Dear A-Trak,

Dear A-Trak,

First off I want you to know that this isn’t a big I-love-you for Nike. The last wearable product I owned from the Pride of Beaverton was a pair of electric green Air Force Ones that made for long-lasting and supportive skateboarding shoes, circa 1997. Since then what little non-conformist strain I possess has caused me to resist joining Mr. Knight’s consumer cult. Partially it’s because I’ve run for ages in Asics. And partially it may have something to do with a prototypically Canadian suspicion of joining the latest thing. I realize Nike has been around for ever, and that this may not make much sense. But there it is.

Despite my antipathy for all things Air, Swoosh and Shox, I began picking up the company’s “Original Run” running mixes back in 2006. (Info about them is tough to find on the web, for some reason. They're easier to find on iTunes--just do a search for Nike.) Around three-quarters of an hour long, the "Original Run" MP3s are original mixes produced by well-known DJs. The first one I bought was by James Murphy, a.k.a. LCD Soundsystem. The result was disappointing. Murphy’s 44:53 came out with a lot of hype, and sure some people really liked it, but to me it sounded flat, like a rehash of ideas and beats that weren’t quite good enough to make it onto Sound of Silver or its predecessor.

Nike’s mix from the French house producers, Cassius, was disappointing—it didn’t feel paced for a run. It didn’t grab you. It resided too much on the dance floor to be able to make a transition to the running path. And Aesop Rock’s had some interesting production, particularly that demented stomping beat around the thirteenth minute. And at first, his intense rhymes complimented the workout’s intensity. But none of the rhymes seem to be about anything. They weren’t stories, or even anecdotes; just syllables strung together in rhyming couplets, and over a 10k running course they failed to divert my attention.

And then, A-Trak, this summer you released your running mix. Despite my misgivings, I took the MP3 to the battered track at Central Tech to accompany me on a timed 10k run (or 25 laps of the 400m track). I had never before run a timed 10k accompanied by music. My previous best 10k for this round of training was a comparatively slow 47:50, and I was curious about whether listening to a running mix might help things… To get my mind off the pain. This time around I hoped to finish under 47 minutes. I was targeting 1:52 a lap, which would have put my finish time at 46:40, or about 4:40 per kilometer, slightly slower than Boston pace.

From the beginning, your mix sounded more rich than the others. Rather than weaving together a number of disparate song-fragments into one long mix, you seemed to approach the mix as a single composition—one with an electro theme accompanied by a stomping pace that fit well with my running gait. My first five laps I averaged 1:52 per lap, and again for the next five laps. But around lap 15 fatigue was threatening to scuttle my target finish time. I ran a 1:56 lap, then tried to speed up for the following lap and only managed a 1:53.

In any 10k run on a track I find the laps 15 to 20 the hardest. Particularly laps 18 and 19. You’re well into the run, but too far from the finish for that to be any solace. Luckily, A-Trak, exactly at the right moment, starting around minute 33, you came in with a peppy, pinging beat and a hyperactive baseline and a voice shouting, “Go!” And, hilariously, it worked. It was remarkable: Suddenly I had an energy burst. Your mix told me to “Go!” and I did. Encouraged by the electro I visualized myself as a robot, free of pain, and cranked out a pair of 1:49s to get back to my pace.

So, A-Trak, I am writing this letter in gratitude. Your mix isn’t perfect. There are two climaxes in it. I’d prefer a more traditional arc that builds to one big climax at the end. Also, at only 43 minutes, it’s too short. To my mind, a running mix should last for at least as long as an average person’s 10k run, which puts the ideal length around 50 minutes. But all that is quibbling. By the time the mix ended with that great Endtroducing drum clatter, I was into my final laps, and I cranked out a final lap in the mid-1:40s to set what was for me, on a 10k training run at Central Tech’s track, a new personal best: 46:39. And I credit it to your running mix, A-Trak. Thanks.

Hugs,
Chris

Comments

[Colin]

Congrats Chris. 46:39 for 10K is fast fast fast. Good job. What are you training for again? I'm doing the Toronto half-marathon in October with my dad, Leah and a couple other friends. I haven't listened to music while running in a long time, I mostly listen to podcasts now. But maybe I should switch from NPR to A Trak to improve my times...

[myles]

First off you are a sellout.
Secondly, nice pace. that is a quick one.

Good luck gunning for Bean Town.

[Linda and Tom]

Hi Chris, Nat, Myron and Penelope, This is a great site, we can see everything about your live and visit your children. Thanks for the wonderful narrative about Penelope's birth and congrats to you both as super parents. Love to all,

Linda and Tom and family

[LaverneSparks25]

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