Success at headphoneless

It was roughly 2 miles into leg 35 when I felt a hot tear roll down my face.

I was runner 11 in the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay, and while flying down a hill, my team pulled over to give me water and break the news — they just got a text from the Ragnar officials, and my leg was extended by 1.5 miles.

I already had a horrible side cramp and was forced to walk to breath deeply through the pain. And now my 5.5-mile run was extended to 7 miles.

I was just so frustrated. My body was beating me, and now I had to run an extra loop.

And that’s when I did it – I took off my headphones, listened to my body’s cues and ran.

I never thought I’d be part of the headphoneless sector of runners. But I’m a convert. Pushing through the pain was a lot easier when I wasn’t thinking “I’ll just ignore it and hope this Black Eyed Peas song will power me up.” I wasn’t relying on my music anymore. I put trust in my mind and body.

It paid off when I came through the exchange. I didn’t get a burst of energy, but I felt strong. The side cramp disappeared, I passed off to the next runner laughing in joy (and the fact that, for the third and final time, I still couldn’t pass off the slap bracelet correctly) and I heard my cousin cheering my name.

I don’t know if I’ll always go without my music during my training, but in races, I finally feel comfortable leaving the headphones at home.