Training Tuesdays: 07.19.11.

I've discovered the secret to doing long runs alone.

PODCASTS!

Why didn't anybody tell me this? Why didn't I think of this sooner? 

I'm not a big fan of listening to music while I run. It distracts me. Sometimes in a good way - in the way where I get so absorbed in a song that I forget I'm running. But usually in a way where I forget to breathe, I amp up my pace and generally forget my surroundings. Not good.

Thinking that my 14-mile solo run was going to be a challenge, I grabbed my iPod Shuffle as I was packing for the weekend. But knowing that there would be no way of keeping my ridiculously slow training pace while listening to Beyonce, Bad Religion and Outkast (eclectic, I know), I had a light bulb moment - why not put podcasts of some of my favorite radio programs on my Shuffle? I know "radio programs" makes me seem like an old lady. Hubs makes fun of me weekly. But, keeping busy on weekends recently, I haven't been catching Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! and This American Life every Saturday. What seems like a million years ago, I had subscribed to the Freakonomics podcast on iTunes, but had only listened to the first episode. So I loaded up my Shuffle with two of each program.

The programs had variation, were interesting, funny, thought-provoking, but mild enough that I kept a consistent (slow) pace. I was entertained, but not hurried.

I can't say that this is the reason for the success of my run (Lord help me if I even think of chalking it up to my pre-run McDonald's non-carb loading), but I can definitively say that this was my best run. Of the entire training program. Including short mid-week runs. Not only did the run feel good, but I felt great the rest of the day. I double checked my route to make sure I actually ran 14 miles. And I had!

I ran along the beautiful Columbia Trail, which stretches between High Bridge and Long Valley, New Jersey. The entire trail is 11 miles long. A few weeks back when I was in Jersey for a visit I did a 6-miler on the trail, starting in Long Valley and ending in Califon. It was a nice run, if maybe a little boring. So for this run, I started on the other end of the trail, in High Bridge, and ran just over 7 miles out and back. I got through one This American Life, one Wait Wait, and one Freakonomics. For the last couple miles, though, I did get a little push from Cee-Lo, Nicki Minaj, Spoon and the Scissor Sisters. And, yes, I did run those miles too fast.

This is my running schedule for the rest of the week: