Running

This is my brother, John. Today, I am writing about running because I want to give props to my brother, John, and my sister-in-law, Trish. They ran and completed the Kentucky Derby mini-marathon this morning. They are very active and truly enjoy working out together. Trish teaches aerobics classes a few times a week and they have a nice gym in their house. After the mini, John called me to tell me that he could not have gotten through without his iPod. At about the 6 mile mark, "Down With Disease" gave him an extra boost of energy. He kind of hit the wall at about the 10 mile mark, but then "Bouncing Around The Room" came on and it woke him up and gave him another jolt of energy. The last fifteen minutes of the race were filled with "Split Open And Melt," and he said that it melted him. I am really proud of both of them for running the race today. Running with music is so crucial. I never understood how people run without it. "Gotta Jibboo" is another awesome to run to. The beats and jams just fit running. Try it sometime. My friend Anthony told me about running to "Jibboo" and I tried it. It's great.

I have never been a consistent runner. Really, I have not been that consistent when it comes to working out or exercising. When I get the idea that I am going to start working out, I will get new shoes, some new clothes and prime my iPod with some of my favorite shows. I start out strong and work out every day. I like running and walking. I don't care much for weights or other kinds of aerobic exercises. I have to have music to run to. Before I started law school back in 2004, I had been running regularly for over a year. I was up to about 35-45 miles a week. I had a Precor treadmill in my living room and would get some ice water in a Nalgene bottle and my iPod and get to it. I usually watched TV, such as replays of Florida football games, Big Ten games, or other shows. Anything to keep me from thinking about the fact that I was running. Sometimes, I would get a big rush from it, but usually running did not really do much for me. I know that I had better energy during the day, but it always felt like a chore to run.

When I started law school, I became completely overwhelmed. One would think that rescheduling my life around the grueling work that is required would mean that I should keep up my running. At first, I tried hard. I would run 2 or 3 times a week, but I felt guilty because I was not studying. The rigors of law school were just too much for my running and cycling. I quit running within two months of school and have probably run about 25 miles total since 2004. I want to start again, but it just doesn't seem to work out. Maybe when I move, I can start running again.

Music is so essential to running. One of the best times I can remember running was when I was Chef/General Manager at a restaurant in town. At the end of our lunch shift, I would often take a lunch break and go running. One time, I began listening to the Dead at Merriweather Post Pavilion, 07-01-85. The SBD is totally crispy and the second set before drums is "Scarlet>Fire, Playin>Uncle John's" It is awesome. I started running and got so into the music that I completely forgot that I was even running. I ended up running over 13 miles. Music takes me to another place and when I run, it is no different. I become one with the song and just really feel the emotion in the song, whether it is Phish, the Dead, or even hip-hop.

Today, I can imagine that running would give me real stress release. I could feel free and forget about the issues of the day/week/month. I just can't get started for some reason. It never seems like I can do it. We even belong to one of the best gyms in the city and yet I do not exercise. Encouragement from others doesn't seem to help. One day, I know that I will get back to it.