5 Days Til The Marathon

Holy Cow!!!! It is getting so close. I have really got to stop this whole mental battle in my head and stop all this worrying. I am worried about pulling muscles, straining or spraining something, developing some kind of new fat blister, losing a toenail, slipping and bruising something, or better yet.... a student sneezing all over me and causing me to get sick. I have come so far... If you are a praying person, pray for my protection over the next 5 days...until I can cross that finish line!!!

Speaking of protection... There is a big debate in the running world over the safety of these gadgets while running.
The safety issue being that you can't hear cars honking at you if you are running to beat of GaGa's "Poker Face," or Little Big Town's "Little White Church." The key to being safe with the iPod is not leaving it at home, but keeping the volume at a minimum. If you can't hear a car horn... It's too loud.

After I got into running a bit, I discovered another debate about these little gadgets. Some runner's argue that they keep you from the real running experience... communing with nature, listening to the rhythm of your breathing, and making sure your feet aren't scraping funny as you get tired in the longer runs.

I say to each his own... If the thump of the beat helps you to run at your best pace, then thump away... If you need to hear your breathing, then leave it at home. I really don't get the fuss over such an issue. If you are taking the time and energy to better yourself by running, or doing any exercise to the beat of an iPod, then I say good for you! Carry on!

I mix up my runs with and without the iPod so I don't become completely dependent on my John P. Kee, Hezekiah Walker, Kirk Franklin, and Fred Hammond play list to push me to my best runs. If you don't know those singers, google and download everything they have!

Sometimes I even wear the headphones just to keep my ears occupied, but I never turn the music on. During my longest run of 22 miles, I wore the headphones the whole way, and didn't realize til I got finished that I never turned it on. Believe it or not, my mind kept bust the entire 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Some road races don't allow iPods, so be sure to check your particular race if you have one coming up. Thankfully, the Georgia Marathon does allow them. I am taking mine, but I am planning to use it only if necessary! 5 DAYS TO GO!!!