Run mothergoosemouse, run!
Triathlon training is going surprisingly well. I’ve been following the plan, usually doing more than what’s specified, and so far the only day I’ve slacked off was Father’s Day.
My love for biking is well-documented, and even though I hate the sensory deprivation of having water in my ears and I’m irrationally scared of whatever I imagine lurking at the bottom of the pool, I really enjoy swimming. It’s been especially rewarding to notice how much farther and faster I can go, even after only a few weeks of training.
But I still dread running.
I don’t want to get on the treadmill or head to the track. Once I’m there, I’ve got to dive right into it – no starting off with brisk walking. Warming up makes me procrastinate, makes me bargain with myself: Okay, just run for ten minutes, then you can walk for two minutes. Maybe three minutes. Then you can run for another ten. Or seven, if you don’t feel well. Then you can walk for another three minutes. Pretty soon, I’ve said to hell with running and talked myself into walking for the entire thirty minutes.
My father once told me that he visualized a big mean dog chasing him while he ran. Alternately, he imagined that when he finished, there’d be a cold beer and a beautiful woman waiting for him. Visualizing the dog made me panic, and hot chicks just aren’t my thing. Beer, on the other hand, is a great motivator – but it’s just not very realistic unless I schedule my runs around cocktail hour.
Listening to music does help spur me on. I need to get a real iPod though (as opposed to my Shuffle) so that I can create playlists. Nothing kills a runner’s high like going straight from “Mr. Brightside” to “Everybody Hurts”.
(Any kick-ass running music suggestions, leave them in the comments.)
Maybe it’s the flashbacks to high school gym class or the stress fractures or the do-or-die pressure of each 1.5 mile run in ROTC that are at the root of this dread, I don’t know. Over the years I’ve striven to enjoy running and squash this dread for good, but it’s never worked.
Having a training plan hasn’t alleviated the dread, but it has made me accountable. If I bargain with myself now, I’m going to be sucking wind in September.
And so I run.
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July 8th, 2008 at 6:31 am
VERY cool about the triathlon training!!! The swimming part is what makes me a bit leary. Maybe you could do the swimming for me and I could do the running?
It took me quite a while to enjoy running and do it without fear of injury. Not sure what got me over the hump, I guess doing it for myself (as opposed to someone else forcing me) and then seeing that I could actually go long distances, which I never thought possible for me.
Good luck!!!
July 8th, 2008 at 6:59 am
I got nothing for you on the music, but agree that Everybody Hurts probably isn’t sending quite the message you need!
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July 8th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Congrats on your training! I’ve been running for years and the iPod has saved me. Here are my recs, take ‘em or leave ‘em.
- Extremes, Billy Joel
- Irreplaceable, Beyonce
- Suddenly I see, KT Tunstall
- If I never see your face again, Maroon 5
- Believe, Cher (Trust me, gets you moving)
- 4 Minutes, Madonna and JT
Good luck – hope this helps.
July 8th, 2008 at 7:22 am
The funniest thing about my triathlon training is that I like the running the least. That isn’t funny until I tell you that I run 5 days a week but only swim (which I LOVE) 2 or 3. It has to do with the kids and not being able to go to the gym very often and the fact that I can get up early and run while everyone is sleeping, but it still cracks me up that the thing I like the least is what I do the most.
toris last blog post..Fancy Donuts
July 8th, 2008 at 8:00 am
tree has some kick ass playlists for running. me, i dont run either…..
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July 8th, 2008 at 8:11 am
This is soooo lame, but those cheezy dance mix cds are great because they are all the same exact speed and run right into the next song.
Nothing says RUN like india.arie’s brown skin remix baby.
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July 8th, 2008 at 8:58 am
I have a friend that started training for a marathon and she was losing all motivation to train after the 4-5 month. She decided to make the effort in honor of my daughter and a few of her friends (all cancer patients) and she said that all she had to do was envision their faces and imagine their endurance and it helped her stay inspired and get to work.
