Steve Jobs: Runners BFF?

That *&%$ groundhog.  We were enjoying an agreeable winter until that rodent stuck his snout into things.  Now, February has become January.  Here in my corner of Hog Heaven, it was 28 degrees with gray skies, snow showers, and gusty (20+ mph) NW winds when I ventured out for today's run.  No fun at all.  

Even so, I ended up stretching a 1-hour maintenance run into a 1 hour, 25 minute maintenance run.  At least I was warm as long as I was running.  Tonight's forecast calls for low temps around 0 with wind chill temps from -10 to -15.  That will make tomorrow morning's cross training chilly indeed.  

Next up: Sunday's initial speed-work session in my train-up for the May 6 Colorado Marathon.  I'll do 4 x 1 mile repeats at a 9:30 pace.  That's the recommendation from Jeff Galloway's Marathon: You Can Do It.   Over time, we'll see if that's the Goldilocks pace for me this season.

300,000,000 and counting.  That's how many iPods Apple has sold.  300 million.  And, they didn't even exist until ten years ago.  Apple first announced its now-ubiquitous iPod on October 23, 2001.  That means that 30,000 runners managed to finish the 2000 New York Marathon without an iPod.  Today, many runners would rather run without shoes than without their iPods.  At races, they're everywhere.  Most of the people I encounter training on the local roads or trails have a pod in their ear.  I usually just wave as I pass.  Speaking would be . . .  Well, every time I'm tempted to, I think of a tree falling in the forest when there's no one there.  

You've probably guessed by now that I don't own an iPod.  That doesn't mean that I'm opposed to them.  It means that I like to use my running time for things other than listening to music.  Back when I was still teaching, I'd often use my daily run to review the material for my upcoming lectures.  I once completely revised my interpretation of Napoleon Bonaparte--from World Historical Figure to egoist and tyrant--on a long run.  

I no longer teach and seldom think about Napoleon, and then only briefly.  But, there are things that I still need to work out.  I also find that I spend a lot of time recalling past events and planning future ones.  Sometimes, I just let my mind wander, and I find that my imagination is as good as my memory.  And, I usually return from a run mentally refreshed.  I wonder if that would be the case if I ran with Lil' Kim in my ear.  

While I don't think that the iPod would work for me, that doesn't mean that it doesn't work for others.  Heck, just look around.  300,000,000 people can't be wrong.  But, race organizers don't seem to be fond of them.  Mostly due to questions of safety.  In fact, the NYC Marathon, among many others, "strongly discourages" its now 45,000 runners against using an iPod--a recommendation that largely falls on deft ears.