Music Friday

So, I listened to music during my workouts on the treadmill this week and I have some recommendations. (Yes, I am old, so some of these songs are like.. SO yesterday. But, whatev).

Speed Workout Songs:

Just starting the Fast Running:

 Stay a Little Longer- Brothers Osbourne

I love this song and was thrilled to find out that

it's a fantastic running song. Good song to 

distract you as you start to increase your speed.

Also, I used to know TJ and he is a great guy. 

Bonus points.

 Wrong Turns- Old Dominion

This is my favorite Old Dominion song and

it's a good song to keep you amped up about running hard.

Settle into the workout songs (those middle miles/minutes where you are just trying to hold on):

Riser- Dierks Bentley

Full disclosure:

1) Dierks is my fave country artist.

2) This song, to me, is The KoB's theme song and

I can't help but think of him when I hear it. So, that

probably influences the fact that I can settle into 

the workout and push through the hard stuff to this song.

If you aren't dating The KoB, though (and you better not be!),

I think the lyrics are very applicable to running.

And the beat is hella good.

Also, the real video to this song made me cry, so, if 

you're into that sort of thing, check it out on youtube.

Vancouver- Reckless Kelly 

This is one of my top 5 favorite songs EVER, so,

obviously, I can push through a workout to keep listening.

Finish Strong (when you are almost done and need to get it done):

Elastic Heart- Sia

OMG. I'm obsessed with this song. 

And, if you replace the word "love" with

the word marathon... it's like it was written for me.

So, those are some of my current faves for speed workouts. Got any good recommendations for me?

Dig

Some random shit that I'm into these days...

Earnest Bars

The apple ginger flavor is my favorite by far. They taste like an apple oatmeal cookie. DELICIOUS. And healthy-ish.

Swiftwick Socks

I haven't bought new socks in YEARS. It's actually the next thing in my running wardrobe that I'm going to upgrade. But, it's funny, I've had to sacrifice one sock from two different pairs in the past couple of months. And I was sad. Socks make for expensive toilet paper, y'all. BUT, it's like the universe is putting BETTER socks into my life to make up for those sacrificed pairs. I've recently gotten two pairs of Swiftwick socks from races (schooling bitches has it's perks) and I LOVE THEM. I'm going to buy a few more pairs. Plus... bonus...the socks are made here in Middle Tennessee.

B Complex Vitamins

So, the truth is, I'm new to the vitamin/supplement world. I used to be one of those people who thought they were a waste of money that you literally just flushed down the toilet. But, over the past few months, I've started to realize that while my diet is pretty dang healthy, when you eliminate certain food groups in their entirety, you might be missing some things. After talking to the woman at my local health food store, she convinced me that I'm not getting enough B vitamins and probably zero B-12. So, she set me up with a regiment of B Complex pills and B-12.

And something wonderful has happened... I've started taking one B complex pill in the afternoon along with my other usual suspects:

And then at night I take an additional Holy Basil pill before bed and I've started adding a B-complex pill and you know what? It's so much easier for me to get up in the morning. It's like I can't fall back asleep even if I wanted to. BRILLIANT.

I should note here that you should ask your doctor before you start taking random vitamins/supplements/minerals. I have my yearly doctors appointment on Monday, so I'll see officially where all my numbers are at.

Tristan Prettyman

It's your basic "you dumped me, and I hope you regret it some day, but you probably won't, because it's just an urban legend, that people sit around a year later and are like... hmmm.. ya know.. that girlfriend last year... I shouldn't have broken up with her." Anyway... it's good shit. Not like Taylor Swift break-up shit. But good break-up shit.

Speaking of Music...
 

Stubborn Love by the Lumineers

Scroll to :50 in the video to start the song.

I am obsessed with this song. I cannot stop listening to it, singing it, thinking about it. 

You bitches into anything worth sharing lately?

On Repeat

Per Coach's suggestions:

DUDE. Have you seen this video lately? CLASSIC. Wow.

The trashbag backdrop is amazing.



Go ahead... it will make you simultaneously vomit and cry.

And a couple of my favorites...

GO!

My personal all-time favorite. No doubt this will be

playing in my head tomorrow morning.

