The rule is…there are no rules! For decades, I had three rules that I ran by.
- Once you start running, don’t stop until you finish your said miles.
- If you can talk when you are running, you are not going fast enough.
- No music, that’s cheating. I am a purist…thank you very much.
So, those rules worked in my twenties and thirties. Nowadays, I have a phone and GPS watch strapped to my left arm, water bottle or pepper spray in my right hand. And I will mention the metal plate and six screws in my right leg. (Fell down the stairs during my second pregnancy at 37 weeks, tri-malleolar fracture…that story is another post).
My younger self would have never believed it. But to be fair to myself, I am running longer and faster than I ever did. Aside from training for marathons back then, I usually ran twelve miles a week in my twenties and fifteen miles a week in my thirties. That is all it took to stay in shape back then. Aah, youth. I run over 25 miles a week now…Dear metabolism…thanks for nothing!
I have come to accept aging and all the rules I have to break to manage. I think breaking those rules and getting rid of my running vanity has made me faster and able to run longer. Apple music has made my hot and humid Raleigh runs so much more bearable. Stopping to drink water is just a necessity in our humid state. And talking while running is okay too because slow days are necessary to prevent overuse injuries.
A lot of my runner friends have asked me what I listen to when I run. I have no shame in liking these songs. Whatever works right?!
I have so many favorites, but here are some tunes with a fast beat that take me up those hills:
Fantasy, Aldo Nova
Original Sin, INXS
Evenflow, Pearl Jam
Magnificent Seven, Clash
Legs, ZZ Top
Dr. Feelgood, Motley Cru
Kickstart My Heart, Motely Cru
Iron Lion Zion, Bob Marley
How Do U Want It, 2Pac
Renegades of Funk, Rage Against The Machine
No Church in the Wild, Kanye and Jay Z
Bullet the Blue Sky, U2
Happy running to you all! I will have my Chickpea Fry recipe in my next post!
doodleplix 