mental games

I decided to challenge my mind's capacity to handle pain by running in yesterday's Shamrock Run sans iPod. While it may sound minor, doing the race without music was a big change for me. The last time I ran without music in my ears was last summer, during a 10-mile run with my friend Sophie, who, as I discovered that day, likes to tell long interesting stories as a distraction, a welcome deviation from my static playlist.

But yesterday I ran solo, and as I started up the almost immediate set of hill climbs, I was surprised to hear how the quality of my breathing changed depending on the terrain. At one point, as the pack plodded up a hill in total silence, I looked around and realized just how many people were wearing headphones. I felt like I was surrounded by zombies, lucky zombies who were focused on Justin Timberlake lyrics instead of any searing pains in their left sides.

Alas, my friendless, music-free self crossed the finish line in good time. But I'm already looking forward to my next run (okay, not for a few days at least), when without a doubt, I'll be moving my body to the beat.

redefining vacation

I realize that I've become one of those people who never takes a
vacation, and I like to complain about the fact. But I love my job
because no matter where I go, I'm looking for stories. Put me on a
desert island and I'll start contemplating various ways to pitch
stories about sand.

I'm not the only one with this problem, although my inability to unplug comes in a unique form. Take for example Mark Bittman's story in The New York Times about trying to take a "virtual break." I can just imagine Bittman going through his tech-free week, taking notes (by hand?) and crafting the lead to the story in his head over and over again. So while he did unplug in terms of gadgets, he was still able to stay mentally connected to his work. Let's just say I can relate.

So I was curious...does anyone really unplug anymore? The answer is yes, but the process can be uncomfortable. Check out what I discovered about real unplugging in the March/April issue of Women's Adventure magazine (the piece itself isn't online, so you'll have to find a real paper copy to get the details).