June 21, 2010
I’m on the road, up country, out of town. When you run by the ocean in the rain, before sunrise, is there any good reason to listen to music that cancels out the surf, the roll and tumble of the sand and rock in the backwash, the birdsong, the gulls’ cry, the breeze in the bent Madrone? A morning run in black and white with many shades of grey doesn’t need a soundtrack. Turned off the iPod and ran all the way home.
Photo Credit
“Looking Down at the Ocean” Ripka @ Flickr.com. Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved.
Recent Michael Lebowitz Articles:
- Tarmac Meditations #205: Images in the Sunrise
- Tarmac Meditations #204: Images From the Road - Smoke Risin'
- Tarmac Meditations #203: Images From the Road
- Tarmac Meditations #202: Images From the Road
- Tarmac Meditations: Haiku # 42
It took a while for me to appreciate the meditative quality of running. When you settle in to left right left right and your breathing matches up, the distance passes and hearing the sounds around me takes on a whole new depth. I never run with an Ipod – too much gets missed!
Interesting… your post relates to a similar personal experience. The longer my runs and the further I venture into the wilderness the less I “tune out”. Thanks for reminding some of us that it’s a natural response to the beauty that sometimes surrounds us on a run.