Introvert or Extrovert and Musical Motivation

A few weeks Dean Karnazes blogged about whether runners are as a rule introverts or extroverts. He commented that his assumption was that most runners are introverts and  enjoy running to escape the noisiness and stimulus of everyday life. However he is questionning his assumption due to the fact of the popularity of running groups and new runners (and many veteran runners) enjoying the social element of training with partners.

Those who know me know that I am an extrovert. I chose a career that allowed me to be surrounded by others all day. I love the feeling of feeding off of the energy of those around me as well as sharing my energy with them. And when it comes to running and doing hard workouts, I prefer to train in a group (I even enjoy doing classes at the local gym instead of working out alone). There have been many training runs that  I would not have completed (or even tried) alone, but because I was training with a group (SRRA Monday night workouts), I pushed through. The energy, comraderie and feedback all aid in getting through the difficult parts.

This is not to say that I do not enjoy taking some time for myself. I do enjoy completing my long runs alone. For some reason, I prefer to do this part of my training without fellow runners. It could be that the solitude allows me to  comtemplate life or write my next paper or prepare my next presentation or plan my next lesson or... well you get the  picture. It allows me to organize my thoughts and put my life (somewhat) in order! That is not to say I will decline an offer for accompaniment during a long run, but for the most part long runs are a solitary activity.

Now when running alone, I do occasionally run with music. I enjoy providing a soundtrack to my movement. Again, if I am doing a hard workout, I find that the right musical background (usually 90s dance music; I like to move it, move it. I like to MOVE IT!) can help me push through the difficult parts. The right beat can provide the perfect cadence to push through those 400m repeats, 60sec intervals or those nasty but necessary hill runs.

What do you think? Are you an introvert, extrovert or a mix of the two when it comes to running? Do you get motivated by a music selection or do you prefer to run without a soundtrack?

A la prochaine...

TNF Single Track Review

I have been running on North Face shoes off and on for the last 10 years. My first pair of TNF trail shoes was a pair of Fire Roads that I grabbed from a discount bin while on my Honeymoon in Maine (chosen mostly because of the eye catching color scheme!). Since then I have tried a variety of models; Rucky  Chucky, Endurus XCRs with Boa lacing system, and Double Tracks. However, it was not until I ran in the Single Tracks that I found my Shangri-La of trail runners.

There was little to no break in period with these shoes. I took them for a trail run right out of the box and had neither hot spots nor any pinching. The elastic scree collar in the tongue, besides providing protection from trail debris, also delivers a snug fit across the top of foot. It is in part to the scree collar that these shoes wrap your foot like a glove and are as comfortable as a pair of slippers.

The Single Tracks are comparatively light, weighing in at 11.5 ounces, making them heavier than my training flats, but lighter than my road runners. However, at this weight these trail runners are a veritable lightweight when compared to other trail runners. I also find the Single Tracks to have a low profile (12mm heel to toe drop as compared to my training flats at 8mm heel to toe drop). This low profile allows for a good feel of the trail and yet at the same time provides an ample amount of cushioning to do some road running; helpful if you have to get over some pavement to reach the trailhead.  I am a Clydesdale runner (hovering around 210 pounds) and I have had no problems using these as my everyday trail running shoes as well as my go to race day runners. These Single Tracks will leave big shoes to fill when they need replacing.