Music Magic?

Today's run was far better than Tuesday's. Although I only ran four miles, it was the best I've felt in awhile. Not fantastic, and I've definitely had better runs, even recently, but easier, less stressful.

Read that: less STRESSFUL. Let me break this down for you: there's no hope for me ever making the Olympics, or even being wildly competitive even in my city. So why should I see running as stressful? Is it because I'm not running as fast or as well as I was not that long ago? Probably. And that's kind of silly. Who cares?

Well. I guess I care. I enjoy getting better and faster, and it kinda sucks feeling like I'm getting old and slow. 

But today went pretty well. I wonder if it has anything to do with listening to music? The past few months since Boston I've been running music-free in an attempt to get a handle on easy paces and being focused. Maybe, though, I have it backwards. The music does seem to help me stay focused on what I'm doing, and helps me keep going. 

My last mile today, for what it's worth, was a 7:13. I'm not saying it felt easy or even good, but it wasn't impossible. I'll take this as a little victory and hold on to it.