The Runner's Playlist

Just Another Runner’s Perspective  April 2024 Written by Gale Fischer

The Runner’s Playlist

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”

—Plato

5/8/1999: I waited in anticipation, immersed in the middle of a sea of runners. This would be my first time of many, running the  River Bank Run 25K. My running journey had commenced almost a year and a half prior with this being the biggest racing stage for me thus far. The atmosphere was electric with elite runners toeing the front line and a mass of humanity behind them waiting for the signal to start. Each side of the road was lined with spectators. I had trained for the last four months in the conditions that Michigan offers its residents each winter and was ecstatic to finally put my training to the test after logging many miles on my feet in the cold and snow. My racing resume to this point included a half-marathon, a ten-kilometer race, and a full marathon over the past eighteen months.  There seemed to be much more of a buzz in the air today for this one than I had remembered for the others. The gun finally sounded and we were off. After about a mile there still were many runners surrounding me, but the big crowd had dispersed. Although the energy in the atmosphere still fueled my adrenaline, things had calmed down a notch. A mile later I could hear the lyrics of “Flirtin’ With Disaster” by Molly Hatchet, blaring from a jacked-up speaker just a quarter mile ahead. The music raised my adrenaline to another level. Running always provides a rush in itself. Sometimes it seems music has a way of enhancing this rush.

Songs always find a way to cement memories in one’s internal hard drive and then conjure up these memories years later when the song is heard again. This is true in all facets of life including running. I can’t come up with a plausible explanation, but hearing Moly Hatchet as I approached mile two of a race back in 1999 created a bookmark in my mind. Every time I hear the song it provides a flashback for just a moment. 

My early years of running were always without music. I knew of other runners who listened to music as they plodded through mile after mile, but this was a concept that didn’t seem to interest me initially. This would change however after a long run seven years into my running journey. I was training for a trail marathon and had put in a long run on the trails of Ott Biological Preserve. The run consisted of twenty-two miles on a three-mile loop. I navigated the first three or four loops, enjoying nature’s bounty but as I finished up the gauntlet I was ready to implement music into my running routine. Slugging through the last five miles seemed like dejuva and the monotony won over. 

I went shopping the next day, bought a simple MP3 player, and downloaded a playlist consisting of a few dozen songs. There are certainly those among us including runners and non-runners who might frown upon including music as part of running. It does seem as if runners indulge in this on a larger scale today than a few decades ago. Technology has given us many options for music and running. I can recall as a child, seeing people running while carrying a small cassette player, known as a Walkman in their hands. A few years later a circular-shaped CD player replaced the Walkman. 

After a decade I moved up from an MP3 player to an iPod, which allowed me to carry more songs with me. Soon enough Bluetooth came along and I was able to carry my iPod unattached to my headphones. Not long after this I downloaded a larger selection of songs to my smartphone which left the iPod obsolete. For a period of time, I ran with a watch with the technology to have songs directly downloaded to it. This seemed perfect because I didn’t have to worry about carrying my phone but this didn’t last long. I eventually decided that it was always wise to run with my phone for safety purposes. The next phase involved music sources such as Spotify and Apple Music which came with a minimal monthly fee. These sources made it easier to upload songs to my phone quickly to access larger playlists for offline purposes. The other option for these sources was to stream songs from specific artists or genres.

For many years I ran with music when running alone but would go without when sharing my sport with others. This changed several ago when I was invited to run with a local group of runners. Dave Berry, a member of this group, played music over the speaker on his phone while we ran. All members of the group enjoyed the added element. Conversation was not compromised because of the music. Typical topics were discussed and sometimes a particular song would spark a memory that would create another subject of dialogue. In time Dave began taking song requests. Eventually, he upgraded to a bigger Bluetooth speaker to enhance the quality of the sound. Dave became our running DJ.

The idea of listening to music from a portable speaker intrigued me. This topic came up in conversation at home with my wife and my son and soon I received my own speaker as a Christmas gift from my son. Immediately I replaced my earbuds with my new Bluetooth speaker on my training runs. I felt that it allowed me to listen to music while also being able to hear traffic and other sounds in my environment. It seemed a safer option than earbuds. 

