RUNNING WITH MUSIC : Excuses

Monday, March 19, 2012

Excuses

Yesterday my teammate and I ran the New Bedford half marathon in MA. We were using it as a "training run" in preparation for the Providence marathon in May. As we stood in line for the bathroom, we listened to a conversation between the two guys in front of us. One asked the other how what he was feeling about the race. His friend shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm not expecting much because I haven't really been training." Right. I've said that before. Forty five minutes later we were waiting in line again and we heard a woman tell her friend, "I'm really only doing this so I can complete the race trilogy and get the jacket they give out for completing all three." I was beginning to see the pattern at this point. I started thinking of all the things I've dished out to a friend or myself (or a stranger) prior to a race to avoid potential disappointment:
~ My kid was up all night.
~ I haven't broken my new shoes in yet.
~ I was sick last week and I'm not quite over it.
~ I haven't run in a while because I've been really busy.
At the end of the race, if I had run a personal record (PR), none of those things would be mentioned again. I would just go home tired and happy. If not, then after the race I could easily come up with several additional things to explain what happened:
~ The wind was brutal.
~ I wasn't expecting those hills.
~ My blisters kicked in at mile 2.
~ My iPod died.
My teammate and I were disappointed with our performance yesterday. To be fair we had just run a 20 miler on Monday and we were both coming into the race with tired legs. Oh, but there it was again. We always want to run our best and we're secretly hoping for that PR. If it happens, we jump for joy. If it doesn't, well, in the words* of Tom Derderian, head coach of the Greater Boston Track Club, "life is worth living because you will have a good race next time. You are sure of it, so out the door you go". Next time, I'll try to leave the excuses behind.

Listen to this:
Hi-Fi Goon - Throw Me the Statue

*From New England Runner - Jan/Feb 2012

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THE MUSIC:

