Hey, I’m Greg, a 50 year-old runner and fitness enthusiast. Just 10 short years ago, this wasn’t the case. (Trust me. At my age, 10 years now seems short). As I worked the last decade to become a runner and eventually pursue a goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, my music was a big part of my training. Certain songs became lessons and inspirations to keep going when I hurt and my confidence was low.
Everyone needs inspiration, and that is one of the reasons I started this blog. So, to start with, I want to share some of these musical lessons with you. I’ve written an ebook called Don’t Stop Believin’ And Other Musical Running Lessons.
Here is an excerpt from the introduction:
…I love to run, but long before I took up running, I had another love – music. In my lifetime, I’ve owned the gamut of music media from vinyl LP’s to eight track tapes to cassette tapes to CD’s and now digital downloads.
I remember when I thought the Sony Walkman was the greatest invention of all time, allowing me to take music on the go in cassette tape form. Now, I have the true world changer of all-time, an iPhone, to carry my tunes with me everywhere I go, especially on the run.
These days my favorite music from my ’70’s and ’80’s youth is now called classic rock, but I still love it and listen to it. As I began my running journey, I took full advantage of the new technology called an iPod and listened to music most every step of the way. Every now and then, I’d try listening to a book or running naked (no, not that naked…I mean without headphones and a watch, silly) but neither of those options cut it for me. Maybe that’s the true reason I don’t do many group runs – I’m not anti-social, just anti-no music!
As I ran and ran and ran during the past decade, certain tunes began to take on new meanings. These special songs provided motivation, encouragement, and reminders – and became lessons to myself on running. I use some of these tunes at specific places on race playlists, while others just make appearances on my training runs, and one little song from my childhood has become my mantra. On the following few pages, I share these songs with you and why they mean something to my running journey.Maybe this will help you, too. Hope you enjoy.
