and i ran. i ran all night and day.

Lilia and I have a virtual mini-team going. The two of us have made a pact to exercise 3 days a week for 3 months, and to keep each other updated on our triumphs and challenges. If you ask me, exercise is one of those things that's always better when it's shared.

The first couple of weeks I met our goal, but my Houston travel week yielded only 2 days, one of which I'm proud to say actually happened while in Houston, and contained the overcoming of the following obstacles: heat, the lack of footie socks, the lack of an exercise bra to keep the girls from jumping around. I bought a bra, borrowed some footies, ran early (though early isn't saying much when it comes to Texas heat). Last week, back at home, I was a off kilter and didn't manage the third day either. This week I'm doing 4 days to give myself a boost. If you've read this blog for a minute, you know my workouts consist of two words -- Tae and Bo. I loves me some Billy Blanks. But I'm also some kind of running savant, meaning I have mysteriously good endurance for it, but I haven't loved it enough to do it consistently. There are only so many right crosses a girl can throw; I needed something else to do to prevent Billy burnout. Running requires so little, just some good sneakers and determination, really. Music doesn't hurt, so a few days ago I ran myself right on over to The Grove and picked up this little baby:

Just a few minutes of racking my brain over how to carry my big iPod while running were enough to convince me that life is too short not to buy easy solutions. I can't have anything in my hands when I run, and the one time I used the big iPod it got all sweaty in my pants pocket. Strapping it on me? Um. No. The Shuffle = freedom. When I opened its package and really looked at how tiny it is, I felt a surge of affection just like I did when Schmin was a baby. Then I thought, That's sick! I can't presume to speak for all women, but for a hell of a lot of us, you show us a teeny tiny baby anything and we fall head over heels.

Since I bought it to use for running, putting house music on it was a no brainer. I usually only get deep into house when I'm in a gay club in Atlanta in the mid-1990s, but running to my usual folky stuff or old-school soul would have me singing along but getting nowhere fast. I was suffering a dearth of house, so I bought this:

Basement Boys Productions, History of House Music. It's HAWT, I'm telling you. Unbelievably energizing and uplifting. It's got some familiar artists, like Crystal Waters (remember "Gypsy Woman"?), Ultra Nate, and Martha Wash (an old fave of mine), but unless you're a house head most of the material will probably be new to you. You can get it on iTunes, or as an Amazon mp3. If you're into working out and you're looking to spice things up, leave me a comment. I'll pick someone at random and gift a copy.

When I played it on my Shuffle this morning, I know some drivers and people on the street must've thought I was running to escape a padded cell. It sounded so good that I was running and clapping and singing and waving my arms. House music helps you burn extra calories.