The Avett Brothers, The Beta Band, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Breeders, Broken Social Scene, The Chemical Brothers, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cobra Starship, David Guetta, Dominant Legs, The Drums, Fanfarlo, Foster the People, Fruit Bats, Givers, Hockey, I Break Horses, The Joy Formidable, The Killers, The Kooks, Lettuce, Local Natives, Lord Huron, M83, Metric, MGMT, Pitbull, Pixies, The Police, Ra Ra Riot, The Raconteurs, The Raveonettes, Regina Spektor, Rihanna, Robbie Rivera, Robyn, Soulive, Steel Pulse, Truth & Salvage Co., Tune Yards, Two Door Cinema Club, The Vaccines, Vampire Weekend, The Vivs, Wilco, Wolf Gang, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Silversun Pickups, Freestylers, White Rabbits, Phantom Planet, The Big Pink, U2, Miike Snow, Empire of the Sun, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, David Wax Museum, Elbow, Alexander, The Black Keys, Black Kids, OK Go, Foreign Born, Hothouse Flowers, Graffiti6, Sleigh Bells, Awolnation, Discovery, Animal Kingdom, The Naked & Famous, Rostam, Ima Robot, Surfer Blood, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band, Santigold, Delta Spirit, Wave Machines, Throw Me the Statue, White Rabbits, Tanlines, The Walkmen, Beck, Blondfire, Flo Rida, Modest Mouse, The Ting Tings, Radiohead, Wintersleep, The New Pornographers, Givers, Sleigh Bells, The Temper Trap, The Killers, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Phoenix, Chris Knox, Arcade Fire, The Fratellis, The Boxer Rebellion, Jim Noir, Cascada, Madonna, Ian Van Dahl, Robyn, Britney Spears, Vision Factory & Maxine, Ashiva, Heartless Bastards, Jason Derulo, Pink, Basshunter, Patrick Watson, Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, Soho, DJ Sammy, Bell X1, OneRepublic, Usher, Foggy, Hannah, Spinnerette, The Police, Local Natives, Ida Maria, Kate Nash, Sugar, Eminem, Phantogram, The Feelies, Smashing Pumpkins, Rob Dougan, Gnarls Barkley, TV On the Radio, Gorillaz, Beyonce, Leroy, Seether, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Green Day, Gotye, Punch Brothers, Beirut, Salt-n-Pepa, The Strokes, Mika, Tears For Fears, The Flaming Lips, R.E.M., The Kinks, Patrick Watson, Great Lake Swimmers, Reptar, Kasabian, Fun., The Rosebuds, Icona Pop, The New Pornographers, Cat Power, Ratatat, Cold War Kids, Goldfrapp, Animal Collective, Delorean, Wolf Parade, Journey, Mr. Little Jeans, Nicki Minaj, MNDR, No Doubt, We Are Scientists, Sappho, School of Seven Bells, The Dodos, Little Comets, Youngblood Hawke, Fang Island, Deadmau5, Imagine Dragons, Crystal Fighters, Dum Dum Girls, WALK THE MOON, The Rebel Light, Django Django, Churchill, The Black Angels, The Zolas, Robert DeLong, Caribou, Built to Spill, Cayucas, Xavier Rudd, Gnarls Barkley, Here We Go Magic, John McAllister, Portugal. The Man, Five Knives, The History of Apple Pie, Tegan & Sara, Wake Owl, Dragonette, Alex Clare, The Epochs, Young Galaxy, Dana Buoy, Leagues, Tilly and the Wall, Stars, Drrt, Radical Face, Bleached, Manchester Orchestra, Deep Purple, Deerhunter, Daughter, White Arrows, Kid Astray, Fitz & the Tantrums, SPLASHH, Said the Whale, Paul Oakenfold, BIGkids, Lydia, Guards, Daft Punk, Marlena Shaw, Diplo, Jack White, The Dead Weather, Dame, Savoir Adore, Jagwar Ma, ON AN ON, WE ARE TWIN, RAC, The Royal Concept, NONONO, HAIM, Bear in Heaven, Vance Joy, New Beat Fund, Au Revoir Simone, CHVCHES, I Break Horses, MSMR, Woodkid, Sub Focus, Lorde, MajorLOVE, Cults, Be the Bear, Paul Simon, The Jezabels, Wild Cub, Temples, The Neighbourhood, Greg Laswell, M.I.A., She & Him, Sam Smith, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., The Griswolds, of Verona, Sir Sly, Magic Wands, Thao & Mirah, Opus Orange, Wildlife Control, New Villager, Blackbird Blackbird, Bright Moments, MØ, Strange Talk, Diplo, Ferry Corsten, The Morning Benders, Rogue Wave, The Radio Dept., Other Lives, Daniel Bedingfield, Broods, Colour Coding, Augustines, SOHN, Fire In The Hamptons, Sun City, Nora Jean Martine, Jetta, Betty Who, Mapei, Air Traffic Controller, Birds of Tokyo, Dream Machines, Max Frost, Andy Bull, Goldroom, Milo Greene, Paris Carney, Bear Hands, Pacific Air, Donora, Generationals, Galantis, Hooray For Earth, Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes, Lykke Li, Jinja Safari, Dae, Raleigh Ritchie, Sylvan Esso, Blackbird Blackbird, Odyssey, Creases, Bleachers, Imogen Heap, Zella Day, Banks, Architecture in Helsinki, Ghost Beach, Stars, Vinyl Thief, Odesza, Steel Pulse, Tove Lo, Sir Sly, BØRNS, Snowmine, Sky Ferreira, VERITE, Gwen Stefani, Far East Movement, MisterWives, TV on the Radio, Lights, Tove Styrke, AURORA, IYES, WE ARE TWIN, Genevieve, Waterstrider, Cash + David, Charlie XCX, Alagoas, Believe in Giants, Coleman Hell, David Dallas, Disco Fries, Filous, Flume, FMLYBND, French Horn Rebellion, Ggoolldd, Gordie, Jack Garratt, Javelin, Jax Jones, Joceyln Alice, Katie Day, Magic Giant, Major Lazer, Meg Myers, Moran Delt, NAATIONS, Night Riots, OneRepublic, Opus Orange, OYLS, Rafter, Royal teeth, Royal Tongues, Saltwater Sun, Santigold, Sia, SKYES, Sleigh Bells, Syvia, Tigertown, Tongues., VHS Collection, Wayfarers, We Are The City, Weezer, Wintersleep, Zedd, Grey, Krewella, Hanz Zimmer

RUNNING WITH MUSIC

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Monday, March 19, 2012

Excuses

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