Running Soundtrack

I have been trying to make a new playlist each run. I take my old playlist and add it to my "Used Running Tracks" playlist. I have listened to over 200 songs while running (some repeated, and of course, some runs I am chatting with my running partner and not listening to music). Here are some of the artists that have kept me motivated over the miles:

AC/DC, Alicia Keys, Alkaline Trio, All-American Rejects, American Hi-Fi, Amy Winehouse, Audioslave, The Bangles, Bayside, Beastie Boys, Beck, Beyonce, Billy Idol, Black Eyed Peas, The Blakes, Blink-182, Blondie, Boysetsfire, Brand New, The Bravery, Buffalo Tom, Chemical Brother, Chevelle, Chingy, Chris Isaak, Christina Aguilera, Common, Consequence, Counting Crows, Crystal Method, Daft Punk, Deee-Lite, DMX, Does It Offend You Yeah?, The Donnas, Duran Duran, Eminem, Fall Out Boy, Fat Joe, Fatboy Slim, Fergie, Filter, Flyleaf, Foo Fighters, Franz Ferdinand, The Fratellis, George Michael, Ginuwine, Gorillaz, Green Day, Guns N' Roses, Halifax, Hilary Duff, The Hives, Hole, Jamiroquai, Jane's Addiction, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, Jedi Mind Tricks, Jet, Jill Sobule, Jimmy Eat World, Justin Timberlake, Kanye, Kelis, Kelly Clarkson, Korn, Lily Allen, Linkin Park, LL Cool J, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco, Lucious Jackson, Lyrics Born, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, Marky Mark, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, Mims, Missy Elliott, Moby, Modest Mouse, Morningwood, Motley Crue, Muse, My Chemical Romance, NAS, Nelly, NWA, Outkast, Phantom Planet, Poison, Prince, The Prodigy, The Rapture, Rev Run, Rihanna, Rise Against, Rob Base, The Roots, Run DMC, Saul Williams, Sean Paul, Sheryl Crow, The Strokes, Sugarhill Gang, Switches, Tha Liks, The Used, Young Gunz, 10 Years, and 50 Cent.

I am clearly all over the map, and I always love recommendations!

A Great Playlist (Run 23)

The road racing world has been shaken up a bit by the issue of wearing headphones while running. Some races have outright banned the use of headphones while running. The reasoning behind the ban varies, but includes safety. Sure, safety while running solo can be affected by how loud your music is (you can't hear cars as well on city streets, you may not hear the roar of a cougar barrelling down on you, etc.), but in a huge race--such as the Boston Marathon, I doubt wearing headphones raises as much of a safety concern--roads are shut down to traffic, it's highly unlikely there will be a wild animal on the lose, everyone's an experienced runner (as you have to qualify for Boston). I've heard that the issue is more one of insuring a race v. actual safety concerns. Several organizations are re-visiting the issue.

I cannot imagine running for any considerable distance without music--and given that every road race of any notable size has music playing from speakers or actual bands along the course--I am not alone. Why shouldn't I be able to choose what I listen to while running? Of course, I always have music playing--at work, at home, on car rides, etc.

I am always searching for the right running music. While I love R.E.M., for example, it doesn't make for good running motivation (except maybe the "Monster" album). On the other hand, "Appetite for Destruction" has quite a few run-worthy tracks. This is what yesterday's playlist included:

(1) "Put You On Game," Lupe Fiasco. Lupe is one of my favorite hip-hoppers of all-time. While many of his more creative tracks are a bit too slow for running, this song is a great warm-up track.

(2) "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)," My Chemical Romance. MCR's theatrical sound translates well into running. Considering many people think going out and running for 13.1 miles (or even 1 mile) is crazy, this song is perfect.

(3) "Don't Stop The Music," Rihanna. Sure, this song is nothing special or original, but it's a good, dancey track that keeps you moving.

(4) "Feedback," Janet Jackson. I'm not a huge fan of Janet, but the beat of this track really powers you through the middle portion of a run.

(5) "You Give Me Something," Jamiroquai. Jay Kay of Jamiroquai sounds like a young Stevie Wonder, and 95% of their songs are great dance tracks with a pulsing, steady beat. Perfect for any cardio workout.

(6) "I Can," Nas. This song about working hard for your dreams helps with the motivation during the last portions of your run when you want to quit.

(7) "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," Michael Jackson. Old school MJ is classic.

