Essay, “Song of Myself”

CITY SLATE NORTH LIBERTY

Ranshaw House Concert Series June & July, 7 to 8 p.m. Catch up with friends amid live music each Friday. Free Fishing with TAKO June 4, 8:30 to 11 a.m. Get hooked on fishing. Let Love Fly June 4, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mega kites soar above the park for a community celebration of love. Freedom Roll June 24, 9 a.m. Decorate some wheels and join the parade. North Liberty Blues & BBQ

presented by Veridian Credit Union July 9, 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The summer tradition is back! Live music, headlined by The War and Treaty, plus craft beer, barbecue and kids’ fun.

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The feeling of health, the full-noon trill, the song of me rising from bed and

meeting the sun. BY HALEY JOHAnnESEn

We let technology guide us in many facets of our lives. We wake up to our smartphone alarms and go to bed staring at them, scrolling, usually knowing we are wasting precious time. Sometimes, possibly more than we would like to admit, we allow technology to dictate our thinking. Where should we go for vacation? Look it up. What do I want for dinner? Top 10 weeknight dinners. Should I keep my job? Take this quiz to see. Technology has removed our inner voice and supposedly made life easier because of it.

I was in this exact cycle when I decided to buy an alarm clock. Waking each morning scrolling on my phone, reading the urgent news from the eight hours I was asleep. Questioning things in my life I had never thought of before, because of an unaccredited article I clicked. I decided this cycle was not helpful to me so I decided to remove the phone from the bedside. A first step. Although learning to use an alarm clock again after ten years had its own challenges, I felt proud of my new purchase. My phone plugged in, charging in the room over, I was back in control of my body’s wants and needs.

Then, today my phone alarm went off at 5:00 am. I awoke to a faint piano sound of the iPhone and forced myself up. Did I set an alarm on accident? Did I forget to shut something off? No. There were no alarms set. Possibly a glitch, or a ghost. Either way, I was out of bed. Time for a run.

Running has become another way I try to reset my body’s regular system. I have taken to leaving my phone in my pocket but running with no earbuds or music. Letting myself hear my breathing, my shoes hit the pavement and allowing my mind to wander, be fearful, and often become imaginative. In this listening, this connection to the self, we become free. Not just of technology, but of all constraints of life. When I run unplugged I could be running in 2021 or 1983. I know not what day it is or what time it is, only where the sun is in the sky and what the weather is like on my skin. I can tell the seasons and the rhythms of my neighborhood. Which houses are awake, which are sleeping, still dreaming in their beds. I am free to embrace the run, the surroundings. Here I think of Whitman in his Song of Myself,

The city sleeps and the country sleeps, The living sleep for their time, the dead sleep for their time, The old husband sleeps by his wife and the young husband sleeps by his wife; And these tend inward to me, and I tend outward to them, And such as it is to be of these more or less I am, And of these one and all I weave the song of myself.

I too, find myself tending toward my surroundings, no matter if they are aware of me, I am aware of them and their part in my connection to myself. I feel a part of the lives and heartbeat of my town, and this becomes my urge forward. I often do not feel this until halfway through my run when I realize my joy. By disconnecting and listening to only the song of myself I become joyful in my movement. Joyful for my one job, my ability to move, and my understanding husband that turns the other way when I stir before the sun. Joy for the sound of my feet hitting the pavement, faster down the hills. Joy for knowing the smell of the field as I pass and the ability to remain in that morning feeling long after I have returned home. This ability to connect with the self, to listen to the joy within the body, is only something I can do when I am disconnected from the technology that tells me how far I’ve gone, what song will play next and when to stop. Without this connection, my body knows what it wants and becomes satisfied. I stop when I am full, not because I am told to.

Whether it was an act of the running gods that my iPhone found a glitch on this morning or the technology itself feeling upset at my abandonment, we must be aware of our own unset alarms going off inside us. The alarms that are telling us our needs are not being met when we look to technology for answers. Listen to your bodies, to the song of yourself, and you will find you hold the answers better than any man-made device could ever understand.

Nature vs. Technology

What’s in your ears during a run?

Shelly Melton / Little Village

Music. I like a variety, but EDM gets me through the really good/long runs! —Carrie Lembke

Music and podcasts—it’s like running with my own little

soundtrack. —Angel Banks

Music! I don’t like podcasts. I have a hard time following along in a conversation and running at the same time with people who are not in front of me. I also have an inability to do math while running. It’s really odd. —DeShauna Jones

Nike Run Club: it has a feature where you can play your Apple Music or Spotify along with the coaching and run. —T.J. Dedeaux-Norris

During the week it’s typically music, but on long runs I break out a podcast. My favorites are from Parcast, they have a great variety of different ones, I love trivia, so I typically pick Historical Figures or Unsolved Mysteries. —Tasha Moon

I could never do the podcasts on runs, I genuinely wish I could, because I love the pods, and I reserve those for my long evening/morning strolls instead. It’s just that the talking totally destroys my pacing, I can’t explain it, but the banter psyches me out. I mostly listen to like southern rap, Jay Z, or Beyonce. “Dirt Off

