Music on the Run

As long as I've been running, I've always run with music. I listen to music almost all day - at home, in the car, at work - seems totally naturally that I'd listen to music on my runs as well! I think its odd that running with music can sometimes turn to a heated discussion. I understand that in some races its not safe to have zombies running around zoning out to music, but that doesn't mean that you can't listen to music and still be alert and safe. Although I run with music 99.9% of the time, I don't bike with music for safety reasons. This has made triathlon training extremely boring for me, but over the past year I've gotten used to the silence of swimming and biking. 

Back in college when I started running I ran with my trusty Walkman tape deck. I of course had a great mix tape for running! I ran with my Walkman for years and years until technology brought us the MP3 player. When iPods first came out they were way too expensive, so my first MP3 player was some cheap knock-off form China that I bought on eBay.  I ran with that for about a year until I forgot it at the gym one day. This loss came the week before my first half marathon. Ack! In a move of total desperation I ran my first half marathon (Rock N Roll Phoenix) carrying my Walkman. We bonded.

I had heard runners complain about running with their iPods in the early days so my first running MP3 player was a pink Creative Labs Zen Micro. I ran with this for a year or so until the prices of iPods finally came down and were usable on runs. My first iPod was the 1st generation Nano. That Nano was with me for a couple years of races until I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2007. You know, the year of the massive heat wave where three people died, hundreds went to the hospital, and they cancelled the race mid-race! It was extremely hot that day and on several street corners they had the fire hydrants open and water spraying the street. I ran under the water several times to cool off. I felt great. My iPod did not.

After getting soaked my Nano called it quits on me. By then the next generation Nano came out so I bought that instead. It had video! Very cool. This next Nano was with me for a couple years until it too died a wet death during a race. David and I ran the "Run to the Rock" half marathon in Plymouth, MA. It was POURING rain that day and my Nano died around mile 7. Awesome. You know what's even more awesome? We were training for the Marine Core Marathon and had a 20 mile run scheduled for that day so after the race we ran 7 more miles in the rain. In silence. Misery! (More on my blog 20 Miles in the Rain)

I bought a replacement Nano right after that one died and after having it for a year or so I finally decided that I wanted the Shuffle. I was sick of wearing the arm band and didn't need the full functionality of the Nano on the run. I ran with one playlist on shuffle - perfect for the Shuffle! My Nano was retired to my car and I started to run with the Shuffle.

I really love the Shuffle for running and thought it was the perfect music companion. Its tiny and holds enough songs to get you through your longest runs. The only thing I didn't like about the shuffle was the earphones and chord, but that's been a constant problem with all of my MP3 players. I feel like I've tried every earphone and earbud known to man. The Nike ones were my favorite but died after a few months. I got some SnuggBuds from the SF Marathon and was impressed that they actually did stay in my ears on the run, but I didn't like how snugg they fit (ironic) at times because they felt like earplugs 

Several months ago I applied to be an Active Ambassador for Team Sony Walkman and was thrilled when I was not only picked, but given their new MP3 player the Sony Walkman W Series! The Walkman was all one piece, held as many songs as my Shuffle, and was barely noticeable on my runs. The only downfall was that the earphones were kind of big and funny looking, and David was constantly telling me I looked like I was running with two bluetooth earpieces in. Hey, its how I roll! jk. 

A few months after we received our first Walkman, we got the newest version in the W Series. Now I think this one is PERFECT! Its a  lot smaller and has the same memory size and functionality. AND .. its waterproof! (Its also the same price as a shuffle ~$50) This will be the last MP3 player that dies on a rainy run with me. Well, not like it ever rains in San Diego .. but if one of those other cities dumps rain on me during a run, I'm prepared! Obviously as a Sony ambassador we are encouraged to promote the Walkman, and I am happy to do so because I honestly think it is the perfect MP3 player for a runner.PC Magazine recently gave it an Editor's Choice award. For more on their review click here.

In addition to the right device, you also need the right jams. A friend of mine from college recently launched the website and service Rock My Run. Their site offers fresh running mixes put together by DJs. The music is great and its interspersed with motivational messages. They have music for a wide variety of tastes. Check them out and download one of their mixes! (Rock My Run Website)

Well its now time for me to head off on my morning run! Time to grab my Walkman and go!

AFC 5K - A New PR

This past weekend I ran my 2nd 5K this year, and only my 3rd 5K in several years! After "moving up" from shorter races like 5Ks and 10Ks to half and full marathons, it became hard to justify paying for and fitting in short races. I run 5K (3.1 mile) distances only daily, don't try to run fast very often, and usually have longer runs scheduled on the weekends which conflict with these shorter races.

