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.