I have taken my running jukebox to the streets for the last five years when running alone and sometimes for group runs. My playlist has also followed me to some races. I’m certain there are those runners who don’t appreciate hearing my selection of songs during a race but I have received comments from many who enjoy the addition to race day. I like to think of a marathon as a twenty-six-mile party. The music adds to the flavor of this party.

Particular songs bring me back to detailed memories of childhood and other seasons of life. Some of these memories include running moments from the past filled with details across all senses. Songs such as “Sweet Caroline” and “YMCA” bring with them images of running partners singing lyrics or performing hand motions as a way to elicit positive feelings to survive the physical discomfort common with sections of a run. Many acquire a list of songs that might help to pick up the beat for four or five minutes at a time. For me personally, some of these songs include, “Eye of the Tiger”, “Kickstart My Heart” “Thunderstruck”, and the guitar solo near the end of “Freebird”.

Jasmin Hutchinson, Ph.D and associate professor of exercise studies and sports science and director of sports and exercise psychology at Springfield College, spoke of the benefits of listening to music while running in an article published by Runner’s World in November 2018. “It’s pretty definitive that music is performance enhancing. Matching your stride to a particular beat can help you better regulate your pace. Songs with an average of 120 to 130 beats per minute are the ideal tempo for fast powerful running.”

Using music to match a desired cadence can optimize a workout but music goes beyond this. It can calm one’s nerves and balance the emotional, mental, and physical aspects of running. At times songs can create a much-needed distraction when the elements of running become unpleasant. What I like about music is that it can create flashbacks to the past, providing time to reflect. Running without the modern technologies of our world can provide a happy place but music can also enhance our sport.

Until next time, this has been just another runner’s perspective.

Lauren Crockett Story

 

Harper’s Unsung Heroes

April 2024

Written by Gale Fischer 

Fostering a Safe Environment

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples”

—Mother Teresa

As important as teaching a set academic curriculum and student performance on standardized tests are, there is so much more that schools are called to do today. Establishing positive relationships with students that help them to feel nurtured, loved, and safe is not a formal part of the job description for those working directly with students, but there is nothing more important. When looking at the hierarchy of needs, if children don’t feel a sense of belonging and if their basic needs are not met, then learning will likely not occur. How can we expect kids to learn if the brain is in a constant mode of staying on the right side of survival? I suppose that this has always been an important concept of education but it seems that more students are coming to us who lack basic needs than ever before. This month’s Harper Unsung Hero Lauren Crockett, has worked to advocate for the safety of our youth, one child at a time for the past two decades. This may have started as part of her job, but it quickly became her passion.

Lauren was born in Sturgis, Michigan in 1976 to Doug and Jan Burland. Their family was blessed two years later with Lauren’s younger brother, David. Lauren describes her childhood family dynamics. “My mom grew up in a military family and moved a lot as a kid. After graduating from high school she enrolled at Olivet College where she would meet Dad who was also a student there. Dad grew up in Battle Creek. He played football for Lakeview High School and would go on to play football at Olivet.” Jan was a stay-at-home mom and Doug started out working in education. “My dad started his teaching career for Sturgis. A few years after I was born he started teaching at Harper Creek as a middle school teacher in the late 1970s and1980s. He also coached varsity football at Harper Creek from 1977 to 1981. Due to layoffs, Dad moved from education to the financial industry taking a job as a financial advisor and continuing with this career until he retired.”

David and Lauren’s parents made up her nuclear family early on but fond childhood memories go beyond this for her. Lauren also has three step-siblings on her mom’s side of the family and three step-siblings on her father’s side. Lauren describes the importance of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins in her life.  “I was close with my extended family. We would spend holidays together in a house full of people, eating, playing games, and singing Christmas songs. My grandparents worked at Disney so we went there quite often. We would frequently vacation together as an extended family.” Later on in her childhood, Lauren’s grandfather moved in with her and her family, helping to fuel her desire to care for and nurture others. “When I was in fifth grade my grandma passed away. My grandfather had brain cancer so we took care of him in our home. He lived with us for almost a year. This gave me a passion for caring for the elderly.”

Lauren and David attended Lakeview starting in Kindergarten through high school. David followed in Doug’s footsteps, playing football in high school for Lakeview. Doug also was a football coach at Lakeview during this time. Lauren competed as a swimmer through middle school but her interest faded for swimming. She reflects on what kept her busy during her high school years. “My dad said that if I wasn’t going to participate in sports I had to work. I started working when I was fourteen, with my first job at Taco Bell. I also worked at the Limited, a women’s clothing store located in the mall.” 

