Yawlidi

I popped to the gym and tried my first interval session for over a year today. I jogged 1 minute at 6mph (10 min/mile) then ran for 1 minute at 8.1mph (07:24 min/mile) for 10 repetitions. It was bad and by the last 2 repetitions I was gasping for breath and beginning to feel sick during the 8.1mph sections. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be as I had imagined I would be dying by halfway through. It was a challenge, but not impossible. Hopefully it will do me some good.

The first song that came on during my run was Yawlidi by Souad Massi, an incredibly talented Algerian singer/song writer who lives in France. Yawlidi means 'My Boy' in Arabic (welllll, if you're being pedantic it means 'Oh, My Boy' but I'm a lazy translator and when I see 'ya' in front of a name in an informal context I tend to ignore it)  and is a list of instructions from a mother to her son on how to live his life well - he has to get up early, go to school, keep his mind strong and independent, and know when to walk away and when to stand his ground. A translation of the lyrics can be found here, which is a blog I love run by a blogger far more talented than I. The song jogs along and always puts a smile on my face. Sometimes I can't help but dance a bit while I'm listening to it in the gym.

I'm already red in the face, sweaty and panting. A little more public humiliation won't hurt.