No music yesterday

Yesterday I did two daring things.

I ran without my music.

And I ran my first ever race.



Back in July, little lady asked me if she would ever get to cheer for me in a race.

So after our NYC trip in July I started training, in earnest, for a 5K race in September. I picked a local event in honor of a late city counselor who advocated for affordable housing and thriving neighborhoods.



My goal was to run 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) in under 35 minutes. While training I listened to a terrific mix list. It got me going. One song I love so much I put it on the mix twice so I can hear it when I'm at the halfway point.

However, I had been reading the scorn which "old time" runners thought of people who run races with headphones. I decided to run my first race without tunes. I did want to hear what was going on around me, perhaps even talk to some people.



I crossed the starting line longing to hear my current favorite tune. I tried to sing it to myself and then just focused on breathing, which became hard early on. I was getting pretty discouraged but kept going, even cheered on an older gentleman as he slogged up a hill, listened in on some high school girls gossiping, and heard marching band drums as I neared the finish line.



My cheering section - all four of them, saw me and started yelling and whooping. And while I was quite proud of crossing the finish line at 32 minutes and 32 seconds, one son commented to Amazing Guy "Well, at least she didn't come in last place."



And my reward for running without music was a parade, complete with college and high school marching bands, neighborhood bands, clowns, colonial re-enactors and bagpipes.



I think I'm hooked on running races.

Any song you really miss when you don't hear it?