The soundtrack of my life

For years, Saturdays have traditionally been my "long" days for running. I look forward all week to a few free hours when I can escape from the world to let the wind blow through my hair—or, well, buffet my bald head at least.

Still, when the big day arrives, it's difficult to get past the inevitable monotony of it all. No matter how much I like being by myself with my thoughts (see previous posts), 10 miles or more on the road or the treadmill is a long time to listen, even to the dulcet tones of my own inner voice. Which is why I have embraced the advent of the personal music device.

Back in high school I carried, by today's standards, what would be considered a giant Walkman tape player. It was good, but its limitations of only allowing for one tape at a time soon became evident. That device was soon replaced with a set of radio headphones that gave more music options, if only you could push through the steady stream of commercials or manage to tilt your head just so to avoid frequent interruptions of static.

But regardless of limitations, I was hooked by the thought of carrying my music library wherever I went. In fact, I would argue that the mp3 player is one of the most significant inventions for today's distance runner. Since those early days I've owned a litany of music devices, most of them from the iPod collection. They all work well to some extent, but prolific sweat and occasional drops on the pavement give my mp3 players a rather short shelf life.

Except for one, that is. Originally, the mp3 player I still carry was a gift for my wife. It's one of the first generation iPod Shuffles, the white kind that's about the size of a pack of gum. I gave it to her when our second son was born about four and a half years ago. It remained in the box long enough for me to realize that, while it was a good gift, it wasn't going to be part of my wife's exercise regimen. So I inherited it, and I have used it ever since.

Which leads me back to my original discussion about my Saturday long runs. It seems no matter how many songs I can put on my iPod, by Mile 6 or 7 they all seem boring and worn out. Motivational songs that work during the week no longer have their same luster. My solution is to save songs back. About every third week, I open iTunes and "rediscover" my music library. I find songs I haven't heard in months or years, and I put them on my iPod, replacing those old tunes that no longer work. It's a plan that seems to do the trick. I've never run out of inspirational songs, one reason being that by the time I'm done with the current tunes on my iPod, I've had the old ones off for so long I'm able to rediscover them. It's recycling at its best.

Something I've learned over the years is even the best runners find it difficult to get motivated from time to time. Trust me, I've been there more times than I'd like to count. But as a music lover, this is a solution that works for me. It's an opportunity for "me" time where I can listen to my music as loud as I want, and no one's there to judge or tell me to turn it down or turn it off.

I have read articles from runners who bemoan the advent of the music player, saying it takes away from the beauty and serenity of nature. While I can see their point, it doesn't prevent me from carrying my iPod wherever I go, for while there certainly is serenity and peace in nature, I've sort of grown used to seeing that same nature with my own personal soundtrack. While at times the two may be incongruent, there are moments, albeit fleeting moments, when the scenery and the song match together beautifully, when the music helps me transcend my body and my thoughts and takes me to another plane. It's those moments that I grasp hold of like a barnacle on a boat bottom. It's those moments that keep me coming back for more.

Happy running.