Music Calms the Savage Beast

Did you know that quote has its own Facebook page?

Actually the correct quote is "Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak." And it is by the Playwright/Poet William Congreve in The mourning bride, 1697.

This week's topic is Race Preparation as we get ready of the Fleet Feet Sunrise 10K. One thing that I always have to get ready is my music. Each week I plan out what tunes I'm going to play for our weekend run. Music is very important to me. I've collected many types of music for many years. I've got almost 80 Gigabytes of music in my iTunes library. That's 17,612 song or 49 days of music. Not that I could run that long. So I usually make a playlist long enough for my run.

The great thing about music is that you can use it to help your running. Music has rhythm. A Beat Per Minute. When you run your feet hit the ground and you typically get into a running rhythm. You can actual find music that has the same beats per minute as your running rhythm. Then if you want to try and increase your speed you might find a song that has a slightly faster BPM than your usual rhythm and then try and keep up to the faster beat.

Music can also inspire you. It can bring back old memories. It can make you laugh and as the saying goes, it can make you calm. I try to keep my heart rate low and found that fast strong rhythmic music, while it got me moving fast, also got my heart rate up. The last few years I've used smooth jazz to soothe the heart within the savage breast. And it works. I think it soothe my breathing also. Find what works for you.

One last thing I make sure I pack to go with my music is my "running headphone." It actually is a single headphone. I took an Apple headphone set and cut off the left earbud wire. I only wear the right earbud which typically has the strongest vocal track. This way I can hear my music and also hear what is going on around me. You have to be safe when you run and I never get the volume so high that I can't hear noise around me.

So run smooth with music that pumps you up or soothes your pace. But be safe as you enjoy your music.

Larry Graf - ATP Coach 

Hey Orange TEAM!  We have a few days to prepare for our practice race, but we have been preparing for several weeks now.  You have heard me mention each week about how the hills and the heat  of this race can "kick your butts" but I want you to know that all of our workouts so far have prepared us for this moment.  A little "butt-kicking" never hurt anyone!  The hills, the heat, the challenge of completing this 10k will only make us stronger and more prepared for our marathon. Lance Armstrong's ex-wife, Kristin Armstrong writes a column for Runner's World Magazine.  I've shared one of her recent columns because I think that her words really ring true for us runners, females (if you happen to be one), and anyone who is struggling with a transition.  My karate instructor has a poster on his wall that has an arrow pointing to Easy Street and another arrow pointing in the same direction stating that it is also the Road to Nowhere.  The mean streets of Alamo Heights might give us a run for our money, but we are going to show them that we are up for the challenge.

Good luck!  See you on Saturday!

Coach Kathy Seastrunk

Ten Steps

I pulled on sweatpants and a fleece jacket over my soggy running clothes after my tempo run on Monday morning. I walked to the grocery store to pick up some half and half with my arms crossed, shivering. I hate to be cold, but I reminded myself to soak in the chill because in a matter of mere days, I am back to the inferno of Texas heat at the apex of summer. When I am tomato red with a dripping ponytail, swamp-stuck to the leather seat of my car, I need to recall what it feels like to be cold.

I am not sure how my training, or my mood, will transition between climate zones. You cannot expect your body to perform at the same level when it is adjusting to other challenges (heat, humidity, and hydration-the three H's in this case). At least Austin is not at altitude, or I'd be completely off the back.

Transitions are unavoidable, in running life and in regular life. Maybe it's a new racing goal, maybe it's handling an injury or illness, or maybe it's adjusting to an aging body. Maybe it's a job change, a relationship change, a child (or you?) going through a phase. Maybe you have to pack up and move and start a life somewhere new. Maybe your parent or grandparent is getting old and is in need of care. Maybe you are about to take your baby off to college. Maybe your financial situation requires making different choices. Maybe you are restless and edgy, seeking some sort of change but unable to pinpoint what that may be. In both running and in life, we ideally want to handle transitions with grace.

So how do we do that?

Here is a ten step plan.  I'll call it:

How to Handle Change and Still Maintain a Comfort Zone. By Kristin Armstrong

1. I believe the first step in anything is acknowledgment. So in this case, we acknowledge that a transition is upon us and we allow that awareness to settle in. No sense playing hide and seek when it comes to change.

2. Part two of step one: Begin anything with what, people? Gratitude. Find at least three things to be thankful for, right at this moment. Gratitude will always pull your gaze higher and beyond yourself-this is essential for maintaining perspective.

3. Manage fear by calling it out of the shadows. Are you resisting the transition? What are you afraid of? Vague is always more scary than specific, so name it.

4. Go on a run, long enough or fast enough to clear your thinking, and mull this over: Picture yourself on the other side of this situation. What kind of person are you? How have you changed? How do you want to feel about the way you handled things? What was your role and your impact? If any epiphanies arise, write them down.

5. Surround yourself with the people who lift you-your mood, your confidence, your standards.  These are the people who remind you of who you are and what you're made of.

6. Accept this duality: You are already good enough and there is always room for improvement.

7. Take care of yourself. Eat well, rest, train hard and smart, make time to think and breathe. Be intentional with your time so you can be ready for #8.

8. Every transition is a series of situations and circumstances comprised of decisions. These decisions can be choices to make about what to do next, or they can be choices about attitude (your mood, your reaction, the amount of energy you will give to a person or a situation). When each decision needs to be made, revisit #4. In word, action, or intent, choose the next step that leads you in the direction of how you ultimately want to end up.

9. If you need something, seek it. If something no longer serves you, let it go.

10. Return to Gratitude.

Purple

Aqua