What I listen to when I run

Afternoon all

So yesterday was a little sad really, as it always is on the last day of term- it is weird really because I look forward to the summer holidays, but also by the end of the year it is sad to say goodbye to the lovely children (and their lovely parents).

I was given these sweet pea flowers in the morning by a child in my class- his mum said he had been growing them for weeks and had decided they were for me on the last day of term- how sweet. He even whispered to me “the butterfly is not real“- love it! What a lovely final day anyway. They smell so amazing and the scent is still filling the living room today. πŸ™‚

To celebrate I met up with a couple of friends from other schools- we met in Starbucks where I had a chai tea (not a latte, just a tea) and a cinnamon swirl- yum. The perfect start to the holidays!

After that we had a picnic dinner at home;

I got some walnut and rye bread (amazing), and finished theΒ WensleydaleΒ and cranberry cheese, and an easy peasy “salad” of lettuce, grapes and pink righteous dressing. Love that dressing.

Anyway, what I wanted to say about today was what I listen to when I run. When I first started out, I did not listen to anything. I was following a walk/run plan, and I used my mobile phone to time each section as I did not have a watch or anything! But once I realised I liked it, Andy got for me a little mp3 player which was light enough to stick in my pocket. I used to listen to music- I still have a long list on there which includes A, Ash, Hard Fi, High School Musical (yeah I like the cheesy stuff too), Kasabian, Lilo and Stitch (my fave Disney movie and with Elvis tracks, what’s not to love??), Maroon 5, Muse, Radiohead, The Killers, Weezer and Foo Fighters. I love upbeat music generally, and I did used to sometimes find myself singing along! Luckily I was generally alone! What I did find was that I would try to run to the beat, so that I would pick up my speed in faster songs, and really slow down during slower ones. I was recommended talking podcasts as a way to keep a steady speed, and it seems to help me.

So now I tend to listen to podcasts. You all know my love for marathon talk– I think it is lighthearted but also interesting- a range of chat, interviews and news. I also load up from the bbc podcasts website:

The Food Programme– this sometimes looks at companies, or a specific food, or sometimes food in a certain country.

Friday Night Comedy– I prefer the news quiz, but now it is “The now show” which I think can be hit and miss, but often funny enough.

Americana– the topics on this range each week- they had a special about the space programme, they look at things like green issues, the death penalty and things like that.

Excess Baggage– this is a travel programme from a different slant. A few weeks ago they had a really interesting show about cycling- they had someone who had cycled all over the world, and another person (Matt Carroll) who has written a book about cycle rides in the UK.

The Infinite Monkey Cage-This is a sort of science show, but funny and presented by Prof. Brian Cox. πŸ™‚

I have also listened to things like the Ricky Gervais podcasts (from when he was on XFM) or the Adam and Joe show, but they are so funny that I sometimes laugh too much and it stops me running!

So, what do you listen to when you run?

Onto today, after breakfast and some jobs I went out for a run. I was pleased as I managed my furthest ever since the marathon- 10 miles. It was hard work, and I had some twinges in my legs (but I could not decide if I was imagining them as I was a bit tired)- took me 1hr48, which I am alright with. I think I have slowed down a lot, but then in a couple of weeks I have a holiday, and I am hoping that the break will do me good and I will be able to improve on that time before the Great South run in October.

After my run I had my last bloggie swap clif bar- chocolate chip peanut crunch- which I loved! It was like the pb ones we get over here, but with added chocolate chips, and maybe a slight saltier flavour- always good after a run. Plus some coconut water with passion fruit to help rehydrate- this was tasty too.

Plus a Food Doctor pitta (thanks to Leigh for pointing out that Tescos have them on offer for 49p so we have rather a lot of them!!!) with lovely pb, apple and pear. Mmmmm.

This afternoon I have been baking and doing more jobs around the house, so more photos tomorrow I think! That is enough for now!

Bye πŸ™‚

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12 thoughts on “What I listen to when I run”

  1. First time commenter πŸ™‚

    I like to listen to upbeat music while running and it’s taken me awhile to figure out breaths and stuff while listening to faster songs. I LOVE, love, love the old Ricky Gervais podcasts he used to do with Karl Pilkington, etc, but I would definitely be laughing too hard to run!

    If you ever want to do another blogger parcel swap, let me know. I miss all of the goodies from the UK & Ireland that I used to eat when I was studying there – just send me an email or something πŸ™‚

    1. Welcome πŸ™‚ Yes the ones with Karl are brilliant and there were a few times when I was laughing out loud so loud that it hurt and I had to stop! Swap sounds good – I will email πŸ™‚

  2. I love to exercise (be it running, weights ….. ) to poppy music. I’ve never done podcasts, I’m the kind of radio listener that switches the radio off if there is too much chit-chat so can’t imagine making it through a podcast.

    1. Trouble is I get a song stuck in my head for days, so if I hear music that I don’t like so much I get so annoyed with it! I love the chit chat! πŸ™‚

  3. Bless that boy, what a lovely thing to do – and they’re gorgeous!
    I don’t run but loved the music in Body Pump today, especially Raise Your Glass by Pink for the biceps track… hope you’re enjoying your first day of holiday πŸ™‚

  4. Sable- I think that most other radio stations generally only have music stuff. Well radio 5 has sporting things so sometimes that is interesting.
    Eleanor- the body pump music is growing on me too now.

  5. I love to listen to a bit of a mix of RnB, rap, dance, pop and rock when I’m running – basically anything upbeat and face paced, i.e. the total opposite of what I tend to listen to normally! Love the adam and joe show and BBC 6 music in general but I can only really get away with podcasts when running on the tread mill.

  6. I have a completely random playlist on my phone that I listen to – I should perhaps put more thought into it. The idea of listening to podcasts is interesting.
    On my long runs I actually like to run without headphones – I find the rhythm of running really relaxing and meditative.

  7. Laura- that is the sort of music we have at aerobics which I love for a change as not normally into that music at all!
    Sarah- some people listen to audiobooks too which I think for long slow runs would be nice.

  8. I’ve always listened to music when I’m on a run. But I would consider using a podcast in the future! Sounds like a great way to keep a steady pace, although i’m not sure if my mind would focus enough on the podcast. It won’t hurt to try though πŸ™‚

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