Sunday 24 February 2013

Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and Music

Today for the fifth time this week (that is, if the weather’s nice) I will make my legs and body hurt. I will make my nose so runny that snot will be coming out of it in buckets (I do beg your pardon; you might be having your breakfast whilst reading this post on your snazzy and shiny new smartphone or iPad). Finally, I will have caused blisters to appear in between my toes; a consequence of chafing.

You might be thinking that I have become a modern disciple of the Marquis de Sade in relation to my body. You would be wrong, though

Reader, I’m a runner.

For about twenty years now I have been an active jogger. Track or pavement, you name it, I have pounded on it. I still remember my regular runs at Havana University Stadium in the mid-90s when I was still a student at uni. But then my professional life began and I had to adapt my running hours to my new work schedule.

Relocated to the UK in ’97, I didn’t run for the first year or so. I was still getting used to my surroundings. Then, one day, on a warm, summer Sunday morning, I told my wife I would go out for a short run. Despite my fitness, I could feel my muscles aching. I could only manage a couple of laps around our local park. In spite of the physical discomfort, however, I realised that I was still in love with jogging. I vowed to go back to it in earnest and have kept my promise since.

A recent article posed the questions: Why? Why do we run? Mine was one of the 688 replies the feature got: why shouldn’t I?  I agreed with the author of the column, Adharanand Finn that “Running brings us joy. Watch small children when they are excited, at play, and mostly they can't stop running. Back and forth, up and down, in little, pointless circles.” Moreover, running is liberating. Yes, there’s the ache (not pain, if you feel pain, stop doing it and check with your GP), the wear and tear to which you submit your knees over time and the aforementioned bodily fluid coming out of your nose. But there’s also a sense of letting go and leaving your troubles behind.

In my case there’s another reason to go out for a jog on a cold, winter’s day with the temperature hovering just over the 0° mark. It’s hard to explain, though, because my motivation is not based on one single element, but rather, on a symbiosis of different factors: I run outdoors on my own whilst listening to music.

The outdoors aspect gives me a scenery, albeit of an urban ilk, that changes constantly. Even when I’m constantly jogging along the same roads and taking the same route. My loneliness is the catalyst for inspiration (whether it results in a post on my blog or an article for publication in a newspaper or magazine). The music is one of the more important elements. A lot of the melodies I’ve come to enjoy and appreciate in recent years have been listened to whilst I’ve been pounding the streets and pavements of my barrio.

Over the years my running routine has changed. Back in Cuba I used to run in the mornings. That changed drastically when I started to work as a teacher and began my semi-professional dancing career with the Havana University Folkloric Ensemble. I could only jog whenever the opportunity arose. Settled in the UK and my love for running rekindled, I used to set out in the mornings again. For the last decade, however, I have opted for sunsets instead of sunrises as companions to my regular run. Nevertheless, a few years ago, on a warm summer Sunday morning, I went out for a jog. It was still very early and the sun was not out yet. As I went up a steep hill, Bach’s Prelude in C major (performed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma) kicked in on my mp3 player. As if on cue, the sun began to rise behind me. It was pure magic. Had I been looking for a branch of philosophy that could explain why I was running up that hill, that wordless moment would have summed up it for me perfectly: the beautiful innateness of jogging.

© 2013

Next Post: “Urban Diary”, to be published on Wednesday 27th February at 11:59pm (GMT)


26 comments:

  1. I'm more a walker than a runner... but I know what you mean about the troubles being left behind.
    x

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  2. not a bad reason to be running....smiles...i does capture a bit of a feel of it...i am not a runner...not easy runner at least...i am more mountain...hiker, climber than runner...we all need those outlets though to awaken in us, and to leave behind...tru that...

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  3. I do most of my Saturday morning errands walking. Great way to clear the head and think about the mindless things in life. Like writing.

    I do my walking year round, no matter what the weather may be. The only time I don't get my weekly walking in is when I have to be somewhere on that particular Saturday, and thus don't have the time to get it in.

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  4. You can't scare the cat, unless you show pictures of the snot running at your mat, then I may run away from your bay haha I walk but walk fast, when the stupid back can last.

