I never knew I wanted an iPod until I got one. My folks bought it for me for Christmas, along with a nice new Brooks jacket with a pocket made to carry it. Thanks again, mom and dad!

I spent the next two days obsessively loading CDs into iTunes. I’d burned the best songs from my whole collection, and the silly little sliver wasn’t even one third full.
Running with the iPod was a revelation.

I’d always been sort of a purist – snobby even – about running with music. I wasn’t worried about tuning out traffic, since I run mostly off road. Being out in the woods, though, I want to be mindful of the world around me, and commune with nature. I want to hear birdsong and brook, and the wind playing through the branches. I want to hear other runners sneaking up behind me, and maybe chat a bit, especially if they happen to be good-looking female runners.

Screw all that. I want to rock. I want to hip, hop and don’t stop the body rock. Yes, yes y’all.

Running is mental. The mind must transcend the body while pounding out miles, so as to shut off all those nagging little aches and pains. Our bodies call out to slow down, take it easy, but we follow instead the rhythm of our heart, lungs and legs.

Music helps all that. What better than a De La Soul groove to keep your feet moving? The Ramones provoke bursts of speed, but I can’t keep that tempo all day. My tastes have always been fairly eclectic, and I love the shuffle feature. I only put my favorite songs into myPod, so it’s a pleasant surprise every three or four minutes. I canter along to Johnny Cash and then pump my elbows with the slinky bass of Luscious Jackson. It’s all good for the glide in my stride… until I get carried away and try to bust a move. I figure it can’t hurt my training if I can spare some breath to sing along. Dignity is a lost cause anyway, when you’re honking snot every few minutes.