See ya on the otherside!

Download This... Now!

For the past couple of weeks I've had a lot of solo runs (one of my running partners has been out of town a lot! Arg!)... So, last week, fed up with the same playlist I've had since like 2004, I finally decided to upload some new tunes for my running playlist.

I realize that all of you are far hipper than I am and are probably tired of these songs, but they are new to me and new to my playlist and I think they kick ass...

Countdown by Beyonce
I'll be Waiting by Adele (I KNOW!?! Even those of us who are emotionally unavailable can like Adele songs!)
For What it's Worth by Stevie Nicks (It's not super upbeat, but still a good running song).
Sweet by Common
______ in Paris by JAY Z and Kanye West
Otis by JAY Z and Kanye West
I Might by Wilco
Lost in My Mind by The Head and the Heart

Also... Happy New Year! I'll be spending my weekend probably doing all of the following (in no particular order):

*Bossing cab drivers around
*Picking up my bestie Jeff from the airport
*Cussing I RUN FOR THE PARTY because their race routes ALWAYS GO THROUGH MY FUCKING NEIGHBORHOOD AND FUCK UP MY SATURDAY MORNING ERRANDS.
*Rooting for Vandy in their bowl game
*Nursing a god awful hangover on Sunday and swearing off drinking
*Drinking on Monday morning while watching the Gamecocks kick some cornhusker ASS (the kicking ass part is pending, obviously)
*Having a 3some with Jimmy and Woody (what? you really thought I could quit him?).
*Hiking/Nature Trail Walking, depending on how hungover I am
*Sleeping on my couch. (good hostess).
*Freezing my ass off in my dress on Saturday
*Eating Frozen Yogurt
*Running 10 miles on Saturday morning
*Drinking beer and eating Fritos
*Swearing at the Television while watching bowl games
*Taking Jeff to Taco Mamacita for GUACAMOLE!
*Carrying sparkling wine and Miller High Life's in my purse
*Karaoke-ing at Lonnie's
*Wearing false eyelashes
*Dragging Jeff to somewhere I found on hmdb.org

Adios 2011...

Busting out the Headphones

I couldn't tell you the last time I ran with music... it's probably been over a year or so. When I do have the rare occasion that I'm running solo, it either doesn't occur to me to grab my ipod, or it does, yet I assume that my ipod is dead or that my music is old (it is).

But this morning, I was presented with the opportunity to run alone (thank you running partner for bailing AFTER I had already gotten dressed... otherwise I wouldn't have gotten a run in) and I thought.. HEY! I should run with music!

So I went to check and see if the battery was charged (it was) and I set off on my run... and despite the fact that the playlist I listened to hasn't been updated in about 9 years (well.. probably more like over 1 year) and despite the fact that it's the playlist that I listen to most of the time so I'm VERY familiar with all the songs... I was shocked at how awesome some of them were for running... So, I'm going to share...

My Awesome Running Playlist from this Morning (with commentary and lyrics, of course):
disclaimer: these songs didn't all come up magically in a row, there was some skipping involved.

Gold Dust Woman, Fleetwood Mac
Is it over now/do you know how/pick up the pieces and go home...
I chose this song to start with. Because, who doesn't love a little Stevie Nicks in the morning? Also, I had never ran to this song before and I thought to myself... hmmm.. this will be a good slow song to start out with. Normally, I listen to this song while I'm getting ready, so I thought it would be chill. Uh. Wrong. This song is a kick-ass, balls-to-the-wall kind of running song. Seriously, I felt like I was being chased. Although, let's be honest... who would run from Stevie Nicks?

I almost hit repeat and just listened to Gold Dust Woman over and over again (or at least once more), but I let my ipod pick the next song...

Hospital Beds, Cold War Kids
Bring the buckets by the dozens/ bring your nieces and your cousins/ come put out the fire on us...
Great. I'm on my way to having a heart attack. Another "being chased" song. Except, you're in a race and there's some bitch in your age group right on your heels. And you can hear every one of her footfalls in the beat of the song. So good. So exhausting. (I decided when the song was over, though, that I schooled that bitch at the finish).