Lauren graduated from Lakeview in 1994 and then enrolled at KCC. She reflects on this chapter in her life. “I attended KCC after I graduated from high school, seeking an associate degree in early childhood. I had always loved kids and felt it was important for kids to have early intervention and a safe environment. I developed a care-taking and nurturing attitude while growing up.”

Lauren had worked for the Altrusa Child Care Center, located in the Fort Custer Industrial Area while attending KCC and continued working there after earning her degree. She explains how her passion for kids and families led her to this job. “Altrusa was open twenty-four hours daily to provide care for children for whatever shift their parents worked. This drew me to them. I thought it was unique that they offered child care twenty-four hours a day.”

 

Lauren and her first husband Joe were married in 1998. At this time Lauren switched careers and started working at Mass Mutual. She enjoyed the change in pace of this new job and continued working there through 2001. Lauren reflects on becoming a mom. “Madison, our first child, was born in 2001. I became a stay-at-home mom. Joe was an electrician at Post so financially I was able to stay at home. I have always been grateful to be at home with my kids. I felt that this was my calling to be a wife and mom. I developed great friendships with other stay-at-home moms. We were always doing fun things with our kids.” Lauren joined a mom’s group called Moms of Preschoolers (MOPS). Spending time with other moms provided a network of friends for Lauren. “We would do things with our kids but would also do community outreach. I’m still friends with many of these moms.”

Three years after Madison was born Lauren and Joe were blessed with their second child, Tyler. Lauren continued as a stay-at-home mom for the majority of her week but did find part-time work at this time. “When Tyler was young I started working in the child care room a few mornings a week at the YMCA. I made friends with other moms through this job. I worked a few mornings a week with childcare but was there every day working out.”

After Tyler was born, Lauren also began volunteering for the elderly population. She describes how this helped to bolster her passion for nurturing those who are vulnerable. “After Tyler was a baby I started volunteering at Good Samaritan Hospice. I would visit with Hospice residents, just holding their hands and feeding them. I worked with their family members on being comfortable.” She was practicing the compassion that she had utilized when helping care for her grandfather as a child. This would help serve her well moving forward. “It was important to me to understand the process of dying and the holistic process of it. I felt that no one should be alone when they die. I was always drawn to the elderly or the young. I know that this was my calling. Volunteering for hospice was sad but a great learning experience.” Her experience volunteering at Good Samaritan sparked an interest in someday becoming a social worker. 

Lauren developed a mindset centered around the importance of healthy living and being physically active. Working at the YMCA helped to strengthen this mindset. Lauren talks about her next step in advocating for the welfare of children. “In 2008 I started teaching fitness classes with Twenty-First Century. My goal was healthy living through physical activity. Twenty-First Century was an after-school program for Battle Creek Public, hosted by the YMCA. This became a natural progression for me.”

Lauren established a routine of practicing what she preached staying physically active herself. Working at the YMCA, even part-time gave her access to free child-care while she was working out. She and Joe divorced in 2010. She would meet her current husband, Robbie Crockett, whose son participated in the Twenty-First Century. 

Working for child care at the YMCA, teaching fitness classes through Twenty-First Century, raising her two children, and volunteering at Good Samaritan were experiences that sharpened her skills and primed her passion for helping others, preparing her for what would come next. She was ready to take a big step, going back to school. “I started classes at Spring Arbor in 2011, earning my degree in Family Studies a year later. I wanted to be a counselor and I thought a Family Studies degree would help with this.”

Lauren’s experiences going back to helping care for her grandfather as a child and including her work with children as an adult helped to give her the confidence that she could make a difference for vulnerable individuals. After earning her Family Studies degree from Spring Arbor she would take these experiences to another level, providing support for society’s most vulnerable. “I became a foster care caseworker for City Linc.  Immediately, I developed a passion for children and parents in the foster care system.” 

Lauren’s work there was rewarding but it was also emotionally difficult. She talks about how the struggles of her job tugged at her heart. “I remember my first supervised parenting session was with a seventeen-year-old mom. It was obvious that the young mom loved and cared for her baby but at the same time, she lacked the skills to provide a safe environment for her baby. My heart went out to her but her baby needed more. Sometimes love isn’t enough for the welfare of a child.” 