Your Shoulder” is by far the greatest running song of all time. Go try that out on your

next jog around the city, like, the

power that song has, I don’t know the science behind it, but it should be studied in a lab for decades to come. It warps your reality and teleports you into an early y2k music video, it’s an epic… and odyssey. —Chad Rhym

Most runs, nothing; usually chatting with others. Though when I’m running by myself, and I need a boost/am struggling, I will listen to dance music. —Melinda Urick

Neither—I listen to music and podcasts all throughout the day so going on a run is my chance to appreciate the sights and sounds around me, without distractions. It helps me feel safer and more aware of my surroundings since I run alone. If I’m running indoors (where the scenery isn’t as great), I put on some EDM to keep me pumped. —Shelly Melton Never listen to music or podcasts during my runs; I reflect on my journey or how I can better help someone who has reached out to help in starting their journey. —Ara S Ispentchian

nothing. I want to be able to hear

traffic. —Doug Hoyng

I don’t listen to music when I’m out there. I’m kinda old school that way. —Kevin Lines

Nothing at all; the world is busy enough when I’m not running with too much “noise.” When I’m out on the trail, I love to take in all the sights and sounds of nature unperturbed by music or podcasts. When I’m running on paved trails or sidewalks, situational awareness is a big thing for me and I just feel that the best way to maintain that is to not have music or a podcast running in my ear. —Matthew Russell

LV Reader Poll

Do you run wearing headphones?

66.7% Yep 23.8% Sometimes 9.5% Never

Courtesy of Kevin Lines from 2018 Distance Classic MEET YOUR RUNNER Kevin Lines

AGE: 39 CITY: Davenport

RUnnInG FOR: 12 years AVERAGInG: 70-100 mpw UPCOMInG RACE: The Hennepin Hundred

FReQuenCY AnD PReFeRReD TIMe OF DAY: Nearly every day, dusk/golden hour

PReFeRReD TeRRAIn: Mostly pavement

ALOne OR WITH FRIenDS? Mostly alone, but enjoy group runs too

SeASOnAL STRATeGY: Winter: time outside. Spring, summer, fall: mileage

FAVORITe SHOeS: Road: Brooks Ghosts for roads. Trail: Hoka Speedgoats for trails. Walking: Salomon XA Pro v8s and Salmon XA wild GTX

eSSenTIAL WInTeR GeAR: A Buff, mostly wool socks (60/40 injinjis are my fav)

eSSenTIAL SuMMeR GeAR: A Buff! I wear them year round.

nuTRITIOn TIPS: Don’t be afraid to eat what you need to.

On RunnInG WITH CeReBRAL PALSY: My mom likes to say that right after i learned how to walk, I started to try and run. I’d fall down all the time and keep getting up. I don’t think much has changed since then. My right foot loves to drag and i can trip on anything! I’ve fallen more times then i can count. I’ve ended up getting X-rays, bumps, bruises, you name it. I’m not sure where my drive comes from, but I always get back up and keep going. A unique problem I have with cerebral palsy is finding the right shoes. I have two very different feet. My right one is a full size smaller and wider than my left. I go with what my longer foot enjoys. It was a bit weird at first but my right one doesn’t mind being in a shoe that size. It slides forward anyway and ends up in the right spot. There’s about a half inch of open shoe at my heel but whatever works!

On RunnInG WITH AuTISM: The saying “cheaper than therapy” couldn’t be more accurate with my autism. It’s been the best thing I’ve found for it. Walking works too but there’s nothing like a good run. Since I don’t listen to music or mess with my phone much anymore, it becomes almost meditative and always brings me back to my center. Other runners can relate but it seems to go deeper for me. Maybe that’s why I’ve so driven to keep it up. It’s nice to have goals and try new things that scare me, but beyond any races or achievements, I love the grind most of all. I’ll keep doing this until I can’t, and honestly, I have no idea when that’ll be so I don’t take it for granted.

War stories

It’s bound to happen. It’s inevitable! You will get through this!! Sometimes, when we are injured, our greatest feat of endurance is simply not running at all.

I have on and off plantar fasciitis, it is slowly getting better now that I am more consistently taking rest days and adding strength training. —Tasha Moon

Achilles tendinitis in 2017ish. I also had a stress fracture in my back in 2019 (though that was also likely due to roller derby). —Melinda Urick

The first year I started running, I experienced IT band pain, mostly exacerbated by adding in too many miles too quickly and not having a body that was yet adapted to running.

I worked with a physical therapist and was able to build a more sustainable plan and began some strengthening exercises to better support the demands I was placing on my body by running.

When I was training for the Zion 50K last year, I did experience Achilles Tendinopathy a few weeks before the run. I got things checked out at Steindler Orthopedic in Iowa City and was given the green light. I worked on strengthening exercises heavily those last few weeks and continue to ensure strength training is practiced more consistently. —Matthew Russell

My first injury was shin splints because I went from running virtually nothing at all to a half marathon too quickly for my body. Then I had IT band problems on and off. Then trochanteric bursitis largely from running the same direction on a track for months. (Switch direction!!). I also had a ankle sprain twice. I fell on an icy sidewalk trying to outrun a train and bruised my knees pretty bad. And this year I slipped on the ice again and hurt my hip. But nothing too terrible in a couple of years. Fingers crossed. But I do fall A LOT.

