. It was exercise that I enjoyed. Don't get much of that these days-it gets so damn hot & humid here & I agree that treadmills are depressing. But I'm going to stick with the exercising thing if it kills me this time! Can't wait to hear your music suggestions. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank goodness you made your comment about treadmills, because I seriously thought I was going crazy. Three miles on a treadmill is my own personal version of hell, and I think it may be the reason I've avoided running for so long. Brian bought me a treadmill two years ago (obviously I asked for it LOL) and I thought it would improve my outlook on running. It actually did the opposite, because it made me dread staring at my washing machine for 30 minutes a day. On the other hand, walking and jogging with the dogs for two miles every morning always goes by in a blink, leaving me to wonder if it really was the monotony of the treadmill killing my desire to exercise.
ReplyDeleteIn short, you confirmed my suspicions. Thank you darling! I would love to read about what your "ideal" running conditions are in terms of terrain, weather and sightseeing. I always see happy shiny people jogging through the posh boutique neighborhoods in San Francisco, and I wonder if running near cute clothes might help motivate a girl to get skinnier ;) Love you!