A New Soundtrack

As soon as I saw the chink of sunlight through my bedroom curtains this morning I was itching to get out for a good run. So I quickly got into my running gear, GPS and playlist at the ready as I do every morning and headed out towards the nearby woodland. Before long I was in a good pacey rhythm, enjoying the beautiful surroundings and the promise of a happy sunny day ahead. At about 3 miles in, the music that was pumping into my ears stopped abruptly, the woman who tells me my average pace had gone..my iPod was dead. Not good.

If like me you like some upbeat motivational tunes to accompany your run and set yourself goals to improve on speed/time you'll know what I'm talking about here..

As it turns out, the lack of power in my iPod turned this into a brilliant new experience. My new soundtrack was better than I could have ever expected. The rhythmic beat of my feet striking the ground, the sounds of birds, sheep, ducks, a stream running alongside me. I can't believe I've been missing out on all of this beneath the sound of Emeli Sande.. I felt so much more connected with my surroundings and my body, and managed to completely let go of the pressure that I usually put myself under to perform and improve every time I run.

This has really been a revelation to me and I've decided that from now on I'll go running gadget free at least once a week and just really enjoy connecting with nature and feeling what my body is doing that day.