I mainly use my iPod in the house and in the car. I have never really been one to use it out and about on the tube and in the street, partly because I like to have an ear on what's going on in the world and partly because I hate all music and free expression of any kind.
But I have found it a great boon to take the iPod out with me when I am running. It really helps pass the time and also motivates you to keep on going. But the last three times that I have been on long runs the iPod has malfunctioned and frozen at almost exactly the same point on the river bank, about 40 minutes into the endeavour. This is of course just the point where I tend to be a bit tired anyway (I know I ran for 4 hours 17 minutes and 50 seconds a couple of years ago, but I am a little out of practise now and running 6 miles is about as impressive as I get) and need the inspirational quality of popular tunes to keep me going forward. It's annoying because it hasn't ever happened at home or in the car, but about 40 minutes into my run, in Barnes the iPod freezes and the only way to get it to recover is to let the batteries run down and start again. Which is no help for the final two miles of the run.
Is this some kind of freaky headphone only malfunction of the device or do you think someone in Barnes has an iPod jammer and wait at their window until they see joggers going by and then fire some evil beam at them and spoil their fun? Or is that paranoid? It doesn't happen anywhere else, but I am always at that stretch in approximately the same time.
Today I was anticipating it and it happened just as I was passing a big red bit of material draped in a tree over the Thames that from a distance had looked like it might be someone hanging themselves. It wasn't though. It was a red blanket or something. A paranoid mind might think it was some kind of anti-iPod Luddite Voodoo curse, but I am not paranoid so that thought didn't even cross my mind.
I managed to run for about another half a mile without the music but now I was aware of my stiffening limbs and slowed to a walk outside the boys school where we did our rowing training back at this time two years ago.
Of course I could maybe test out whether it's the iPod or Barnes-based Luddites that are to blame by starting my iPod 20 minutes into my run, which would also mean the last 20 minutes of my run would have that all important musical accompaniment, but maybe I wouldn't get through the first 20 minutes without the music to help me. It's a weird one.
If any of you internerds know what's wrong with my iPod then do let me know. Or if you live in Barnes please turn off your iPod jammer. It's annoying.
Plus if anyone has lost a red blanket, it's in a tree in Barnes and it's a bit torn and wet and you might not want it anymore. i am the modern day Bagpuss.