(8) "Steve McQueen," Sheryl Crow. Clearly, my musical tastes are everywhere. Crow's track is a great way to end a workout.

Missed Run (13 is unlucky)

Yesterday, I missed my run. I was up too late on Tuesday night (until 10 p.m.), and I couldn't get out of bed to run early. I figured that I would run after work, but that didn't happen--I worked later than I planned and was too tired to lace up my Sauconys. I felt like such a huge slacker last night, as I watched "Top Chef" and realized that I had missed a run.

But, today's a new day. I have my running gear with me at work, and I going to run with the Flying Irish tonight. As The Hives say, "You get up/you get down/and you try again."

The Good, [The Bad], and The Ugly (Runs 10 & 11)

Training runs 10 and 11 had completely different feels. Training run 10 ("The Good") was our second team practice run. "Halfers" were running for 40 minutes (for more on my actual training, check out my post entitled "This is how we do"). It was beautiful, a bit breezy, and clear at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 24. My Friday night are not very adventorous, as I have to be asleep in time to get up for my team practice runs--I have eaten a nice carb-y dinner (but, not too heavy) on the last two Fridays and crashed out by ten at the latest. No sugar and definitely no alcohol.

Anyhow, the 40 minute Good run was just that--I kept a great pace (except for the point when I was attempting to take off my jacket and my iPod (which was strapped to my arm on the outside of my jacket)), and I handled a couple of small hills with ease. I know one of my teammates, Susan, was behind me, probably wondering why my running motion was so spastic. After the team run, we had a shoe clinic at The Runner's Soul on Wall in Spokane. The Soul's owner talked us through foot mechanics and why you need a running-specific shoe. Great information. I had actually purchased my first pair of run-specific shoes that were fitted to me at The Soul earlier this year--a pair of Saucony Omni 6 Ultimates. They are ugly, but my feet love them. This was the first time that I had purchased running shoes for fit and not appearance. Don't expect this to extend to other areas of my life! I hear that Crocs are cozy, but I'd much rather wear a tall, pointy pair of Weitzmans anyday.

And now for The Ugly run (it was beyond bad)...Sunday morning. Saturday night I had a few glasses of wine and a Grey Goose and tonic at an event. Saturday afternoon, I was at my best friend Devon's baby shower, where I also consumed some sugar (an eclair "baby"--once you got past the initial weirdness about eating a "baby," they were delicious). Went to bed after midnight before my Sunday morning run, and I generally ate poorly on Saturday. Well, Sunday morning I went out for my easy 30 minute recovery run with Chad. I was dehydrated, sweaty, panting excessively, and I thought I might vomit. The best thing I can say about this run is that I finished it. My pace was a good minute per mile slower (at least) than Saturday's run. We did head to the lookout underneath the Monroe Street Bridge to watch the falls after. For those of you out of town, the Spokane River is at the highest it's been in forever. The lookout allows you to see the river run over the falls and through the dam--it is amazing and powerful. It was so loud we couldn't even hear each other talk, and we got treated to a spray of mist from the water down below (much needed after the Ugly run). I wish we would have taken a picture (I'll try to get one in the next couple of days to post).

Lesson learned: sugar is not my friend when running (which, I should have learned last week), nor is alcohol. I'm not much of a drinker, so the not drinking the nights before a run shouldn't be too hard.

Finally, I met Jan Giesa's sister-in-law Gayle at the baby shower on Saturday (my best friend Devon is married to the son of Gayle's brother-in-law). She was thrilled about my half-marathon training and fundraising, and she graciously offered to help sponsor my efforts. I really appreciate all the support I've received this early on in the training and fundraising. It's pretty amazing how many people's lives have been touched by cancer.

Runs 10 & 11 were fueled by the tunes of: Garth Brooks, Moby, Sheryl Crow, Duran Duran, Blink-182, Counting Crows, Lupe Fiasco, AC/DC, Chingy, Pilot Speed, Does it Offend You, Yeah?, Nas & Jay-Z, The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, The Crystal Method, and Korn.

The Apple Loop (Training Run 9)

Last night I ran with the Flying Irish Running Club, which meets at O'Doherty's every Thursday night at 5:45 p.m. to run at 6. They have a variety of 3-ish mile routes with everything from runners to walkers (and people with pets and children participating). There's no fee, you just have to show up and run. Apparently, if you run 6 times, you get a Flying Irish T-shirt. It is my understanding that to get "shirted" you must stand on the bar at O'Doherty's and tell a joke. I'm not sure if the joke needs to be an Irish joke or not. I have 3 runs to go until I get "shirted," so send me your jokes!

