Take It And Run Thursday -- My Run Set To Music!

Subtitle: "A David Grey Type of Day"

The topic of this week's "Take it and Run Thursday, courtesy of the good people over at Runner's Lounge, is: "My Running Set To Music. Ok, admit it - once or twice you have envisioned your training or running set to music when you thought about how this part of your life would be depicted the movie they made about you. You might have come up with a few ideas of what song they would play as they flashed different scenes of your training, or maybe what songs would perfectly capture each mile of your run. No need to keep it to yourself - share it! Tell us what songs you would use to tell the story of your training and running."

As per usual, I'm going to take my long and windy road to get to my point, but bear with me -- I've got stuff to say. :-)

Anybody who follows this blog knows that for the past few months, I've struggled not only with running (foot injury issue), but with exercise and activity in general. I started a new "desk job" after 5 years of officing at home. The footwear alone is killing me... combine that with stress, a commute, and an overall feeling of lethargy, plus a more obligated schedule, and I've been quite a lump on a log.

Yesterday was a VERY full day at work -- we launched a major initiative that I've basically been working on since Day 1 -- and on a day where I'd normally reward myself with a glass of wine with friends or co-workers, maybe pick up some sushi on the way home, I rewarded myself with a long overdue RUN.

I'm fortunate enough to work on a BEAUTIFUL campus that is surrounded by man-made lakes and streams, all accompanied by paved running and walking paths. I started this job on April 20th and haven't taken advantage of that at all -- until yesterday.

I worked like a well oiled machine -- at 4:30, just as I was thinking to myself "hmm, gym workout, home workout, or office workout? When will I eat?" my boss came out and announced leftover meeting food for anybody who wanted it -- I passed up the bars and brownies, and helped myself to a plateful of fresh fruit and 1/2 a whole wheat bagel -- a perfect pre-run snack.

At 5:01, I shut off my computer, grabbed my briefcase, and walked to the car -- swapped my briefcase for my gym bag, and walked back into the building to the little locker room and exercise facility. Changed and was on the pavement by 5:15.

I walked the first 5 minutes, getting the lay of the land. It was BEAUTIFUL out yesterday -- 77 degrees, sunny, a light breeze, no humidity. The lake (pond?) I ran around has a fountain in the middle, so ever 10 minutes or so when I passed it, the breeze caused a light mist, perfect to cool me off.

When all was said and done -- I ran 30 minutes without stopping, walked 5 minutes on either end, and ended my workout on the beautiful lawn, doing sun salutations and stretching. It took me a few minutes to get my groove (gruve?) back, but with each footstrike, my body started refamiliarizing itself with the feel of a run -- I hadn't forgotten.

The best part? No pain. NO PAIN.

Today is a different story -- I have all the usual (wonderful) aches and pains and stiffenesses that I love about "the morning after" a good run, but my right foot is having some unpleasant pain, despite a TON of stretching, both last night and this morning.

Oh wait -- this was supposed to be about music.
It wasn't a Moby run.
It wasn't a "top 40" run.
It wasn't a Katy Perry run, and it certainly wasn't the mindframe where I wanted Metalica or Linkin Park. My music matched my mood - peaceful, content, determined, and soulful.

As David Gray hummed in my ears, I felt my tension and stress melt away. I literally felt my feet "unclench" in my running shoes, after a day in heels. After 6 minutes, I couldn't believe that was all it had been, but as my body eased back into the actions, 30 minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

I got a fortune cookie once with the message "GOod habits are sustainable." I got it in 2000, and I"ve saved it all these years. It's STILL taped to my fridge, despite having moved 4 times since I got it. To me, the term "sustainability" is key, because not only does it refer to the need to be reasonable and realistic in your eating and exercise habits, but it implies that you have to have STARTED the good habits in order to sustain them.

Like usual, I find the sustainance harder than the lift-off -- I've been pretty off track for the past few months, but I woke up this morning -- albeit stiff, sore, and wanting to sleep all day -- with habits snapped back into place.

Gym bag has been packed and stowed in the car.
Breakfast (eggs, whole wheat toast) has been eaten.
The house is fairly tidy.
I have a plan for the day, and it's one that is easy to sustain.

Off and running,
~Jessica