Wolf whistling is alive and well

Is it just me, or is wolf-whistling on the increase?  Whilst out for my early morning run on Tuesday I was slightly taken aback when I heard this strange noise, looked around and saw a parked-up driver with pursed lips.  Then on Thursday, I had two horn-honks, in close succession.  At one stage I thought I must have forgotten to put my running vest on, or might have split my shorts.  But no, no wardrobe malfunctions.

It got me thinking about how women in the eighties used to get so hung up on wolf-whistles, and being called "love", or "darling" in the office.  Funny how times change.  Now it seems to be the norm for everyone to refer to each other in affectionate terms such as chick, hun, duck, love, treacle - whether you are male or female, and noone seems to bat an eye.

Even in the office, most women I know tend to hold their own, and give as good as they get.  Don't get me wrong, we still make a mental note of men with an inability to keep the eyes away from the chest-region. But we are probably less likely to go running down to HR to complain, and are more likely to simply recognise this male deficiency and move on, occasionally laughing at said individual with other colleagues who have clocked the same.

I'm not condoning those who cross the line, just saying that I think the line has moved and blurred, since the media and shoulder-padded feminists have stopped telling us it was all so demeaning.

Miller at Muller

It was the promise of the free yogurts what did it. If that hadn't been on the race entry form I probably would not be aching now from the agony of completing the Muller 10k yesterday with next to no training. But, yes, the free case of yogurts for every finisher was well worth it!

There's something in me that hates to admit defeat. When is it time to throw in the towel? if ever? At mile 2? when the quads were burning after the second major hill, or after the last water station when it felt unbearably hot and I thought I might keel over?

Well in my book, I never throw in the towel. I remember thinking yesterday that if Eddie Izzard could do his marathon feat with blisters and sore muscles - heck I've run a marathon myself -then I could surely run non-stop for just under an hour.

And so it reinforces my long-held belief that I can do pretty much anything I want to, and complete it. There are real life examples, all around us, that drive counts for way more than ability and experience. I need more drive!

Don't Care How, I Want it Now!

It was Summer today, so I decided to go out for a leisurely Sunday morning run. Actually by the time I had decided what I should wear as it got hotter and hotter, and what music I should run to - radio, because I was just taking it easy, it was more like midday. So off I went for my run in the midday sun, and did indeed pass a few mad dogs and English men, also out chasing pavements.

Radio 1, Fearne Cotton, to be precise, proved great company and even made me laugh out loud a few times - yes it is difficult to run and laugh at same time. And as aways it gave me the chance to hear the odd new-music track shoehorned in between the current play list of songs, which are generally played at least three or four times every day. You know them - a bit of Take That, FloRida, Rihanna, Kanye, Kings of Leon yada yada. But just occasionally you do get that gem of a song that makes you think - whoaaah, where can I get that? I had one such moment today when a song by somebody featuring GaGa was played. And then Fearne says that the release date for download was the end of August. What???!!! You mean I have to wait 3 weeks to be able to legally download something Ive just heard on the radio? On what broadband-saturated, digital-age planet does that sound sensible? Whatever! I thought, I will just go without - didn't like it that much anyway.

Now rewind to about 3 weeks ago and it was a different story. I'm on my way to salsa one evening, and I hear Zane Lowe battling against some very hip and trendy DJs, when they drop a track which I decide simply has to be the soundtrack to my Summer. Anyway, by Ducksauce (aka Armand van Helden and A-Trak) is just a wicked blend of soul, funky house and harmonising vocals - everything I like rolled into one. That very weekend, I go onto napster to find the track - no joy. I then try i-tunes - same. Nothing, nada, not even a link or release date on A-Traks Myspace page. What is a girl to do? The good weather is all but over, and my soundtrack song, which will paint my Summer memories a lovely rosy hue is not available.

