Running is better with music. Honestly, I’d rather not be alone with my thoughts when pounding the pavement during a solo workout, so melodic distractions are welcome. My preferred playlist is about seven hours of exclusively electronic dance music, so my motivation tends to stay high.
Not every song boasts those driving beats; in fact, the more mellow EDM tunes often match my stride for all those base miles. Whatever the song my queue lands on, my focus gravitates toward what’s enchanting my ears and my breathing and pace follow suit.
Midway through this morning’s inadvertent 10K, “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga piped through my headphones. I wound my way around a relatively new section of the San Francisco Bay Trail bordering along Mission Bay and into Dogpatch. This area is a runner’s dream as it spans several miles along the waterfront, weaving in and out of beautiful outdoor space and recently renovated structures that hopefully soon will be bustling with new businesses and residences.
As the refrain of the song played, I glanced up to see two Asian ladies in track suits performing their daily stretching ritual. Not an unusual sight by any means, but I couldn’t help but smile as their arm movements and squats perfectly synchronized to the chorus of Gaga’s lead hit single from her debut album.
“Just dance, gonna be okay, da-da-doo-doot-n
Just dance, spin that record, babe, da-da-doo-doot-n
Just dance, gonna be okay, da-da-da-dance
Dance, dance, just, j-j-just dance...”
The moment was fleeting, and it served as a lovely reminder — music can pull me inward during all my time on feet, but it can also lure me back out just in time to appreciate my surroundings as trot on by.