Day 8: Is This It

Distance: 5k
Time: 31:13
Pace: 10:03 / mile
Album: The Strokes – Is This It

This was fun. It was raining. A slight change of temperature (downwards) certainly helped quell the slight feeling of desperation I felt while running yesterday. There was a big rainbow at the end.

The run felt easy, largely because I went slow. My legs (in the evening) didn’t try to go fast, until I realised around the 3k mark that I was much slower than prior runs. I picked it up, but not too much, and didn’t end up feeling particularly strained. Sensible pacing, still tired legs (probably not a surprise at this point).

Now The Strokes, rather shamefully, are a band where I’ve not dug quite as deep as my peers. I should have, they are excellent Is This It is a perfect masterpiece for a run. I can hear the sound in many of my favourite records that followed, but it was here in 2001, that Julian and co did it first. Except, I never really paid attention. My conversion to guitar music took place a few years later, spurred on by Pete Doherty, Alex Turner, and my ex-childminder’s son Dan’s extensive CD collection. I don’t think Is This It was in there. My loss at 13, this album could’ve meant a lot more to me.

Day 7: The Blueprint

Distance: 5k
Time: 31:29
Pace: 10:08 / mile
Album: Jay-Z – The Blueprint

HOT. That about sums it up.

30 degrees and sunny – even though the run wasn’t particularly challenging, the sun was.

After yesterday (which was just 2-3 degrees cooler), I thought this would be fairly straightforward. But something felt hotter. Possibly going earlier in the day with the sun at its height meant it was harder to escape into shade (or my route was sub-optimal).

Even so, a decent shot at a run in 7 of the last 8 days is something I am pleased with, even if I am ultimately going slower. More gentle, more sustainable, also. I shouldn’t really be trying to go faster.

The Blueprint is better than I realised. One of those albums where I’m familiar with a few singles (shout out to watching MTV Base on loop as a 9 year old), but hadn’t dug deep into the album. No weakness, still fresh and a light touch of early Kanye beats really did make magic. Jay-Z is someone whose music has never resonated as much as his reputation, likely as it was a little ahead of time for me (although Nas’ Illmatic certainly broke through onto my radar later). I’ll consider spending more time with his early stuff.

Day 6 pt II: Podcast edition

Distance: 15k (6k of jogging in the second half)
Time: A fair while
Pace: 10:00 / mile for the run (guess)
Album: Trashfuture

It was hot today, so I did not go out with the intention to run.

I also learned about what a friend is going through, which is incredibly tough to hear. This put running to the back of my mind, but going out for a walk to clear my head at the forefront.

I walked/ran around 15km in total, snaking by the Charles river up to Harvard and then across a bridge and down to the Esplanade. Around the halfway point I decided to run and covered around 6km at a gentle pace, listening to a podcast and very much earning the quick beer I picked up at the Nightshift Owl’s Nest on the walk back home.

A man complimented me on my Watford shirt and asked to see which name was on the back. Of course, a name on the back isn’t really the expectation for football shirts and he seemed disappointed. I should get Doyley or Deeney on the back of every shirt I buy.

The lack of planned run meant I didn’t tune into an album, but I will tomorrow.

Day 6: Rest

Woke up tired today, worked from home.

Doom-scrolled Roe vs Wade Twitter and did not go out for a run.

I’ll repeat Day 6, but think running every single day may end up bad for my legs.

Normal service to resume soon.

Day 5: No album

Distance: 6k
Time: 35:15
Pace: 9:22 / mile
Album: None

Corporate run today, alongside a group of colleagues and seemingly half of Boston.

I was peer-pressured into two beers beforehand, so had a full stomach while running. This didn’t seem to have a huge impact, although I did feel a little slow (but that doesn’t show in the time).

Headphones were actively discouraged, so no soundtrack today.

Went for another beer after the race and ordered pizza to my apartment. Turns out it’s quite hard to track down an order if the delivery driver leaves it in another building! After 30 mins of searching (and a full refund), I did find and eat slightly too much of a cold pizza.

Day 4: Discovery

Distance: 3k
Time: 18:33
Pace: 9:54 / mile
Album: Daft Punk – Discovery

Ran a bit today, not a lot. Late night prior at a gig, Waxahatchee was excellent.