I started the year out wanting to complete the San Diego Triple Crown race series which consisted of the Carlsbad Half/Full Marathon, the La Jolla Half Marathon, and the AFC Half Marathon. After having a bad race in Carlsbad and procrastinating and missing the registration cutoff for La Jolla, I had little motivation to register for the AFC half marathon in time. I had run the race in 2005 and 2006 and really didn't like the event (early wake-up, bus to the start, big hill in the last 1/4 mile), but would totally do the race again. After missing the cutoff for registration (it was full) I was going to write off the race, but at the last minute signed up for the 5K. I've done very few 5Ks in the past few years, but figured what the heck, its in my backyard!

AFC Expo

The AFC race happens to be the biggest local event which occurs soon before the start of the Fall Girls on the Run season, which makes it a prime event for attracting new coaches (most of whom are runners themselves). GOTR was planning on having a booth at the race expo on Friday and Saturday, and I committed my Saturday to hustling at the booth. Hey, I do it for a living, why not for my favorite non-profit? :)

I had recruited a number of volunteers to help with the both on Friday and Saturday, and was planning on being at the booth for most of Saturday after completing my long run with David.Working the booth was a lot of fun. I work tradeshow booths for my day job and while I love my job, that in comparison is totally different experience. Working a race expo is a lot of fun for me because everyone attending has something in common with you and most people have some interest in what you are exhibiting. (Stark contrast to the medical tradeshows I exhibit at.)

I met a lot of fun runners who were interested in GOTR for their kids, for volunteer coach opportunities, or who were interested in buying a Glam Runner tutu to race in. I also met two other bloggers, one of whom I was twitter friends with. Its funny how small this digital world is! (Their blogs here and here.)

Race Day

On race day I woke up around 5am and as I lay in bed I scrolled through my facebook and twitter feed on my blackberry. I was horrified to see tweets and updates from HOURS prior from my friends running the half marathon. I was so SO glad that I was only running the 5K! I got up and made breakfast and around 6:15am David and I headed over to the start line. We found parking right away near the start (One of the things I rate races on) and walked over to the starting area. I was excited to see a few other Glam Runners in their tutus and wished I had worn a tutu as well. 

As we walked over I took out my inhaler to get a few quick puffs in and instantly freaked out when nothing came out. OMG it was empty! I hate the design of inhalers.. there is so little warning when they are about to run out! :( I have exercise induced asthma and always use my inhaler before I run. If I don't use it I dont' have a full on asthma attack (I haven't had one of those in six years), but I can feel my breathing becoming restricted which makes me panic which makes it even harder to breath. Sometimes if I jog around and warm-up my lungs I seem to be okay. I tried this out before the race and crossed my fingers that i would be okay.

Race Start

Before the race started I looked around to see if I could spot any of the other Team Sony women I knew would be racing. I didn't see them and thought maybe I'd see them along the course since there were a couple out and backs. Suddenly it was time for the race to start ... and we were off! I had positioned myself towards the front of the pack a few rows deep. I was pleased to see that as we started running that I had picked a good location for myself since no one was passing me and I wasn't passing anyone either. 

My goal was to stick close to a 7:00pace throughout the whole race. My goal finish time was 22 minutes, which comes out to a 7:05 pace. I kept and eye on my Garmin to make sure I didn't get going too quickly, and whenever I saw 6:30 I would ease up a bit. The first mile whizzed by and soon I approached the first out and back. 

I was pretty close to the front of the pack of runners and started counting women that I saw coming towards me to see how many were in front of me. I counted 12 before I made the first turn and thought OMG, I'm the 13th woman! I head that place for another mile but towards the end one woman slipped by me. Darn! Oh well, that meant that I was probably still at least 10th in my age group. Of the 13 women in front of me some had to be older or younger. 

The race went by so quickly and before I knew it I was approaching the finish line. I looked down at my watch as I came down the final stretch and saw that my watch had stopped. ACK!! Crap, I had set my virtual trainer to 3.1 miles and 22 minutes. I had run a bit further than 3.1 miles by then and my watch had stopped short of the finish line. I started my watch again and glanced at the clock right as I crossed. My watch said 22:37 and the clock said 22:55 so I figured I was somewhere in between the two. 

Team Sony Walkman

After the race David and I walked around in the finish area to look at the different booths and I bumped into two of my fellow teammates from Team Sony. They were both really friendly and we chatted for a while about this race, other races, being on Team Sony, etc. One of the ladies is doing the She Rox Triathlon which I'm doing in October and the other is doing the Santa Barbara Marathon (I'm doing the half) in November.

After the race David and I headed off for breakfast (number two for me - oink), ran some errands, and then at lunch time we met up with Tara and Ben (who had run the half marathon) at the Blind Lady Ale House.  

I was looking forward to that afternoon when the official race results would be posted and when they finally came online I was excited beyond belief when I saw how well I had placed. This was my best ranking road race ever!! EVER!

