Go Outside

For those of us in the Boston area, it has rained 3 out of every 4 days and been incredibly humid for several weeks. Today, it feels like fall.  No rain.  Blue sky.  Cooler air.  If you haven't yet, you've got to get outside.  Grab your ipod, your phone, your mp3 player, your yellow sony walkman from 1987; whatever you use to listen to music.  Go for a run.  Walk your dog.  Walk to town.  Walk around the block.  Take a few minutes to enjoy the day, and if you so desire, take the tunes with you.  Listen to something new or something really, really old that you forgot you had.  Soak it all in.  Now, go!

Listen to this:
All to All - Broken Social Scene  

Time Off

Four years ago I was training for the Boston marathon and with three weeks left before the race I felt a strange pain in my lower back.  I went to my doctor hoping to for a quick diagnosis and to be treated on the spot.  Turns out, there would be no marathon.  An MRI showed multiple stress fractures in my sacrum and sitz bones.  I walked out of her office on a pair of crutches.  I was told I would have to take 6 months off from any activity, including walking, to recover from this injury.  For someone who thrives on both running and a routine, this was extremely difficult to swallow.  But, reluctantly, I did as I was told and in September, I started all over again.  I felt slow and out of shape, which was really annoying.  But, I had a completely new appreciation for running and could not have been happier about being back on the road.
 I'm sure many of you have been in a similar situation whether you are a runner, biker, walker; basically active in any way.  Just today a friend mentioned she needed work done on her foot and would be out of commission for a week.  "I feel your pain", I told her.  Whether it's a week, a month or a year, if you are active on a regular basis, being told to stop is not easy to hear.  All that said, sometimes your body needs a break.  Rather than fight it, try embracing the situation. Do something different that you've never been able to do because you haven't had the time.  The bottom line is, you know you'll get back out there, and when you do, you'll be so incredibly fired up to start again.  And that's such a great feeling.

Listen to this:
Life on the Nickel - Foster the People  

Lose the Watch

Most days, I run with a watch.  I have a Garmin Forerunner with a GPS that helps me stay on pace and, more importantly, makes me feel really cool.  There are days when this is a good thing.  A race with my watch can force me to push my limits.  Other days, I've learned it's best to leave it at home.   Today I did a long run with a friend and I didn't wear my watch.  I won't lie, she did have hers, but just not having it on my own wrist made me a feel a bit freer and more relaxed on a run that was supposed to feel just that.  Rather than stare at the screen for each mile, I picked my head up and looked around.  It is possible to run just for the pleasure of running and nothing more.  Try it.

Listen to this:
Broken Up a Ding Dong - Beta Band  

A New Month

For me, it's incredibly satisfying to change the calendar; to take a minute and look back on the last month, and to assess what's ahead.  I love to embrace the newness and potential of a fresh start.  This month, I'm going on a short vacation, I'm going to run my favorite half-marathon in Lowell, I'm going to see Soulive at the Paradise and, most importantly, I'm going to listen to my kids talk about Halloween costumes and candy for 31 days straight.  Gotta love it.  Happy October, everyone.

Listen to This:
Holiday - Vampire Weekend