Working in the foster care system opened her eyes. Lauren was faced with gut-wrenching decisions and tasks but she always understood the importance of her role. “My job was to help get kids to a place where they could be safe. I became passionate about kids born into difficult situations. I felt for the parents but also wanted the kids to be safe so bridging the two was always difficult. I felt a calling to be an advocate for kids. My theory is making a difference one starfish at a time. There can be hundreds of starfish on the beach and if I can save just one of them then I’ve done my job.”

Lauren remained in the foster care system, eventually taking a job with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) and moving into a supervisor role. Her new position involved testifying in court to determine child custody and advocating for children who would benefit from being placed in foster care. Testifying on behalf of these children and hearing their stories was never easy, but she never waivered from her goal to help children in need receive the support that they needed, one child at a time. 

Lauren loved the work that she had done in the foster care system. She was able to utilize her skills and it truly felt like she could make a difference. After almost a decade she felt it was it was time to move on. She talks about this transition. “I enjoyed my job with DHS, but I wanted to make a difference with a larger population of children and families. I longed to work more directly with kids. I started working at Marshall Middle School as a student support specialist in 2023.”

She loved her new role and felt at home in Marshall but her stay there was short. Lauren talks about how the opportunity to come to Harper Creek was too good to pass up. “I loved the kids at Marshall Middle School, but I had always heard great things about Harper Creek and knew that the community atmosphere there was special. My husband, Robbie, started coaching football at Harper Creek in 2023 which added to my interest in working for Harper Creek. When a posting came up at Beadle Lake for a student support specialist I felt that it was an opportunity that was calling me.” 

Lauren’s experiences with City Linc and with DHS allowed her to find her passion and hone her skills. She discusses how her opportunities while at the YMCA and with the foster care system blend with working in a school setting. “My experience with DHS and the understanding I have of trauma with kids I feel has helped me in working in public schools. I feel that part of my role is to advocate for kids. This involves everyone being accountable including school staff and parents. I find that communication piece with parents is important. Schools and families are a team and the best scenario for kids is when this team is working together.” In a perfect world, our students would show up each day with all of their needs met and we can certainly do things to try to improve situations outside of school, but at the end of the day, we still make our biggest impact during the school day. “We do what we can to hold parents accountable but still, there will sometimes be kids who come to us with many needs. In these situations, it is up to us to provide these basic necessities.” 

Part of Lauren’s job description as a student support specialist for Beadle Lake is being the homeless liaison. She reflects on this role. “Working closely with our school’s homeless population has been helpful. Knowing what kids are in this population helps me know which kids need a little more attention from me. I try to put these kids on my radar.” 

Lauren has put her heart and soul into her work but has still relished being a mom. “My kids both participated in sports in high school. I loved being a sports mom. There are lots of memories. The pandemic was a challenge for her as a mom of two teenagers.  “Madison graduated in 2020. It was a rough ending for her high school career on the heels of COVID. Getting through this transition required teamwork from our entire family. 

COVID was tough for Tyler as he entered his last two years of high school with many transitions between virtual and in-person school. We hired a tutor to help him get through this. Navigating teenage years is tough but adding something that society had never encountered before with COVID, added another element to parenting teens.”

Madison threw Lauren a curveball as a mom after college. “Madison married her high school sweetheart, Adam just before he was assigned to go to Guam as a diver for the US Navy. I never anticipated or planned for my daughter to be living on the other side of the world. I have been able to deal with this fourteen-hour time difference for almost a year as a mom. I talk to her every morning, which is night to her, and every night, which is morning to her since she moved there.”

  

With both Madison and Tyler now having transitioned from high school to adults Lauren can take in more free time. She enjoys reading and traveling to warmer places. She also likes to cook and exercise as well as making the drive to the Great Lakes to listen to the waves. 

Lauren’s journey to working in public schools has occurred on a non-traditional path. She learned early on that she could make a difference for those in need through nurturing and care-giving as a child with her grandfather. Being a stay-at-home mom, volunteering for hospice patients, teaching youth about healthy habits, and advocating for our society’s most vulnerable in the foster care system has blessed her with a great foundation as a public educator. Her story is a reminder that although learning is important, it is based on multiple complexities. Building those relationships with kids and giving them a sense of belonging can help provide a great base for kids to grow and learn.