The Irish run last night was the "Apple Loop," which has to do with a program at Garfield Elementary and not the shape of the loop. It was drizzling during the run, but I kind of like that. The one drawback of the Irish runs is that they are primarily through town, so you often have to stop at corners and crosswalks to wait for traffic. So, if you're really worried about timing your pace, you'll have to take that into consideration. I treat it as a nice breather and nothing else.

9 training runs down, 115 to go! Last night's run featured the music of: Lily Allen, Duran Duran, Alkaline, Prince, Fergie, The All-American Rejects, Poison, Guns N' Roses, and Jay-Z.

Water Hazard

I continue to battle getting out of bed for morning runs, so last night I ran right after work. Since my office is right across the street from Riverfront Park, I figured I would go run on the trail around the river. The Spokane River is running very high and very fast, due to our long, snowy winter and cold spring. The heat just came out of nowhere (and has since disappeared), so flooding is a real issue here.

I ran along the south side of the river, and turned by Gonzaga. As I approached where the trail dips under the Division Street bridge by the River Inn Hotel, there were cones and barricades and signs saying that the trail may be washed out. I decide to check, and sure enough, that portion of the trail was covered with probably 3-6 inches of water. I figured that getting swept over the falls wouldn't be good for my training, so I headed up the stairs to Division and headed back to the the other side of the river.

Apparently, the portion of the Centennial Trail where I had my team practice last Saturday (May 17) is completely washed out--it was dry but for one spot just a week ago.

Last night's run featured music by: AC/DC, The Chemical Brothers, Mary J. Blige, Motley Crue, Jedi Mind Tricks, Alkaline Trio, and Common.

Morning Person?

I am trying to get my runs in during the morning, but I am failing in week two. I am just not a morning person, but I know once the weather gets (and stays) hot that I will want to be running in the morning when it is still cool outside. I completed Sunday's run in the morning (around Hayden Lake--beautiful run), but Tuesday's run was at night (a loop around Browne's Addition that I like). Tonight's run will be at night, as well, since I didn't crawl out of bed until seven.

Since I'm only doing 30-40 minutes runs right now, I can usually hydrate a bit (about 4 oz.) and head out the door. As the runs get longer in the next 22 weeks, I'll have to figure out what works for me hydration and food wise and does not upset my stomach. Right now, I'm loving the Propel Endurance--lower cal with not much sugar (see Running Tip #1) and a bit of caffeine to get me out the door.

Sunday and Tuesday's runs were energized by the following artists on my little green nano: Pat Benatar, Mary J. Blige, Motley Crue, Lily Allen, Saul Williams, Jamiroquai, George Michael, Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, and The Chemical Brothers.

1 down, 22 to go

The Nike Marathon is in October, so for me to be able to run 13.1 miles--in a row--I need ample training time. My training schedule includes approximately 23 weeks of training, running 5 days per week each training week. The training is based on time v. distance (for example, I may have to run 30 minutes as opposed to 3 miles). The first 7 weeks of training are the "easy" runs, where I should be able to complete my run and still feel as if I could continue to run further and faster.

The easy concept is fine when I run by myself. However, that type-A+ personality of mine can't really handle the easy run concept when running with others. Case in point, running with the Flying Irish, with the training group, or last Sunday with Chad. Now, I know I have limitations in running, but I will find myself trying to maintain pace or lap others, if only because I need to compete. However, as Jackie just told me, "Run your own race." I may need to write this on my hand next time I run in a group.

That said, I completed my first week of training on Saturday--with five runs of around 30 minutes each. All runs were fine (some faster than "easy" and some that include more hills than "easy" called for). Week 1's runs were fueled by: Propel Endurance Water, breakfast at Madeleine's (post-run), and the following artists on my iPod: Pat Benatar, Mary J. Blige, Motley Crue, Lily Allen, Saul Williams, Jamiroquai, George Michael, The All-American Rejects, Beck, Duran Duran, Rihanna, The Bravery, Amy Winehouse, Lupe Fiasco, Moby, Plain White T's, Nas, Chingy, The Roots, Janet Jackson, The Prodigy, Consequence, Justin Timberlake, The Rapture, The Chemical Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, The Bangles, Danger, Poison, Jay-Z, Guns N' Roses, and Fergie.