It seems to be a pretty common discussion amongst runners ... to run with an iPod or not. I fully admit that I always have an iPod with me. I have done 2 runs without music, but merely used ye olde iPod as a means of tracking my run with the Nike Plus sensor. When I run the Princess 1/2 next February my plan is to not listen to music so that I may, instead, soak up all that is going on around me in my very first half marathon. With that said, all the other times I am out there running I am listening to music. It helps distract me. It helps keep my feet trying to move faster than they would really prefer. It completes me.
I have a few songs that are my must-haves for any race day play list:
- Don't Stop Believing - Glee soundtrack... I position this one at the point where I think I might start getting tired and needing a little motivational boost.
- Bad Romance - either Lady Gaga or the Glee soundtrack
- Yeah! - Usher. Reminds me of the Hangover and Las Vegas, and I love anything relating to Las Vegas
- Right Round - Flo Rida ... for the same reasons mentioned above
- I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas. First heard this in the starting area of the 5K in Epcot. It became a favorite at that exact moment!
Those are the songs on EVERY play list when I run. A few honorable mentions that frequently get cycled through are:
- Goonies R Good Enough - Cyndi Lauper - shout out to the Oregon coast!!
- Back in Time - Huey Lewis and the News
- Down Under - Men at Work .... JAZZ FLUTE!! This is a new one that might soon be bumped up to the ranks of a set spot in the rotation, but I just bought it on iTunes - it has to earn its permanency.
- All that Jazz - Chicago soundtrack. I used this at my first 10K as a way to start the race so I would know I wouldn't go full steam and run out of energy before the first mile was over. (Also reminds me of my last trip to Vegas.)
- Britney Spears - as much as I hate to admit it, there are quite a few of her songs that are in rotation. The beat seems to go well with my footfall.
- For Your Entertainment - Adam Lambert
- Just Haven't Met You Yet and Everything - Michael Buble
And then there is the song I listen to before 90% of my runs. Maybe even 95%.
- Proud Mary - Tina Turner. No idea how this tradition started. I always crank it up and start out slow with her, stretching and loosening up. Then we pick up the pace and it is a full blown dance in my house. By the time the song is over I feel more than ready to run! This gets trickier at races, but I still subtly make it work!
Time to bring it on home. As a goal to keep moving when I was first starting I would lay out the number of songs I thought it would take to run a 5K. At the conclusion of that I had a song set to come on and slow me down for a nice walk home. I don't really do that anymore, but maybe I should. It did help. And that most amazing song is:
- Claire de Lune - Debussy. It is beautiful. Listen to it. Enjoy it. Love it!
What about you? Any "must have" songs that you like to crank up while you are running?
I like anything with a good beat. Although sometimes I just like to run to instrumental music depending on how much I need to clear my mind ;-).
ReplyDeleteI remember I once went for a run and my ipod died it was so amazing to just listen to my feet hit the pavement!
Awesome!! Love your music! Hilarious that you have the Cyndi Lauper on yours! I do too, AND the New Found Glory version of it. We have very similar music on our iPods.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the Journey songs from GLEE. That's on my playlist too!
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