Ode to LRC, Band of Horses
The world is such a wonderful place...
Cheesy lyric to choose, I realize... but for chrissakes, this song's lyrics are jacked up. Anyway, so... Band of Horses. I LOVED this band back in the early 90s when they were called BUILT TO SPILL. I actually spent like 2 hours one morning trying to find a song that I had heard in a hot yoga class  (which is precisely why I hate music in yoga) by like two words that I remembered from the song. I even roped my Music Sensai (yes, I have a music sensai, you should too) into the search. I was CERTAIN that it was a Built to Spill song. Uh. No. It was a Band of Horses song. Oops. Anyway... this is a good running song. Good and upbeat... but not so much that you feel like you're running a 5k. Plus you wind up spending the entire 4 minutes thinking to yourself... WTF are they singing about and what is an LRC?

Don't You Evah, Spoon
Bet you got it all planned right/ bet you never worry, never even feel a fright... 
OMG. I love me some Spoon. I've ran to this song (uh. make that all their songs) about a zillion times and it never gets old. Spoon is a band that I never get tired of. And this song is a real gem. It's kinda angry, without being like... I'M GOING TO CUT A BITCH angry. It almost has a like a... nah nah nah nah I'm calling you out subtle anger. Which, let's face it.. is fun to run to.

Under my Thumb, Rolling Stones
Under my thumb/a siamese cat of a girl/under my thumb/she's the sweetest, ooo, pet in the world.
I'm a little late to the Rolling Stones bandwagon. Like... I just hopped on last year. But, I can't get enough and this is one of my favorite songs and I was happy to find out that it was a good song to run to, too. It's got a great, smooth, consistent beat and the lyrics are fun (under my thumb/is a squirming dog who just had her day).

Soolaimon, Neil Diamond
Soooo, soolaimon/ soolai soolai soolaimon... (your guess is as good as mine).
Yes, I grew up in the 80s, but I grew up listening to late 60s/70s music and that's where my musical tastes are still rooted. I only know like one Prince song, but give me some Neil Diamond, James Taylor or Gordon Lightfoot and I'm in paradise. Now, as for Neil Diamond, he is one of my favorites (thanks Mom and Dad)... but half of his songs I have no freaking clue what the hell he is singing about (what kind of crazy ass drugs were they doing back then, anyway?). But the beauty is... who gives a shit? This song is fun and makes me want to sing the jibberjabber lyrics while dancing around like a crazy (high) person. I have always wanted this song as my ringtone, but have never been able to find it offered. :( Anyway... the driving beats of this song are fun to run to. I mean, you can't listen to this song and sit still, so, you might as well run your ass off.

Business Time, Flight of the Conchords
You know when I'm down to my socks it's time for business/that's why they call them business socks...
I almost just hit skip when I heard this song come up, but I decided... ehhh.. let's give it a whirl. I usually only listen to this song up until the sock part anyway. But, again, it was a fun song to run to... I mean the song is hilarious... and it reminds me a lot of my best friend and running partner, April... So, yeah, if you need some comic relief while running (who doesnt?) this is a good one with a good beat.

Lake Michigan, Rogue Wave
Go and run yourself a million miles/hoping that the colors run out...
If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm really into percussion. And this song starts off perfectly for a percussion junkie like myself. Also, it has that perfect ebb and flow of build ups and slow downs that can help drive you. Highly recommend for your running playlist.

We Used to Vacation, Cold War Kids
It sounds so soothing/to mix a gin and sink into oblivion...
Lots of drums here and a nice slower chorus that has a build up to the next verses. Everytime I hear the intro to this song I'm like... what Spoon song is this? And then I realize it's Cold War Kids and it's one of my favorite songs! They sing lyrics in such an interesting way... makes for fun singing (and running).

Gloria, Van Morrison
G-L-O-R-IIIIIIIIIIII-A/G-L-O-R-IIIIIIIII-A
I always avoided putting older songs on my running playlists in the past, I was too busy trying to find a new hip hop song or whatever... but, what I learned this morning was this: If I like dancing around to the song in my living room while singing it at the top of my lungs.. then, yeah, I'm going to like running to it. Good lesson.

