Running, Music, Etc.

Tuesday, May 29th
AM
6:30 - Woke up
8:00 - Dropped girls at school
9:00 - Headed out for 10 mile run
PM
12:00 - Picked up daughter early from school for Dr. appt.
----- this was followed by a trip to CVS for the medication, in addition to 3 boxes of bandaids and a pack of gum (all for her).  Yes, I was a sucker.
3:00 - Picked up other daughter from school
3:45 - Stopped by Starbucks for a coffee and wondered how I was going to make it through the rest of the day as I waited in line.
4:00 - Worked on homework with older daughter as she stared longingly outside with zero ability to focus.
5:30 - Apologized to sitter when she arrived because I'd managed to get nothing done ahead of time to make it easier for her.
6:00 - Drove an hour and a half to Mansfield for a Radiohead concert.
7:00 - Remembered why I make an effort to go to shows like this as I marveled at what I was hearing and seeing for four amazing hours.
11:00 - Headed home
----- sat in parking lot for an hour as we competed with everyone else to leave.  Super fun.
----- tried REALLY hard to keep my eyes open on the ride home as I wrote down multiple songs that I was hearing on XM radio that I wanted to remember for this blog.
AM
1:00 - Ate a bowl of cereal for dinner and went to bed.

Wednesday, May 30th
AM
6:45 - Struggled to get out of bed after 6 ridiculously short hours of sleep
8:00 - Dropped girls at school
9:00 - Headed out for a 5-6 mile run
----- cut it short to 4.3 miles (humidity and lack of sleep were not working with me today)
----- tapped my Garmin an then re-set it mid-run as I didn't believe that I could possibly be running as slow as it said I was running.
10:00 - Reminded myself that I am 37 and can only pull off a night like last night once a year and then patted myself on the back for motivating as it was worth every minute.

Listen to these:
RADIOHEAD
Jigsaw Falling Into Place - In Rainbows   
Paranoid Android - OK Computer  
Staircase - Single  

Supercollider
     

It's Friday - Reader's Pick

Today's picks are from Michele C.  She's another tough runner who loves to have fun while she's out on the road.  She rocks out to G. Love and Madonna but gets an extra boost when this particular song by AC/DC comes on.  I took a minute today to listen to this gem.  Totally get it.  Thanks for sharing Michele.  Rock on.

Listen to this:
Don't Drop It - G. Love  
Express Yourself - Madonna   
&
If You Want Blood - AC/DC (This song is not available on iTunes. It's a rare treasure.)

Top 10 Reasons to Race (even when...)

When I crossed the finish line at the Providence marathon I was over the moon.  I had run a personal best and the race had been an incredible experience.  It really couldn't have gone any better.  I found my family and hugged my girls as I cried a few tears of joy.  I noticed my five year old looking a little skeptical throughout all the chaos.  When the dust settled she tapped me on the shoulder and said, "so mom, did you win?"  I laughed and said, "no, not today."  I told her that in the big races, I would never be in first place but that wasn't why I did them.  This answer was not enough.  "If you know you won't win, then why do you race?" she asked.  It was a fair question.  Here's what I came up with:

Top 10 Reasons to Race (even when you know you aren't going to win):

1. It's fun to be a little competitive once in a while; with others and with yourself.
2. It reinforces several of life's valuable lessons such as:
    - you don't have to win to have a good time
    - always try and do your best
    - there's always room for improvement
    - it's ok to have a bad day
3. It's really fun to hang out with people who share a passion for the sport both before and after a race.
4. It's a great way to visit new places.
5. It's the perfect week-end activity for your family and/or friends.
6. It's an easy way to mix up your routine which is crucial to prevent boredom.
7. It's healthy to push yourself beyond your comfort zone once in a while.
8. It keeps your running wardrobe updated with new shirts of various sizes and colors.
9. Participating in a race often helps raise money for a good cause.
10. On race day, no matter what place you come in, you are a badass.

I didn't give her all of these answers.  I simply told her that each time I race, it helps me get a little better....as a runner, as a mother and as a person.  This still didn't make much sense to her, but she accepted it for the time being.  As we were leaving she said, "good job, mom.  I still love you, even when you don't win."  Reason #11 - You might have a moment like this one.

Listen to this:
Walking the Dog - Fun.  

What Race?

Yesterday I drove down to Norwell, MA to catch up with a dear friend from college that I hadn't seen in over two years.  We not only shared a dorm room freshman year, but we also ran cross country and track together and shared a lot of funny moments over the course of our four years.  We grabbed a coffee and brought each other up to speed with our lives including updates on our husbands and kids, our jobs and so on and so on.  There was a lot to discuss.  After about thirty minutes, we headed over to the high school (the very one my friend attended as a spritely young athlete) and picked up our numbers for the 5K that we had signed up for.  Had she not checked her watch we would have easily missed the race.  Something strangely similar happened to us during college once but I won't get into it.  As we warmed up and stretched, we continued to reminisce about the old days, laughing a lot and making fun of each other over the many stupid things that we did at school.  The gun blew and we took off and.... then we quickly reconnected three short miles later and continued chatting.  I got to meet her two beautiful daughters and catch up with her parents who I got to know well when we were roommates.  Finally, we ran back to our cars together excitedly discussing which race we would run together next time and then hugged and said our goodbyes.  Running is a passion we both share and though the race was what brought us together, the actual "race" was an afterthought.  Our times didn't matter.  Our place was not important.  We didn't compare and contrast.  We just hung out.  And it was awesome.  Another one of the many reasons to appreciate running and all the amazing things it has to offer.

Listen to this:

L.S.F - Kasabian