Hard to believe I haven't posted anything in so long, but I couldn't resist signing up at the last minute for the SoundsAlive! Marathon. This is a fabulous run from our valley over the hills to the ocean, with live musical accompaniment provided along the entire route. It's combined with the Gore Vidal Fun Run, a race that's advertised as being for everyone who does not fit the cultural stereotype of a runner.
I couldn't decide whether to do the Fun Run or help provide musical accompaniment on the marathon route, so I decided to do both. (I'm sure I will look more like a runner than some of the G.V. Fun Run participants, but since at my age it's my very first race, I think it's where I belong.) My dear rescued greyhound Leila and I are keeping a lovely early morning running schedule for training, and two nights a week I practice with my new drumming group, Wasabi Taiko.
When I realized that the runners in the Fun Run do not receive musical accompaniment, I decided to practice playing my drum while running. Even if it's just one lone Taiko drum, I will be able to provide some encouragement to the runners near me. Then I'll join Wasabi Taiko on the marathon route. (Although musicians line the entire route, the Taiko drums take the grueling uphill sections.)
The training is now going so well that I actually have extra time and energy! Unfortunately, that was not the case when I first started out. The secret that most people don't realize is the power of musical accompaniment. You would not believe the difference since I started playing my drum as I run. At first this really spooked Leila, our sensitive dog. But at the suggestion of our canine aromatherapist I squirted my drum with essence of peanut butter, and she has been thrilled to run beside me ever since!
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