Maybe you just need to find that “thing” that inspires you, not just motivates you.
Best of luck!
July 8th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I hate running too. It makes me feel like gravity hates me.
Good luck.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Get a Nano and the Nike+ thing. It is what got me out the door. They have cool techno running mixes that get you moving. Now if only I could get myself jazzed up for another race…
July 8th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Hats off to you for the training. I still haven’t gotten the all clear to exercise following baby D’s birth. Not that I’d be doing anything anyway.
I’ve always been motivated by the songs on the Dangerous Minds Soundtrack.
Heathers last blog post..Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn.
July 8th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I am the last person to give you exercise tips. But if I were to exercise, I’d do it to REM. Just saying.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I need to change up my run play list, but at the peak I plan to keep Stupid Girls by Pink and Toxic by Britney. Stupid Girls because I love the freaking lyrics that damn much I forget I’m running and Toxic because it’s a totally sexy song and I remind myself how fabulous I’m going to look if I can just. keep. moving.
I’m going to mix up a new one now, if I come up with something stunning, I’ll be back.
Megan
July 8th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Best running advice I have: get off the treadmill and find some outdoor routes, get a Garmin and some good shades and enjoy the outdoors. Denver has beautiful trails to run on, seemingly everywhere (at least from what I could tell in my last visit.) They don’t call it the dreadmill for nothing.
Song: Ice Ice Baby. Don’t judge me. It’s good to run to.
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July 8th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I can relate and am glad to say after 9 months I’ve made peace with running. For me its 30 mph downhills on the road bike with traffic that makes me bargain.
I sexcond the nano and the Nike+ thing. I have attached mine to NB and Mizuno running shoes. I find 80s music works for me.
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July 9th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Good for you, Jules! I am proud of you. Unlike you, I adore running. I think it is because it is the singular thing I do by myself. I enjoy the solitary nature of it, the ability to run at any pace or anywhere with minimal gear requirements.
Songs – some of my must-have’s:
- Gwen Stefani, Eve, Will Smith, Black Eyed Peas, RHCP’s, Eurythmics, vintage Snoop Dogg (Gin & Juice), Talking Heads,
- Violent Femmes – Add It Up, Kiss Off, American Music
- Golden Earring – Twilight Zone
- Eminimem – Lose Yourself, The Real Slim Shady, etc. (the beat is fantastic)
- Gorillaz – Clint Eastwood
- Johnny Cash – Boy Named Sue
- They Might be Giants – Istanbul
- Cake – Short Skirt / Long Jacket and Meanwhile, Rick James
- David Bowie – Life on Mars
- Depech Mode – Route 66
- Men Without Hats – Pop Goes the World
- Midnight Oil – When the Generals Talk
- Classic Queen – We Are the Champions, Under Pressure, I Want to Break Free, etc.
- Rick Springfield – Jesse’s Girl (don’t laugh)
- Rose Royce – Car Wash
- Siouxsie & the Banshees – Peek-a-boo
July 9th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
well, good for you, because i don’t run. unless i’m being chased. by someone with a knife. and even then, it’s questionable. i’m old and i have shin splints–step aerobics are the closest i get to pounding pavement.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Billy Idol’s “Dancin’ With Myself.”
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July 13th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I’m training for a sprint triathlon too! My first as well. I totally agree that for running, the Nike+IPOD thingy is awesome! It talks to you through your IPOD and congratulates you when you’ve had a good run. It’s so fun!
Some of my favorites are Justin Timberlake (Sexy Back), Rhianna, Madonna, Britney Spears, with a couple of Duran Duran thrown in there. Good luck!!
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July 13th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I’m not usually a Christina Aguilera fan but, at the end of a long run, “Fighter” makes me want to kick some ass and keep going. The Ramones and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are good. I also like “Pressure Drop” from The Specials and Seven Nation Army from the White Stripes. Tom Petty’s pretty good, too – Free Fallin and American Girl.
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