Make the most of downtime

Being injured sucks! It’s not uncommon for depression, feelings of isolation, and even a shaky sense of personal identity to set in but, not all is lost. Taking a break from running can be a wonderful opportunity to diversify your movement portfolio and re-focus your mind on other fitness practices. Low-impact cross training (cycling, swimming, eliptical), strength and flexibility work (weightlifting, yoga and pilates), and actually just resting for a bit, for crying out loud, can do you and your eventual return to running a lot of good.

I fell four times during my last race. But I have a new light outlook on falling after a fellow runner suggested that I take a picture from the vantage point of my fall.

—DeShauna Jones

A lot. Last year’s fall (hip) took a month. Broken foot in ‘’09 was bad. I had a knee problem in ’18 that sidelined me for awhile. I think i’ve had tendinitis more than i’d like to admit. The list goes on and on… —Kevin Lines

Over the years, hamstring and back injuries have caused breaks in running. Most recent was lower back in November 2021. —Doug Hoyng

I had a gastrocnemius strain and tibial stress fracture most recently. That particular injury put me out of running for a solid 9 months, but I’m happy to report I am back at it.

If you choose to be a runner, my best advice in avoiding injury is to spend money on a shoe that properly meets your

running needs. There

are a multitude of running stores that can help you get fitted with a proper shoe, and it will be worth every penny. Most importantly, change them out every 3-4 months. Your body will thank you. —Carrie Lembke

Four years ago I injured my hamstring at mile 14 of a marathon, I should have stopped but was stubborn and walked the last 12.2 miles. Since then I have not had any lingering pain on that side but finally have found proper PT and therapy to help bring it back to proper health. —Ara Ispentchian

Running again after having children has been my longest

recovery to date. It

has taken about six months to run middle distances (613 miles) fairly comfortably (for completion, not for speed) again after each birth.—Angel Banks

Not from running! Wow, honestly wild in retrospect that I haven’t, because I am clumsy as all get out. More injuries from walking for sure. I broke my Iowa record this past winter of seven cartooncharacter-esque falls on the ice. —Chad Rhym

Courtesy of Matthew Russell from Zion 50K Matthew Russell

AGE: 37 CITY: Des Moines, IA

RUnnInG FOR: 6 years AVERAGInG: 30-40 mpw when training UPCOMInG RACE: Whiterock Ultra 50k

HOW LOnG HAVe YOu Been A

RunneR? A little over 6 years. I got into running as a result of setting a goal to complete a 5K. I was a pack-a-day smoker, ate poorly, and drank more pop than I’d like to admit.

FReQuenCY AnD PReFeRReD TIMe

OF DAY: I’m definitely an evening runner. It’s a wonderful way to de-stress after a long day. I’ve tried many times to become a “morning runner” and I do not enjoy it; however, there are some days that I have to suck it up and get that morning run in due to other obligations in the evening.

PReFeRReD TeRRAIn: Early on in my running experience, I was all about paved trails and sidewalks but I have transitioned in the last year to a love of unpaved trail running. The solitude offered, quietness, and beauty of nature is such a freeing experience for me and plays into the concept of “shinrin yoku” (forest bathing). I do like to mix up running hills and flats.

MOST MeMORABLe Run: My first (and only to date—soon to change that!) ultramarathon last April was the Zion Ultra Marathon in Apple Valley, Utah. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, the course challenged me beyond anything I had done physically before, and the camaraderie of the other runners in an ultra is simply second to none.

ALOne OR WITH FRIenDS? I’m mostly a solo runner; it’s an opportunity for me to zone out and get into my own world. I’ve also found that most running groups want to get up at the crack of dawn, so that’s all the more reason to run solo on my time and terms!

FAVORITe SHOeS: Road: Mizuno Wave Inspire. Trail: Hoka Speedgoat

eSSenTIAL WInTeR GeAR: Definitely have a base layer! The extremities are what’s most crucial to protect, so wool socks and thick gloves. A balaclava combined with a neck gaiter is a lifesaving combo if you’re going to be running in very cold temps with significant wind.

eSSenTIAL SuMMeR GeAR: I always have sunscreen and a headband in my car just in case I forget to bring one along when I venture out for a run.

nuTRITIOn TIPS: If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it is that nutrition is very unique to each runner. What works for me could serve up as an abysmal failure for the next person. Staying hydrated is an area that I tend to slack on, so calculating sweat rate and working to replenish what is lost is important. I use gels (GU) and have also used Tailwind in my water for longer runs. Justin’s peanut butter packets are easy to consume on the go. I’ve also started to consume blue corn mush an hour or so before my longer runs and it really seems to go the extra mile in keeping me strong!