I had a surprisingly nice 30 minute run on the treadmill today. I decided to use my mp3 player which I normally would not do. Something about the earphone wires tend to make me a little nuts, but I felt like I needed a little more persuasion to get into the cold basement and get on with it. My mp3 music is heavy on the Mellencamp and is a strange mix of rock, soundtracks, a little dance, R&B, country, pop and folk.
I set the player to 'shuffle all songs' with the intention of allowing the player to choose the music and take what it gave. I started jogging to Our Country by John Mellencamp. It was a good warm up song. For the first few minutes though, I was focusing on my kayak which was hanging from the ceiling in front of me and I got a little bit angry about how little I was able to use it last year. "That cannot happen this year!"
Next up was Rave On also by Mellencamp off the Cocktail soundtrack. This brought the tempo up a little, made me smile and forget about the boring nature of the treadmill. Next was Hot Tamale Baby by Buckwheat Zydeco. Yes, it sounds like an odd choice, but I found this particular Zydeco tune to be perfect for the moment I was in. The tempo increased greatly and I increased my pace accordingly. I started having a little trouble with my left ear bud popping out, but hanging on to the cable solved this.
I brought it down a little bit with Aerosmith's Janie's Got a Gun, which conveniently had some references to 'running', though rather dark in meaning. At this point I noticed I was drenched in sweat, which has not happened in a while, and I was feeling really great. Another Mellencamp song came on which I thought appropriate as I was ready to stop. At least I thought I was. I'm Not Running Anymore, which is one of my absolute favorites. I ran completely through this song which was followed by Panama by (the REAL) Van Halen. Can't stop now! I cooled down with Stevie Wonder's Higher Ground.
After the run I worked on my core for another 30 minutes.
I'm certain I will not run outside with music. I like to keep my ears tuned to cars, dogs and other potential hazards. I also enjoy listening to the sound of my feet on the ground and don't want to miss any birds that might boost my year list.
What are your favorites to work out to?
5 comments:
I have found that if I pop in a movie while on the treadmill or the elliptical,and it's a good one, I can literally stay on throughout the WHOLE movie! It has upped my elapsed time so much! Unlike when I use the IPOD, which has pauses before each song and a chance to lose my concentration and get off!!
I have found that the stock earbuds fall out with the slightest turn of the head, so I had to go aftermarket. I bought a pair that has rubber pads that go into the ear canal - they hold much better.
I always wondered if you hit the mill or if you were more of a street only guy.
FFN - I'm not a fan of the mill, but I am not a fan of the cold either, though the basement is cold, but no wind. My ear buds are Bose Triport IE which were part of the goodie bag at the last 5k I ran. Perhaps I should try a different size rubber pad.
I use Etymotic ER6i earbuds. The rubber thingy that goes in your ear is ribbed, or flanged. When they go in, the soft rubber holds like a chinese finger trap, but they come out easily when you want them to. I use them when riding my bike - they stay in when I put my helmet on and turn my head, etc.
No music for me, although if I had a treadmill to run on some sort of distraction would be necessary. I like the cadence of my foot strikes and the jingle of my dog's tags.
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