Glass, Concrete, and Stone, David Byrne
Where the city's blowin' in and out/ this is what it's all about, delightfully...
Lots of Talking Heads, David Byrne stuff is great to run to... but I was surprised about this one. Again, I almost hit skip when I realized what song it was... it's funny how when you listen to songs you think of them as "slower" but then when you try to do something like run to them...you notice the upbeat, faster notes. I found myself trying to sing along to parts, actually.. which I think is a good sign that you've totally forgotten your surroundings (ummm that you're running, in public, with people around you, and you're tone deaf!).

Reckoner, Radiohead 
It's not about the lyrics...I don't give a shit what the lyrics are...
So, this song came on when I was like 15 seconds from my house. And to preface, this song is one of my favorite songs. I listen to it on repeat a LOT. Like more than is reasonable. But... this is a song that makes me feel high without actually being high (and bonus... no paranoia!). It's great, I put it on and zone out and feel awesome. Plus... cymbals GALORE in this song. Who doesn't love cymbals? So, anyway... since it's such a "zone out/chillax" song for me, I assumed it would be an awful running song. Well, I was wrong, because I ran past my house and down around the block till the song finished and then I was like.. "whoa, did I really just run past my house and not realize it?" It's almost like it puts you in this trancelike state. This song is not a 5k song, or a 10k song, this is a mile 19 when you want to give up song. For whatever reason the song just lures you to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And here I thought the song was just an awesome subsitute for booze, xanax, or pot!

Ok, well hopefully amidst all this useless drivel you picked up a song or two to add to your playlist. I mean, there are only so many Kanye, Mariah, and Beyonce songs out there...


Business hours are over, baby...

An Apology.

Dear Nashville,

I am sorry that I spent the last 6 miles or so of my 20 mile training run on Saturday singing, "All the Right Moves" by One Republic loudly as I stumbled along the streets.

You see, I started off too fast (everyone chime in here... as always). I tried to keep up with 34,000 miles later for the first few miles. So, by the time Matt and L caught up with me (and after all 20 people that I passed defiantly in the first 2 miles, came to pass me during mile 3. One actually asking me how I was feeling. Ugh. Embarrassing) I was too zonked to attempt to keep up with them. Sure, I ran with some other really nice runners, met some new people, but when I conveniently stopped by my house around mile 12 (I had ran to the start, so I was 2 miles ahead of everyone else) to use the bathroom and contemplate quitting...  and once I finally decided to get out there and finish my long run in it's entirety for once this training period, I decided to just log the other 8 miles around my neighborhood. Thus began the singing around mile 14... out of sheer boredom and malaise.

I am sorry that I only know the first couple lines of the chorus... and so for those last 6 miles, I just repeated them over and over again...

All the right moves, in all the wrong places...
Yeah... we're going down...

I am sorry that those actually aren't even the correct lyrics.

But most of all, I'm sorry that I'm tone deaf and I promise from now on to only single in public when I'm drunk (and hopefully for you, you are too) at Lonnies Western Room.

Sincerely,
Amy (that annoying, tone deaf girl, who looked like she was about to die)

Astronomical Run

Yesterday, when I read that there would be a meteor shower that night, I got so excited. It seems like I always miss cool things happening. So when I discovered ahead of time that the Perseid Meteor Shower would soon take place, I made plans to watch. Now I'm not really into astronomy or anything, but to my knowledge, I've never seen a meteor shower and every picture I've seen of one looks totally awesome.

When my alarm went off at 4:00am, I got up, made a pot of coffee and took a cup outside to watch the big show in the sky. Luckily, my husband Greg, is a very early riser and usually wakes up at 4:30 or so anyway, (insane, isn't he?) which meant I had some company. Sadly, it wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped due to the brightness of the almost full moon, Memphis smog and a cloudy sky. I was sure longing to be at my parents house out in the country, where the stars are so bright and numerous that when I go home for a visit and look up, I'm startled and reminded of just how amazing the night sky really is. However, the meteor shower viewing wasn't a total bust because I saw two meteors falling fast and quite a few slower moving ones. It was satisfying enough that I don't regret losing that extra hour of sleep.

