The good things in life are free... or are they??

[Mitts]

2nd week post-grad, and having tried all three 5K+ podcasts last week I decided to do half an hour with my own music today. Warm-up walk completed, I organised my ipod so that George Michael came last, and off I set to Coldplay's Viva la Vida.

After Laura's help last week I have realized that 'jogging to my own music' does not mean 'keeping time to the beat'. It means the music plays in my ears, which my head enjoys, but my feet just ignore the rhythm and do their own thing. But maybe there's a place in running life for that too... you can't listen to Laura's stuff all the time and 1-2-3-4 in your ear all the time makes it impossible to think of much else. Today I just wanted to have a good time.

Round the woods I went, thinking about mabber's blog yesterday about 'free' podcasts and how my life has changed since I started this 'gratis' sport.

Yes, the podcasts are free... and as mabbers said you do find the odd item of clothing that can be worn again....

BUT -

...you have to buy murderously expensive trainers... and running pants and socks... and running tops... and then long-sleeved running tops... and then a wee fleece for the cold mornings... and then your ipod starts to strike and while you're in the shop looking at new ones you see a nice Garmin that would be great for tracking your runs... and you find yourself eyeing up sports gloves and headbands... which remind you to get some high-visibility gear for the dark mornings...

NOT TO MENTION THE

vast quantities of bath and shower water you're using nowadays... and the special cream-your-aches-away cream... and the extra shampoo and shower gel... and all that running gear is never out the washing machine... and there's the admittedly small matter of electricity because you're getting up earlier to go out for a run and it's still dark... we won't even mention extra use of the computer to blog about your trials, tribulations and successes... or the gym membership you're thinking about taking up over the winter...

Running a free sport? No way...

Worth it? Every penny!

I jogged (not) to the beat of my own lovely music for 36 minutes and I covered 5.2K and I was - am - happy.

Next up - Speed and Laura again.

[mattaitch Graduate]

mmm - I reckon that even after the trainers, the socks, the top, the app, the stretchy pants, the gloves the jacket and the physio I'm saving money on eating less, eating healthier and drinking less.

I'm also saving on washing clothes since I lost my gut as I wear shorts and t-shirts and I save on shower gel and water as frankly there is a lot less of me to wash and dry

[swanscot Graduate in reply to mattaitch]

> I'm saving money on eating less, eating healthier and drinking less.

When I bought my expensive running shoes, I joked to the shop assistant that I'd partly pay for them by saving the money I'd usually spend on wine He looked at me a bit shocked as if I was a wino!! He maybe thought I meant I'd spend that amount on booze in a few weeks - I meant from what I'd spend in six months!

[mattaitch Graduate in reply to swanscot]

oh dear before I started with MyFitnessPal and C25K I was easily spending the cost of a pair of trainers each week on booze and take-aways

[swanscot Graduate in reply to mattaitch]

I didn't mean to imply that anyone who is drinking the cost of a pair of expensive trainers a week is a wino, mattaitch. I only got through one bottle of cheap wine (with DH) a week - at home. I realise that anyone paying for food or drinks 'out' could easily spend a 3-figure sum each week.

[Mitts Graduate in reply to mattaitch]

Drinking less alcohol - agreed. But then there's the 'if I do an extra few minutes I can have that chocolate'... I confess I indulge nearly every time...

And it's so great when you come home from a run and lie for ages in a lovely hot bath with nice expensive smelly stuff in it, and eat grapes like Laura says and drink whatever you fancy (I like orange rooibos tea) and just luxuriate in that 'I've just run x-minutes and I deserve to be pampered' feeling...

Nothing like it - but maybe that's a girl-thing

[mattaitch Graduate in reply to Mitts]

I do a bit of that, but because I am still working to a daily 1300 calorie balance I generally only spend my extra 500 calories on an extra yorkshire pud or a bit of naan (or both like last night)

[Oldgirl Graduate]

Ooohhh Mitts your blog has cracked me up LOL. You know a truer word has not been written about new runners for a long time. Just loved it and you keep on enjoying your own music like you say its in your ears but you don't have to concentrate on running to it so the time really passes quickly.

My biggest saving since running has to be peace of mind that I'm now fit and healthy, I feel so darn good these days its priceless I couldn't buy this feeling in any shop.

[Mitts Graduate in reply to Oldgirl]

Cheers Oldgirl... if we could only bottle that feeling we could afford all the expensive trainers and fancy Garmins we could ever need!

Maybe I should have called this blog 'The best things in life aren't buyable'

[DeliaItaly Graduate]

Hello Oldgirl - enjoyed your post that made me hum The Beatles "money"

but yes ... the taste of my post-run banana mmm.... the feel of the shower on my skin.... the high at the end of week 6 (my last run!)

"The best things in life are free, but you can give them to the birds and bees...."

youtube.com/watch?v=9k5ooau...(Not working as expected?)

Enjoy the fab 4 xox

[Oldgirl Graduate in reply to DeliaItaly]

Oh love it, that was so good to hear after all these years.