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  5. nice..over the years, running was a part of my life again and again..i'm a slow runner but enjoy that you can do it everywhere without needing complicated equipment and i'm enjoying that it makes my mind free..used to run mornings for a while, then during lunchbreaks (luckily we have showers in the company i work) and evenings

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  6. Estupendo no dejes de correr y salir ya que todo te va llevar estar en buena forma y sentirte feliz.
    Yo soy tan solo de andar.
    Un abrazo

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  7. I like running to music too - but I find my earphones keep falling out. I know I'm a skinflint and ought to invest in the right kit - but then, I quite like running to 4'33" too.

    (Did 5 miles on the road this morning).

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  8. We're meant to move, for sure. Children all dance when they hear music, run around when playing, and can't slow down easily even when admonished. Grownups who run recapture that joy, that exhilaration.
    At my age, and with bad knees, I walk, I swim, I move to music whenever I can.

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  9. Many thanks for your kind comments. I came back from my fifth run (hooray!) this week a few hours ago.

    It's funny, but some of you have mentioned exercises that are better for one's health than running: walking and swimming. :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  10. nice you run, I think all we have to make we like, I love swim (first) and walk almost the same and when I say walk Im really serious, sometimes kilometros, really, because I live in the countryside and I dont use a car, so I walk, but dont heard music, only love to llok smell andheard the birds, the people and all.
    nad yes when I walk I forget all the same when I swim for this in this time I swimm all days.

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  11. Lovely - lately I have taken to running a fair amount too - only I wear those crazy ten toe vibram shoes - I like them a great deal but they are difficult in the cold-- I have to get some other pair for cold. Thanks for the inspiration. k.

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  12. It's great that you run. :) I love to walk, it definitely helps to leave things behind. :)

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  13. a runner! I used to run for health and exercise. But stoped 5 years ago. My lungs did not cooperate. Glad you like my photography. :)

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  14. I must agree with you when you say running helps you let your troubles behind and relax. I don't often ru, but lately Im doing it as a weight control, but I've used it to let steam off when I come upset from work. Hugs

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  15. i love to take brisk walks good for the soul

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  16. I'm a walker, running is too hard on the knees, especially in Chicago's cold weather. I can understand the connection with running and music, though. It's a great form of meditation.

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  17. I used to love running but my 'fake' knee hurts too much these days.

    I recognize that sublime moment of sunrise that you describe so beautifully.

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  18. Decidedly a walker rather than a runner (I have never seen a runner who looks to be enjoying themselves) but yes, it too can be meditative. Lovely post - thank you.

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  19. I love running!
    I find it not only a great form of meditation, but also a brilliant outlet for any anger or aggression I may have accumulated. It just burns it up and I finish my run feeling calm and much more balanced!:)

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  20. I love running!
    I find it not only a great form of meditation, but also a brilliant outlet for any anger or aggression I may have accumulated. It just burns it up and I finish my run feeling calm and much more balanced!:)

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  21. I never was a great runner or jogger, but used to swim and cycle a lot. Now, I'm afraid, I'm down to walking, which does stimulate the poetic juices a bit, I find.

    You put the case fro running most convincingly.

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  22. Yes, yes, and yes. I've had a few of those magical convergences between Great Song and Running Through Great Beauty.

    As you note, there is therapy in running--it shifts the brain into a different gear and makes it work differently.

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  23. Yes, yes, and yes. I've had a few of those magical convergences between Great Song and Running Through Great Beauty.

    As you note, there is therapy in running--it shifts the brain into a different gear and makes it work differently.

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  24. lots of lovely insights - like another commenter I get this from walking more than running - the Guardian has a new blog about running plus have you read Haruki Murakami's book on running?? think it is called What i think about when I am running...Greetings from Nice

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  25. Good to hear you are running! My husband just started running last year and enjoys it. I used to run but can’t anymore because of my knees so I ski, hike and swim instead.

    That cello suite of Bach’s is one of my absolute favorite pieces of music. I love the setting in your clip even if the player isn’t Yo-Yo Ma.

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