Step One - Update the Tunes

One of the first things I decided to do when I started to focus on playing was to change what I hear. Not only did I change what I say to myself but I changed what I listen to while I'm having playtime.  I figured that most of us spring clean everything else - why not our work out music?  Fresh new music can inspire and energize giving that extra boost right when we need it.

The music I used to listen to while running was sorta angry and aggressive and I knew I needed to change that. I want to have fun and what I had been listening to didn't make me feel that way.

I went through the music in my iTunes library to figure out what I should add to my new and improved running playlist. My aim was to replace the harsh stuff with lighter, fun music.

The first thing I thought of adding was music from my days as a kid. I figured that if the song was attached to a fond memory then it would be perfect for the playlist. Rick Springfield, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and the GoGo's all found a new home on my iPod.

Next came the fun music that makes me dance in my car during rush hour traffic. Enter Ke$ha, Britney Spears, Pink, and, yes, Lady Gaga.

I added in some Kelly Clarkson, a healthy dose of Florence + the Machine, a splash of Beyonce, a dash of the Spice Girls (don't judge me!), and a few old disco tunes that remind me of being 3 years old and cruising with my Aunt Peggy.

I held onto Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Marvin Gaye, and Led Zeppelin because my list would not be the same without them.  And I could not leave off one of my favorite songs, No Rain by Blind Melon (it reminds me of college).

Now that my new playlist is complete, I am going to take it out for some playtime.  While I'm doing that, I leave you with this....

Happy Trails!

Valeka

New Shoes

Funny that a pair of really nice shoes makes us feel good in our heads - at the extreme opposite end of our bodies. -Levende Waters

I've decided that I would wog much better if I had a new pair of running shoes. No, they aren't really necessary but, as lots of women know, new shoes sometimes give us super powers. They make us more daring, more powerful, more confident - and those are a few things I could use when it comes to my work outs.

My old shoes still have a few more miles left in them but they feel like they belong to someone else. Or perhaps it's because when I look at them, they remind me of the lack of commitment I had to my sport and my health when I bought them. I joked with BFF telling her that I felt they were "haunted". Looking back on that comment, maybe it wasn't really a joke. In my mind, I see them as haunted by the ghosts of my laziness, complacency and past failures. They were never loved the way a pair of running shoes should be.

A new pair of shoes would feel like a fresh start for my feet and for me. I can show them all the love that my current pair didn't get by getting them muddy, dusty, sweaty and smelly. I can take them on fresh new adventures and make them say "whew!  I'm beat" at the end of our days together.  I will name them (yes, I named all of my running shoes when I was training because they were my running buddies and deserved to be called something other than "shoes").

That is my project for the week - the quest for new shoes.  I'm ready to feel that sensation of love at first fit.  That moment when I will feel that the shoes are meant for no one but me.  It will be an affair to remember...

Happy Trails!

Valeka