Running in Harmony

I love the way music can affect your mood, put you in a different mindset or allow you to become deeply focused.

This is why I love running with music.

I’ve got my music …

Some people say that real runners never run with music, that music drowns out the pain and prevents you from truly enjoying your surroundings. I disagree. To me, music only enhances whatever feeling I have at the moment.

Ever hear a song that brings back a specific memory, immediately causing you to feel joy or sadness or anger? That feeling is visceral. It’s real. It’s powerful.

By the same token, there are now certain songs I associate with running. For the rest of my life, “Run This Town” by Rihanna will remind me of the final mile of my first-ever 18-miler, when I was digging deep and fighting off my screaming legs to finish strong. Every subsequent listen has reminded me of that feeling — a feeling I never, ever want to forget.

Besides, music and sports just go together. Baseball players carefully choose at-bat songs. Music blares through the loudspeaker during warmups and timeouts at basketball games and volleyball matches. Athletes put on their headphones before each game or race or event to block out the world and focus on the task at hand.

Running with music doesn’t serve as a means to escape; instead, it allows me to escape further into the run. It’s just me, my tunes and my legs, tackling obstacles and going wherever the hell we want. That’s what I call perfect harmony. — Mags