Silent Running*

The Ocean is one of the best things about living in L.A.
And bright, clear, warm Fall days is one of the other best things about living in L.A.

I run at the ocean from time to time. I drive all the way to the stairs at Ocean Avenue and walk down to the bike path; from there I just go north. North is prettier than south (as far as I’m concerned).

a little hectic for me, even in daylight

a little hectic for me, even in daylight

I do love the Ferris wheel…

…but the Santa Monica Pier just gets a little chaotic for me.

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So I run to the right where there are fewer people/buildings/distraction. Just ocean, sand, me, and my iPod.

I make a play list for each run. The last one had some guilty hip-hop pleasures like “Battlefield” and one that samples Frou Frou. Then there’s Temper Trap, New Jet, Wolfmother and Imogen Heap.

Sometimes I see dolphins, which is pretty exciting. It’s about a 5 mile run which is just enough time for me to go from pure elation to pure exhaustion. By the time I walk up the huge wooden staircase back to my car I feel totally fulfilled and a little tan. A few new freckles are the bonus.

BUT this morning when I went after yoga, my iPod froze up and I had to brave the run without music, which I don’t think I’ve EVER done.  Silent running?! (* Don’t laugh at that movie, Bruce Dern is really, really nice.) That meant either I’d be miserably caught up with my thoughts of how much I wanted the run to be over, my poor Beemer, my pending audition, etc., or I’d be hearing the last song it played over and over.

What I didn’t anticipate was discovering —

a different kind of soundtrack.

Kids laughing, women speed talking/walking, guys playing volleyball, the sounds of the other runners’ deep breathing. I truly surprised myself by finding a way of running in the moment and actually enjoying the semi-silence…

quiet my mind

quiet my mind

I never thought I would be able to do it…

and I never thought I’d actually find pleasure in it.

Do you have a playlist online?  Mine’s at blip.fm so far — where’s yours?

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2 responses to “Silent Running*”

  • You’d be surprised what you hear when you’re forced to listen to what’s around you — this applies to driving with the windows down, too!

    I’m totally a city kid so sounds of the major metropolitan area is like music to me. Reminds me that I don’t live in a town, but a living, breathing, organism known as a big city.
    .-= Check out nicopolitan´s latest: Get Through Monday (Lesson 1,113) =-.

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