Top-5 lists

I hope you've all seen High Fidelity. It is, seriously, one of the greatest movies ever.



I used to watch it constantly when I was in college. I watched it so often that I actually broke the tape on my old VHS, and although I have neither the VHS nor the DVD anymore, I can still quote nearly the whole movie by heart. I actually wrote a paper on the meta-fictional aspects of Rob's mix-tape creation process because I'm a total nerd.

Anyway, if you're familiar with the movie, you know that Rob Gordon has a slight obsession with top-5 lists.



Confession: I do, too.

Now, if I really wanted to do this right, I would now give you my top 5 top-5 lists, but that would just be crazy. I'll just give you a couple, starting with one I've been pondering since my post yesterday...

My Top 5 Reasons to Run WITHOUT Music

• It eliminates influence on your pace. I find that I run to the beat of the music I'm listening to, not to my natural pace. Now, if you can find a playlist set to a beat that matches your natural pace, more power to ya! I, unfortunately, don't have one of those.
• It eliminates distraction from your breathing. I think I breathe funny when I listen to music while running. Maybe I don't, but I don't actually have a clue! I can feel myself breathing, sure, and I can hear it sometimes when I focus. But, when I run without music, my breathing is often the ONLY thing I hear, and I like that. Breathing is so key.
• It's safer. I live in an urban environment and have to run on the sidewalks lining busy streets, sometimes in the streets themselves, and it's good to be able to hear the action going on around me. I don't like stepping on dogs or smacking into strollers coming around corners (it's totally happened), and I certainly wouldn't like getting hit by a car! Keeping your ears open is important.
• I feel more connected with my environment. Alright, here's my hippie reason. Music takes me out of my environment and into my brain. I find running much more enjoyable when I'm in the moment, and that means smelling the trees, checking out the squirrels, waving to the neighbors, etc. I remember to do those things more often when I don't have earbuds in.
• I don't have to be scared of the rain. So, maybe this one's not applicable year-round, but it certainly is applicable in Georgia in April! The sky can cloud over and open up on you in a few minutes flat with little to no warning. My Garmin is waterproof, but my iPod, sadly, is not. This is actually the reason I started running iPod free in the first place!

Next...

My Top 5 Reasons That Spring Rocks

• I love flowers! I really do. I love the smell, and I love the colors. When spring hits in Georgia, the whole state blooms. I love it.
• I love spring clothes! Sweaters are fun, but I'm a jeans-and-a-tee-shirt kind of girl. If I can wear flip-flops, that's just a bonus!
• I can exercise outside. I love being outside. It's not that I hate gyms, but I feel like real exercise (like running on the road and riding an actual bike) is much more organic and arguably better for the body. I don't mind that I'm going to sweat--it's worth it!
• I much prefer drinking on patios than drinking in bars. I don't drink often, but when I do, I like to sit outside! When patio-drinking weather comes around, I'm one happy camper.
• It stays light outside later. I love that Jeff and I can go biking after work now! It stays light late enough for us to squeeze in a good, long ride before the sun sets. Love love love it.

Lastly...

The Top 5 Things You Probably Don't Know about Me

• I spent two years living in Asia. I lived in South Korea teaching Enlish for a year, then I lived in Thailand for six months before moving back to South Korea for another six months. I spent a lot of the time that I lived in Thailand backpacking around Southeast Asia.
• I've been a vegetarian since I was 11 years old. How did I decide to go veg when I was just a kid? I didn't like what my mom made for dinner! True story. I later identified with the morals and ethics of the movement, but in the beginning, I just wanted to cook my own food.
• I don't drive. I just don't feel like driving is a responsible decision for someone like me who lives in a city. I have a scooter, a bike, and two feet! I also have easy access to mass transportation. I'm sure I'll drive someday, but not until it's necessary.
• I started college when I was 16. I'm not a genius, though! I promise. I was just in a really big hurry. I was bored with high school and decided I was ready to move on.
• I really like trashy TV! Yep. I like reality dating shows, celebrity gossip shows, cooking competition shows, you name it! I'm fascinated by them. I've totally watched an entire marathon (or five) of America's Next Top Model, and I'm currently obsessed with The Biggest Loser.

Your turn! Tell me your top 5 movies of all time. I need to add some movies to Jeff's NetFlix queue! :-) I hope you're all having lovely weeks!

Music-free?

School is kicking my tush this semester! Wowsers! I've been writing this paper on the lunacy of the Supreme Court in the 1880's for days and days, and I'm nowhere close to finishing. Sadness. The paper has been the reason for my absence from the blogosphere as of late. I'm on page 17 of 30 at the moment. Yikes.

Don't worry, though--I've still found time for training! Last Sunday was my first real long run! It was just a six-miler, but it was farther than I've ever run before! I felt awesome when I finished, like I could do anything.

And, I ran it without my beloved iPod!



I've been running music-free a lot lately. I try to do at least one of my runs each week without my music-making friend. I like the sort of communion with nature that I get from running without music. It makes it easier to focus on what's going on around me, and it helps me focus on what's going on inside me, too. It's pretty zen. I dig it.

I think I'm going to look up some podcasts or books on tape for my longer runs, though. I do get bored from time to time! Any recommendations?

By the way, LOVE the loop on my tank's shoulder strap to thread my headphones through. LOVE. That's some genius technology.

Another thing I love? My new Garmin Forerunner 305!



I run so much faster now that I can see my pace spelled out on my wrist. Who knew something so small could help so much? I love knowing exactly how far I've ran, too.

Anyway, must get back to paper writing.

Changing it up

Today's run was a bit different than usual for two reasons: (1) I went iPod-less, and (2) I had new clothes!

So, first, the lack of iPod. When I was getting ready to run, the skies were quite threatening looking and the The Weather Channel was forecasting thunderstorms within the 30 minutes it would take me to run my "Hilly McMountains" 3-mile loop (goes up and down 4 serious hills). Fearing a torrential downpour before I made it back, I went out without my beloved music-maker.



It was nice! I channeled my inner yogi and focused on my breath and on my feet connecting with the ground. I also paid more attention to my stature and running form, which actually made the run feel both easier and shorter! This isn't something I'm going to do all of the time, but I definitely enjoyed it today--it was a refreshing change.

Do you run with or without music? I'm curious as to other people's preferences!

Second, my new apparel! Being new to the exercise world, I don't have many of the right tools yet. For example, up until yesterday, I had just been wearing a cotton sports bra and a cotton t-shirt when running. Yesterday, though, I got my first dry-weave running tank in the mail! It's nothing fancy--it's just from Old Navy--but I'm already in love! Here it is with my usual running shorts (which I'm excited about replacing when my new ones arrive tomorrow!).



I love that the bra and tank are one piece. I love having the freedom to swing my arms wide when I'm huffing it up hills. I love that it wicks the sweat off of my back before it drips down into my shorts! It was a totally new experience.

Bonus? It shows off one of my (six) tattoos!



This is my koi. I got him on a little island off the eastern coast of Thailand called Ko Samet by an artist named Wijit. This was my first tattoo of two in Thailand--I lived in Thailand for about 6 months in 2006 while volunteering, and the tattoo art there was too amazing to pass up!

Also, for those who are curious, I did make it back today before the rain! Yay! I was only wet from the buckets of sweat pouring out of me, which reminds me that I've got to start drinking more water!