Music In My Ears

The soundtrack of my early morning treadmill runs is the morning TV news. CBS Channel 3, to be more specific. I love cranky, smirky, slightly smarmy Rob Starbuck. Co-anchor Charlotte Deleste is growing on me, but I miss cheerful, yet take-no-shit Susan Siman foiling Rob's curmudgeon-ness. I also like Haddie MacClain because I think she seems like someone's sister who always remembers to bring a casserole when something bad happens.

The soundtrack of my long outdoor runs is much simpler. It's the pounding of my own feet, the rhythm of my own breath and some combination of wind, birds and passing cars, depending on the season, time of day and weather.

Until this past Saturday, that is. 

Yes, I finally caught up to 2002 and tried an iPod.  

Now, in full disclosure, I'm not a connoisseur of music in the first place. I do listen to the radio, but it's almost always NPR or Bob and Tom on my 15 minute commute. It's hardly ever music. I don't like the repeat of the same songs in the same way I don't like to read a book more than once or watch a movie for a second time. And I really just don't like much of what's playing on the airwaves. Most of it annoys me. I'm not sure if I'm fussy, uneducated or both, but much of it just doesn't hold my interest. 

In addition, while I had a Walkman once upon a time, I have never liked having noise/music pumping directly into my head. It makes me feel claustrophobic somehow and I've always figured there's so many voices and conversations going on inside my brain, I don't have room for one more. 

It occurred to me, however, that I might need some distraction during 13 miles. I might need a voice inside my head OTHER than the one that will be saying, "Your knees hurt! You are tired! This is too far! Are you nuts? You can walk at any time... no one will come arrest you. Do it. Just stop."

Hence the iPod Shuffle. And Saturday was try-out day.

I waited to plug in until I was off the roads where cars whiz by at 55 mph, in the spirit of safety. And I waited until I was on mile 7 of a 10 mile run ... right where I thought I'd need a little, ah ... inspiration. 

And it worked. 

When Journey's a capella ending to "Feelin' that way ..." faded out into Ozzy's "All Aboard ... hahaha!" of Crazy Train instead of the traditional "Ooooooh oooh" lead-in of Anytime, I had to laugh out loud. When Billy Squier started in with the familiar strains of "The Stroke," I picked up my pace to match the tempo. And when LMFAO chimed in with "Girl look at that body," I responded out loud with, "I work out!" and groovy arm/hand motions.

Thusly, I spent last night loading more music into that little bugger. I actually don't plan to use it again, however, until race day. The surprise of what will show up and in what order is half of the fun. Maybe I'll get so invigorated, I'll blow past 13 and finish the whole 26.

Or not.

I'm sexy and I know it.