Headphones

In the business world one is always advised to avoid discussion topics that are sensitive in nature, especially politics and religion. For runners, the simple utterance of the word "headphones", elicits such a strong reaction that I normally avoid the discussion altogether. A recent incident made me think again about the use of headphones while training or running races. I was driving in downtown Minneapolis and saw a runner passing through the outside courtyard of the Federal Reserve Building. She was running with headphones on and I looked at something coming fast behind her. It was a deer, running at full speed, slipping every once in a while on the bricks and it was headed right for her. It made a leap and almost landed on top of her and she made a turn and continued running while the deer ran across the street. She never saw the deer, never heard the deer, and I watched while she continued briskly along with her pony tail flopping in the wind as she ran.

Granted, this was pretty much a freakish occurrence, but I have witnessed many other incidents from people running with headphones. The time I watched a woman running with headphones along Kenilworth trail with her dog, she couldn't hear a dog barking at her dog and was completely oblivious as her dog darted away and ran right in to a sign. Or during Go Saint Louis Marathon when a guy running with headphones stopped to tie his shoes and then ran right into my path, nearly sending me for a fall. He was completely unaware of people around him and could not hear the footsteps of oncoming runners.
Now before you start assuming that I just don't get it and that headphones are a tool that helps motivate you by the songs you listen to while you train and race.........I do get it. I used to be one of you. From 2000 until about 2005, I listened to either a radio or MP3 player at every marathon I raced and for virtually all my training runs. I remember the exhilaration of listening to James Taylor singing "Gaia" as I crossed the Franklin bridge during the Twin Cities Marathon and I remember the "mixes" I put together for my runs around the city lakes.
So why did I stop? I was in San Francisco and decided to do a long run with Nike Club Run San Francisco. There were over 400 people, divided up in to pace groups with water stops, each group having two pace leaders. Once we started, I saw that virtually everyone had an iPod or other MP3 player and was wearing headphones. The run was a disaster, with no one listening to directions, people oblivious to traffic, and no ability to converse whatsoever. It had not even occurred to me to bring music and headphones for a group training run through a fairly complicated route, and after that day, I rarely, if ever, train with music. I found that I enjoyed the sounds of a city, the rustling of the wind, or the waves breaking on the shore as I ran around a lake or along the ocean. I also found that it is fun to say "hi" to people as you encounter them on the running paths. It is great to have that instant bond I get with fellow runners and far preferable to the blank stare that I get when I say "hi" to someone wearing headphones. My current mix is "the sound of nature and the running community". No download required.

Gadgets & "devices"

Most people who know me immediately assume that I will have the latest running gadget, be it a GPS watch, GPS phone with running route tracking, or even as an early adapter of the Nike+ system. You may be surprised to hear that I am now using none of them. Garmin 405 in a drawer, iPhone with Athlinks GPS and MapMyRun left on the counter when I run, and the Nike+ sensors and receivers in a ziplock bag in my "running goodies" drawer. During the "off" season it just doesn't matter. 5.72 miles or 6.12 miles isn't worth all the clicking, uploading, or even the absurd practice of running around the block to get to your 16 mile training goal. Actually, losing your gadgets is also a pretty smart practice during training as you need to learn what your training pace is on your own. Relying on GPS reception is a dangerous proposition. The first 2 miles of MTCM is a jumble of buildings and the GPS signal goes in and out and tells you you are running a completely inaccurate pace. For those of you who think that you are getting an instant GPS "read" of your current pace, be aware that this is virtually impossible with the Garmin watch technology. Set your watches or phones to "average" pace and you will get a much more accurate idea of how you are doing. There is also a very accurate device that seems to get forgotten: it is called a watch and has obscure brand names like "Timex". Hard to find, but retailers such as Target still carry a few. How this device works is that you run a known distance and check your time. I used this device on my run this morning. It was awesome!

Winter running

Running in the winter here in Minnesota is often a challenge. You are often running in the dark, plus the weather is cold, and the footing can be terrible. This past Saturday, we experienced our first major snowfall. The paths had not been plowed and the wind was strong with a wet snow blowing in our faces. We were moaning and groaning, (and rightfully so), but as we continued, the conversation lightened up and we commented on how beautiful the wet snow was on the trees and how it would be great to have the wind at our back once we reached the top of the lake. This is an important lesson for the winter and even the rest of the year: you will always feel better about the conditions and how you feel about the run after you have warmed up for the first mile. It also reminded me of a life lesson that took place in college.
I was taking an art class and came in on Saturday to work on a project. I passed the studio of one of my professors and saw that he was chipping away at a block of marble. I paused and said hello, and he invited me in. I could see the basic shape of the sculpture emerging, and I asked him how he brought himself to work on such a lovely autumn day and how he had the discipline to chip away for hours on end? His answer was very simple: "I just start".

Why we run?

I am always amused by people who know that I run marathons but come up to me at a party and say "gee, I'd love to do a marathon, but I hate to run". I always suggest that they concentrate on some exercise that they enjoy, and they usually walk away with a puzzled look. I have always loved to run, even as a child I would run up and down hills while my family prepared a picnic. In college, I frequently ran between classes. Not because I had to, but through the sheer joy that I found in running. This all made me think about why running is fun for me. Is it because I see it as a form of play? Or perhaps it is the discoveries that one makes while running? The smells of bakeries and coffee shops as one runs through an unfamiliar city? Or the sunrises, the fog over a lake, the crispness in the air as the seasons change, during the runs around a route that one has done countless times before? There is also a happiness that I get from running with friends. Most of my closest friends were developed from running, whether it was training for a marathon, or meeting at 6:00 AM to run two lakes and discuss everything from our daily life to politics or our take on a new restaurant. But I also like to run alone. It gives me a chance to think about a variety of things and sometimes just to daydream. I sometimes find that I'll start laughing about something while I'm running and I can sense people saying to themselves: "he's like a silly child". They are right, .........that's why I run.