Jetlag catching up with me. Still did something, even if slow.

Discovery was a fun one. Fresh as ever, dreamy beats for the streets.

Group run tomorrow, protecting the legs. Probably need to rest.

Day 3: Funeral

Distance: 5k
Time: 29:46
Pace: 9:35 / mile
Album: Arcade Fire – Funeral

Today’s run was a commute. It wasn’t enjoyable. I’d have thought it’d feel slightly easier on the third day, but it didn’t.

The raised bridge to get from the Esplanade over to Boston Common was particularly brutal. It was also 8am when I started, so slightly warmer than before. I wore one layer too many and a backpack does add, even if it’s relatively light.

Despite that, I did it. Let’s see if it gets easier from here.

I could make a Funeral joke about how the run felt, but I won’t. It was sunny and pleasant outside, I shouldn’t complain too much. The album remains incredible and I’d like to say that Wake Up pushed me to keep running. And maybe it did, just not consciously. I was more focused on hills than the album and perhaps the fact I know it so well meant it didn’t add much colour to the run. Or I enjoyed it so little, I couldn’t even take much pleasure in the music.

Day 2: Late Registration

Distance: 5k
Time: 29:12
Pace: 9:24 / mile
Album: Kanye West – Late Registration

A potentially good thing about jet lag is waking up early. Today, it was definitely a good thing. I ran, came home, then commuted. I avoided lugging a heavy backpack on a run, which would have been very uncomfortable. Instead, I have left things at work that will make light work of the rest of the week.

Today’s run was not light work, despite little load. Faster than yesterday, bright and early. It was almost pleasant. It did feel good to have run so early and take some endorphins into the rest of my day, I can’t play that down.

I love Kanye (a statement that doesn’t need reading into), but is Late Registration really one of his best? Sure, there are some real bangers. Undeniable. But it’s not even the best Kanye album of the 00s. The Pitchfork list I used to form a shortlist of albums for this project listed it as the best of that decade, I disagree quite strongly. I think this says more about how highly I rate early Kanye than too much about this specific record. Solid listening for an early morning jog by the river, before the pavements fill with students and commuters.

My head was a little emptier so early and I didn’t notice too much. Other than a homeless man trying to feed an angry-looking pack of ducks. Other runners, the only people seemingly out. And the distance markings on the MIT bridge. No dead fish left overnight, though.

Day 1: In Rainbows

Distance: 5k
Time: 29:15
Pace: 9:25 / mile
Album: Radiohead – In Rainbows

This run felt hard quicker than I’d hoped it would.

I’m not sure what I expected to feel. I slept little last night. I took a transatlantic flight back from London to Boston today, but still hit the pavement within a few hours of arriving.

Tomorrow morning, I plan to run my commute. It’s a similar distance, but I’ll have a backpack with laptop in tow. I expect I’ll struggle. Not quite sure what I’m letting myself in for.

It did feel good to accomplish that despite the circumstances. In Rainbows was a fitting soundtrack. A cloudy cool Boston afternoon, accompanied by a rhythmic, melancholic, almost hypnotic soundtrack. It reflected both the greyness of the city and the slight disorientating feeling that jetlag gives you. My feet were pumping, just about.

I didn’t realise until the walk back that I’d left the shuffle button set and had played the album out of order. I noticed when Weird Fishes ended up as the closing track. It was playing when I walked past a strange sight on the MIT bridge, someone had left ten or so dead fish left scattered in two groups on the pavement. The album didn’t feel any weaker played out of order, which is testament to its strength.

Running with music

Today is the first of many consecutive days of running (hopefully, I am targeting 30).

Why am I doing this and declaring it publicly?

It’s fairly straightforward. I’ve been back in the UK recently and enjoyed several trail runs. Regular exercise is mood-positive, yet I am inconsistent. Things are easier when you make them habitual. Some public accountability can’t hurt.

To try to make the habit stick, I am trying to make it easy and combine it with fun.

I’ll run to work and I’ll listen to an excellent album each day. I’ll write a daily note on it here.

Heading on the first run now.