What I Talk About When I Talk About Trying to Run: Part Six

Is anyone else really concerned about DMX's vocal cords? The man has been shouting since the 90's. I just want to give him a cough drop and a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. I read a story once about how Celine Dion won't talk the day of a show and uses an air humidifier in her dressing room.  I imagine DMX and Celine have been sharing their voice-saving strategies for years.

DMX: "STOP! DROP!"

Celine: "D, remember, use your inside voice." 

Okay okay, I know, enough with the timely pop culture references.

So what do I listen to when I run? Here's a few songs from my playlist that I've been using for the past couple races:

• Vava Voom - Bassnectar
• On A Train - The Magician Remix - Yuksek
• B.O.B. - OutKast
• Untrust Us - Crystal Castles
• Lose Control - Missy Elliott (feat. Ciara & Fat Man Scoop)
• Breed - Nirvana
• Pump It - The Black Eyed Peas
• Country Grammar - Nelly
• A Milli - Lil Wayne
• Howling At The Moon - Phantogram
• Animals - Marin Garrix
• Come With Me Now - Kongos
• Dirt Off Your Shoulder - Jay Z
• I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Dropkick Murphys

I highly recommend all of those songs, but especially the Dropkick Murphys. Fair warming you may accidentally/on purpose punch someone in the face as you cross the finish line. I think this song accounts for 87% of all face punches in races. Bryan said he doesn't hold it against me, but his eye always twitches a little when he says this. I'm still unclear if it's because he's lying or from my awesome right hook.

November: Cantigny 5k

Speaking of punching people in the face, what's with people running with no shirt in the winter? Or no shoes? It's ridiculous. And if these people would run a little bit slower I would definitely punch them in the face. Cantigny's 5k was on a golf course. Sounds beautiful, but then you realize that you're running up and down the hills that are typically used for golf carts. 

December: Santa Hustle 5k

I ran my final 5k of the year last at Soldier Field with Bryan and my friend, Ellie. We followed the giant inflatable Santa and stood in the freezing cold for the better part of 45 minutes. I was really excited to learn that we got a hoodie for this race. I was less excited when I saw how incredibly small the sizes ran. How can a race that celebrates a fat man eating millions of cookies have such small sizes? I ended up exchanging my hoodie twice because I couldn't get one that fit. You know that feeling of trying on a shirt that's too small in the dressing room and there's that moment of panic when you can't get it on or off? It's just stuck between your neck and arms and you start thinking about how maybe you could lead your life with a shirt covering your face. That was this hoodie. But enough about my chubby arms, let's get on to the race.

I had my second fastest time at this race, but I think it's mainly because I realized that I really had to pee about 10 seconds before the race started. This race taught me an important lesson. Approach every race like a child about to go on a very long car ride. Yes, you probably don't have to go to the bathroom right now, but you should try just in case. While my fellow runners were gleefully stopping at the candy and cookie stations and taking pictures of the funny signs along the route, I was thinking about how it wouldn't be that big a deal to pull off to the side of the road and just go. See what I mean? Be a child on a road trip!

Final Thoughts:
I'm so happy to have finished 12 races in 2014. I ran more than I ever have before. I ran in the snow. I ran in the rain. I ran in the heat. It was hard and challenging and I wanted to give up many, many times.  My advice to anyone attempting to run a race a month would be to have fun, ensure that you have an awesome playlist, and to keep trying even when it sucks. It's completely worth it! Plus, free bananas.