So, I put my googling, interrogation skills to good use and found an mp3 of the track on some random site. Was it an illegal download? To be honest, I really don't know. All I do know is that I was more than happy to pay for it, and perhaps listen to, and buy some of their other tracks, but they weren't ready for me to buy it yet. Hello??!!! And then bands and record companies complain about file sharing ,and not getting paid for digital content. Hello??!! Wake up and smell the coffee. Even Jay-Z said it on Zane Ls show a few weeks ago. Recorded, or digital music is like something that's in the clouds, its free, and difficult to monetise. Get over it, stop making it difficult for people to buy digital content, stop giving the file sharers a good reason to go down the illegal route. When I hear something on the radio, I want to be able to buy it. End of. Get with the program and figure out the new business models. The Internet has not time for inefficiency, and middlemen who add no value. Simply folding your arms, and spending all of your efforts on trying to lock the digital walls after the horse has not only bolted but is enjoying a skinny, soy latte with an extra shot in Starbucks, is getting tiring.

Music to My Ears

When I first decided to take my running up a gear, I went to the nearest sports shop and left with as many bags as a WAG on a post-match celebration shopping spree. For some bizarre reason, this hobby, which you first started because it is meant to be low cost, suddenly means kitting yourself out with the right trainers - cushioned, stability or motion-control, all costing north of £50 of course - the right clothing, and a whole array of accessories that the sales assistant, who is half your age, and probably doesn't run, has persuaded you that you need, but which will in fact languish in your spare room, or under the stairs.

On such a first trip, with my just as eager running pal, I ended up with very expensive socks, a Nike water belt, and some seriously disgusting energy gels, as well as trainers costing over £100. I soon added to this with a collection of caps and beanie hats, gloves, waterproof jacket, warm up jacket, thermal top, base layer, top layer, full tights, short tights, skins (!) etc etc. - I think you get the picture.

You soon figure out that there are various sources that are worth listening to when it comes to recommendations for stuff to make your running easier, faster, more comfortable etc. My bible is generally Runners World mag, but even better is the forum on http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/. This is where you get the absolute truth - good, bad, ugly on all sorts, but most importantly on products and services, to avoid making the classic mistakes I mention above.

Which leads me to my best running purchase to date. Last week I received, in environmentally friendly packaging - bonus - the Sennheiser PMX80 headphones. You see, when I run alone, I need music - radio, playlist, it doesn't matter. And I have been through at least 15 different headphones, which all either fall off/out, sound tinny/too quiet, or barely last 2 weeks without falling apart. These Sennheisers are, without exception, the indisputable, bomb-diggity of running headphones. I purchased them solely on the strength of the forum and Amazon customer rating and comments. Now, this is no new thing - the power of consumer reviews, e-pinionators, wide scale belief in the web as being the truth. But for me, this links to something about the buying patterns and behaviours of those engrossed in their hobbies or interests which I'm guessing must be relevant to the music industry. What makes people repeat buy? Why do people pay above the odds eg. for that perfect piece of kit, music memorabilia, or concert ticket? What drives loyalty, and what is it worth? What is the influence of other consumers - certainly Amazon, last.fm, Spotify, and others jumping on the social-networking-linked-to-product-placement seem to think there must be something in this. It's all rather interesting, but what does it mean for future business models? who wins, who loses...or is there a win-win

Music to Run to...

I have a few loves in life, aside from family of course. The first is music, and sound, the second is running (actually the second is probably shopping - shoes, bags, coats etc. - except I'm on a recession-busting shopping fast this year).

Anyway, I have been looking for music to run to for years and years - particularly in 2007 when I was training for the New York marathon. I don't mean any old speedy track, or something that just makes you feel like running, I mean pace music - music to run to the beat of.

If you're anything like me you'll know just how difficult it is to find either decent playlists, or the bpms to stuff you own or download. I have spent literally hours searching various free databases and downloads to compile my playlist of 'music to run to', and I now have about 5 hours worth. So, in the spirit of togetherness and collective enjoyment I thought I'd share it with you, in the hope that you would also share yours with me as my collection is now getting a bit stale.

Now, I realise that the list may be a little hip hop/RnB heavy (look out for clean versions or radio edits if you are of a sensitive disposition), but this does tend to be at just about the right bpm to run to. In fact, the first track that got me into wanting to compile such a list was Lose Yourself by Eminem. Perfect, and great lyrics to motivate you on those dark mornings - think Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

So, here's my list - hopefully you can read it by clicking on it, and for you non-RnB fans, there's even some Oasis, and some amazing Pendulum tracks. My recent Pendulum discovery, which I have yet to add, is the awesome Slam. Enjoy