Hosted by PJs in Vietnam
Last Update: Monday, July 20, 2009

Bob's Running Music
and
Running Philosophy

Bob LaPointe immediately after a run in June 2002, holding his Sony MiniDisc
Photo taken from his home in Anchorage, Alaska

I don't know about you, but I have found that running is both necessary and boring. Most retired PJs get out of the service after incurring several duty related injuries. In my case, I broke my neck on one parachute jump, damaged my lumbar spine on another parachute jump, and over the course of another 1,600 jumps compressed several spinal disks. I was dropped off a hoist, took a few falls while mountaineering, ran several thousand miles and was involved in several bar brawls. In short, I have the normal assortment of post Pararescue injuries that include neck, back, knee and ankles. Chronic pain is something most career PJs learned to live with. Almost all retired PJs have similar injuries. However, most of us still manage to be quite ambulatory. The reason we stay ambulatory is that we still exercise regularly. In my case, if I cease exercising most of my joints will quickly become arthritic and calcification will severely decrease range of motion. So, running is not something I do for fun. It is a mandatory activity to ensure that I retain my maximum ability to retain the mobility that I still have. So I run 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes a run. During a run, I'll cover between 3 and 4 miles. I live in Anchorage, Alaska. During the months in which there is no snow, I'll run outdoors on a paved bike path near my home that parallels a stream. When the snow falls, I run indoors on a high quality treadmill that I have in my home. When I visit the Philippines, I run out at the old Clark Air Force Base on the trail that circles the old parade grounds. Each lap is 2.5 km and I run 3 or 4 laps. I have more time when in the Philippines, so I am able to increase my PT.

My biggest problem running is becoming bored as I run. To solve this, I listed to music while running. I use a Sony MiniDisc recorder/player (see picture above) to store my music in MP3 format. This is the same format you may be using when you download or play music on your computer. Each removable mini disc stores over 5 hours of music.

Posted below is the current list of music I listen to. The selections are designed to motivate me and also to remind me significant events from the past and to inspire me about future plans. I find that some of my best ideas come to me while running and listing to my music. So, in addition to exercising my body, the runs also relax me psychologically.