Official Finish Time:   22:55

Age Group Ranking:   4/130

Gender Ranking:   15/746

Overall Ranking:   80/1209

Maybe I should run shorter races more often! I usually finish in the top 10-20% in half and full marathons, to finish in the top 2-6% was a huge ego boost! Wow!

Next Up

My main focus over the next two months now is to train for the Marine Corps Marathon October 30th, but in between I have a few shorter races.

Sept 10th - Heartbreak Ride Half Marathon

Sept 25th - Los Angeles Triathlon (Doing the relay with my cousin & her husband)

Oct 16th - She Rox Triathlon

Oct 30th - Marine Corps Marathon

Nov 12th - Santa Barbara Half Marathon

Its been a busy race year! Fifteen races down, five more to go!

Team Sony Walkman

When one door closes another opens ... 

I recently wrapped up an incredibly fun nine months as a San Francisco Marathon Ambassador. About a month before the San Francisco Marathon though I had received exciting news ... I had been selected to become a Team Sony Walkman Active Ambassador! Yay! 

First Run w/my Walkman in my Sony Gear

You may be asking yourself, wait, they still make Walkmans? Why, yes, they do! But instead of a tape player, the Walkman brand is now used on a line of MP3 players. I remember reading an article last year about Sony retiring the Walkman cassette player. It made me think back fondly to the Walkmans I'd owned over the years. The last Walkman I remember having was purchased at some point in college, but I didn't used  it much after I upgraded to my Sony Discman, and I never even thought about it after I got my first MP3 player. 

As I trained for my first half marathon (Rock N Roll Phoenix) back in 2005 I was going on my runs with my (non-iPod) MP3 player, and planned on running the race with it as well. As luck would have it though, I forgot my MP3 player in my apartment gym one day and someone stole it!  Darnit! There was no way I was going to run 13.1 miles without music, so in total desperation I ran the race with my Walkman in my hand. If you look close enough, you can see it in my finish line picture!

RNR Phoenix January 2005

I've had several friends ask me how I've come about these different Ambassadorships. Um duh, my booking agent! No, just kidding. Several months ago I saw a conversation between two friends on dailymile reference being on Team Jamba. I wondered what that was ... so I took to the Google Machine! I found out that Team Jamba was one of many Active Ambassador teams. I went on their website where you could create an Active Ambassador profile and apply for a team. I was a bit disappointed at first when I saw that there weren't any upcoming Ambassador teams that they were recruiting for, but hoped that something that appealed to me might come up. 

A few weeks after I signed up I saw them recruiting for Team MGD (which didn't interest me since I don't like beer), and then not too long after that I saw a message about them recruiting for Team Sony Walkman. How perfect! I LOVE working out to music, almost always listen to music when I'm running, and the Sony Walkman has a special place in my running heart for accompanying me during the beginning of my running career in college, and for keeping me motivated during my first half marathon.

"Team Sony Walkman is a closely-knit band of athletes who value both music and fitness and the power in combining them both. These 120 unique runners and triathletes possess a strong passion for their sport and are dedicated to not only representing the Sony W Series Walkman MP3 Player in their races, but as brand ambassadors of the product in their local communities and as they lead their daily lives."

The Sony Gear Matches My Dogs!

As I filled out my application for the team I wasn't too confident that they'd pick me since they seemed really focused on performances in races in the past year. I'm an above average runner but don't consider myself to be a "fast" runner (since I've never qualified for Boston), but luckily I had placed 1st overall female in a triathlon last October and had just come in 2nd in my age group in a 5K a few weeks prior. Fingers crossed this was enough to make me look like "real" runner. Holding breathe in 3, 2, 1 ...

Team Sony Walkman Welcome Package

About a month after I submitted my application I received the good news .. I had made the team! They had selected runners and triathletes in ten major markets across the United States: Atlanta, Baltimore/DC, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Ft.Worth, Denver/Boulder, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle. Whoo hoo! I was in!  As part of the team we'd receive Sony branded running/tri gear, a Sony Walkman MP3 player, and in return we needed to submit race recaps for five races between July 2011 and January 2012 that we'd complete in our Sony gear. We also were expected to engage our friends in our social networks with information about the Sony Walkman brand, and connect with other athletes in an online Sony group where we could talk about training, racing, etc. 

Team Sony Racing Gear

The five races that I will be competing in as part of Team Sony Walkman are:

• AFC 5K
• Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon
• SheRox Triathlon
• Marine Corps Marathon
• Santa Barbara International Half Marathon

I was also just talked into joining my cousin's relay team for the LA Triathlon next month, so I might swap out that race for one of the above to complete my five race requirement. My first race is up this weekend! - The America's Finest City 5K! I originally intended to do the Half Marathon but didn't register in time, so I'll be running the 5K for the first time. Now the big question for this weekend is to tutu or not to tutu? Ha ha.