the MP3 Miracle

This confession is going to make me look like a big nerd. Yep - loser with a capital L.

I have never owned an IPod, MP3 player, or even a Discman.

Pathetic, right?

I have wanted to but, hey, I have 5 children who have endless lists of wants and needs. Money only stretches so far so my Christmases have mostly morphed into receiving the new pair of running shoes I desperately need.

So, I have never run accompanied by music. I've told myself that is okay because it gives me a great chance to think. Although, true be told, my thinking generally runs along the lines of computing what percent of my run I've finished and how far I've got left to go. Profound, huh?

I tried running with Kevin's MP3 a couple months ago but it wasn't a great experience. He had all of about 10 songs on there. Who knew he was such a fan of Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift (but that's a subject for another post)?

Anyway, last week I decided to try it again. I asked McKayla if I could borrow her IPod. Anyone who has a teen probably is aware that they are unable to be without their IPod for longer than 30 minutes so McKayla quickly volunteered to load music on Kevin's MP3 so I could use it instead.

That's when THE MIRACLE occurred. I am a slow runner - 12 minute miles. I tried all summer to get my time down but couldn't do it. Then...(drum roll please) I run with great music and my time is 11 minute miles. Just like that I drop a full minute of my mile time. At first, I think maybe I computed incorrectly or something. However, 4 runs later and my time is actually slightly below 11-minute miles.

Ahhh...the power of music!