Running with Music is Better - Way Better.

Today was our first run with our new Sound Shell. It’s a portable speaker for any kind of device with a headphone jack. It’s a hard shell, the phone/device goes inside and zips closed. There are Velcro straps (it’s advertised as a bicycle speaker), so you can mount it to anything. It’s water-resistant and shock-proof; the sound is REALLY GOOD – we ran to Pandora’s Guns N’ Roses station! It was only $35 on Amazon!

My goal was for us to run 3 miles at better than a 9-minute mile. We came really close! 2.9 miles at 9:12 average pace. That’s our best pace yet by over 20 seconds. That proves that your mind is stronger than your body because I had to psyche myself into a pretty fast finish even though my legs felt like Jell-O.

Whenever we hit a hill and my heart rate soars, I tell Cady that she needs to make some noise to inspire me to push harder. I was thinking that sports teams ask the same thing from their home crowd to enthuse the players. My absolute favorite thing about going to watch the Celtics at the Garden is the music and crowd noise at the beginning and then whenever the team needs a lift. When Kiefer and I went last, he and I lost our voices for a couple days because we screamed so much! The players always say that it really does motivate them. You know what? When Cady kicks her legs and makes her unique ‘squeal’ (for lack of a better word), I get goose bumps and a little adrenaline boost! I feel like its her way of telling me she’s having fun and I run faster.

So the race – the Falmouth Road Race (www.falmouthroadrace.com ): it is 19 days away and you can bet that we’ll be ready. However, I found out that we need to have at least one, but preferably a few, escorts to run with us. It’s a safety thing – they like an escort in front and behind the AD running team (Ambulatory Disabled Entrant) just in case a wave of runners approaches. That way, the escorts can act as a buffer so no one trips over the wheel chair, etc. My brothers-in-law, Chris and Steven (Steve is Kelly’s brother and he’s in pretty good shape as a member of the R.I. Army National Guard and Chris got this whole thing going). We’d welcome another runner or two if anyone is interested. It’s free, but I need to know within a couple of days because you’d need to sign a consent form. Two is enough, but a couple more would make it that much more fun.

Most of you probably saw the facebook page that we started today. Hopefully that will make it easier for you to follow us. I also saw that we’re up to $700 for the Easter Seals and many people have called or emailed me to informally tell me they plan on donating, too. The money for the Seals is really a secondary goal. Don’t get me wrong – their mission is very noble and I believe in it. But Cady and I are running more for her mental and emotional well-being. It’s giving her a way to participate in a sport that she otherwise wouldn’t be able to do. It gets her out of the house for some scenery and fresh air. It's a bonding experience, too, just like when any parent plays a game or sport with their child. That being said, we’ll probably fund raise again – maybe for A Wish Come True or for Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

I think that’s enough for tonight. Tomorrow night I’m taking the kids to see ‘Brave’, but we’ll run again on Wednesday. I'll also tell you about the birthday party we had last week for the kids and the donations we collected for Hasbro.