Running without Music...part 2

Facing your fears, no matter how insignificant they may seem to others, is all part of the running journey.  I love the incremental improvements I have made in the past 8 months.  Last June, I had never even run 5K.  Now I have two 10K runs under my belt and am about to attempt a 9 mile road race.  I have signed up for 2 half-marathons later in the year.  But I must admit, as the miles mount, so too does the fear factor.  But like I say (as one of my running mantras) Bring It On!

As I mentioned in my last Blog entry, one of my fears regarding the Norton 9 next Sunday (03/03) is that I will be doing my first 'undulating' road race without music.  I hope there will be some whooping and cheering and motivational 'shout outs' from fellow runners, and that I will not be left alone with my internal monologue!

In preparation for the 9 miles, I did a short 3 mile run without music yesterday.  It was OK, my pace was a bit slower, but you have to start somewhere, right?  My long run today was an 8 miler, so I did the first 3 without music, and then hit my iPod, and fell into the arms of Guy Garvey as he sang 'One Day Like This' which is the tune I like to start my run to.  I love my playlist, but I'm weaning myself off.  My pace is slightly faster with my tunes, but I'm not going for a PB next week.  As long as I finish, it will be a PB, as I've not run the distance before!

Norton 9...yes, I'm a bit nervous, but I am also looking forward to it.   Will I ditch the tunes afterwards? I suppose it's possible.  The running journey is one of many surprises.

Running without music

I've only run once without music, because the battery was flat on my Nano. It wasn't good.  I'm quite skittish and easily frightened, and ended up screaming and nearly jumping into the road when a horse stuck its head over a fence and neighed at me.  I deduced then that running without music was not for me.  

I adore my running recently revamped running playlist.  Some tunes (Lady Gaga's Bad Romance and The White Stripes' Hotel Yorba) even help me to up my running pace to an 8.23 minute mile!  So it was with panic that I read the words on my information letter  for my next race "The wearing of headphones is strictly banned."

Maybe some people with headphones run like muppets, but I don't.  My headphones aren't even that good.  Today, when running with my tunes, I noted that I could hear the cars that were coming behind me, the barking of dogs, the wind, the hum of the electricity pylons.  I like to think that when running, I am completely aware of my surroundings; I try to look pain free and cheery as I pass a walker or an oncoming cyclist. I honestly believe that I can run safe whilst listening to music.  But obviously, not everyone does.

For the race, I must admit that I have considered running the wires up the back of my neck and feeding the headphones up through my hair and into my ears.  But I won't do that.  Instead, I am going to have to rely heavily on motivational tools, mantras and visualisation.  I have even wondered if I can sing my playlist as I run the race (won't I be popular with the other runners!)  

Any survival tips or advice will be greatly appreciated as this tunes addict prepares to go cold turkey!

Feel the fear...and do it anyway!

Six months ago, I stopped being a jogger, and became a runner.  Before that, my jogs didn't stray far from the boundaries of my village.  I plodded along, wondering what it would be like to run in a race, wondering if I could possibly manage a 5K.  Fear stopped me from taking the next step.  Even then, I was an avid reader of Runner's World, and I used to scan the running events near me, but each date passed me by without a commitment from me.

Then in July, I was touched by Olympic Fever. I chose a local 10K, entered, and then had that heady, giddy feeling of having pushed myself outside of my comfort zone.  Of course I ran the race, and discovered that I absolutely LOVED it!  I was buzzing for days at my sense of achievement.

Since then, I have become very comfortable with 10K, or 6.2 miles.  It's a distance I can do on a weekend without really pushing myself. Due to dark evenings (and there are no street lights to talk of in my village), minor illnesses with the kids, work and snow, my runs have been haphazard and I have not progressed beyond 6.2 miles.

The time has come!  The evenings are getting brighter and it's time to face my fears again...and overcome them.  My next challenge is a 9 mile run (Norton 9, near Doncaster) on 03/03.  It is a challenge not only for the distance, but also because the route is undulating.  As all of my runs are on pancake flat roads, this will really test me.  Bring it on!