And anyway Coach Hal told me that I had to get in a 5 miler today and so when I started my run at 5:15 it was still dark and I was able to watch the sky for just a bit longer. It made for a very memorable run. I felt good, the humidity was lower and I listened to a great music mix comprised from my brother Logan's collection of 35,000 songs on itunes!!!! I'm not even kidding. I hadn't even heard of half the artists and bands on his list, but fortunately he has good taste in music and is also a runner (and also training for the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis), which means he was able to recommend good running songs. My favorite so far is from a French music duo/band called Air. Good stuff. Here is what Logan said about Air: "Oooh here, you definitely need some Air. Air will give you a running high when you aren't even running." Hehehe.

The bad.

Running has changed my life.

Obviously, it's made me healthier and more fit and active. But it's done more than that. I no longer deal with depression or anxiety. There's no more insomnia. It gives me something in my life to completely control (which frees me from trying to control absolutely everything else in my life), it's boosted my self esteem and made me more independent and stronger. It challenges me and gives me an outlet to be competitive and to set goals and work towards them.

It's the best thing I've ever done for myself.

But...

There is one thing that has changed since I started running... and... it's safe to say that it's not really for the better, but for the worse.

You see, I have always been a music lover. And from high school on... my taste in my music was very... in a word: pretentious*. I never listened to the pop radio stations or heaven forbid the hip hop or rap stations. No, I was too good for that. Not only that, but I was wayyy ahead of the curve... I was always one of the first to hear of new band X or Y. I was a total music snob.

But, as I've started running... and making running playlists, my music taste has plummeted. I now listen to the pop stations some trying to find new upbeat songs to run to. And It's turning into, not just listening to them when I run... but, other times, as well. I downloaded some new tunes this weekend... check this out:

"Circus" Britney Spears
"Rehab" Rhianna
"Single Ladies" Beyonce
"Decode" Paramore
"Live your Life" T.I. and Rhianna
"Paper Planes" M.I.A.

Ugh. I've totally gone 13 year old girl with my music tastes. Before you know it, I'll start hanging posters of the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana on my bedroom door.

At some point, I'm expecting an intervention...



*Okay, so I have to include this disclaimer because if I dont, April will totally call me out on it. YES, I did own a Spice Girl single in high school. "2 Become 1" was a kick ass song... and... I had a special dance that accompanied the song... I have no problems admitting that.

Pacing...

Yeah, so I'm kind of in a weird place right now.

This morning I got up for my 8 mile marathon pace run. I checked my mcmillan printout before heading out the door, to see what I was supposed to be averaging... and I was a little dumbfounded when I saw it said: 9:08.

9:08. Seriously?

Ummm... I ran my last long run of 14.4 miles at about 8:45/8:50ish.

The 12 miler the week before? Ohhhh about 9:15.

WTF?

I threw out mcmillan's guidelines and just ran normal... checking my pace every so often and making sure I wasn't running too slow or too fast. I finished with an 8:50 average and feel like that was about a 7.5 on the effort scale.

I don't know whats going on with me. I honestly have no idea what my marathon goal time should be. And I'm not really worrying about it yet. In my upcoming half marathons, I should be able to crush 2:00 no problem (barring no freakish incidents), so I guess I'll use those as barometers.

I'm so freaking ready for that first half marathon. I dont want to wait two more weeks!!!

Side bar: So, the songs on my running playlist are just... OLD. I mean, I'm seriously sick of them, I gotta get some new tunes... but anyway, so lately, I've just been letting it shuffle all the songs on my ipod, which includes a lot of my chillin' on an airplane music... like Iron and Wine and The National and The Frames, and whatnot... well... I've also got the motown #1s on there and I don't know why I've never put some of those songs on my running playlist... but this morning... I heard:

"Heard it through the grapevine" Marvin Gaye
"Where did our Love go?" The Supremes

DUDE. How did I NEVER think of putting these songs on my running playlist??? I mean... Yes, I regularly dance around my living room singing these songs... but, run to them??? Brilliant! It's time I update my playlist for sure. I'm open to suggestions...

Hi, My Name is April

and I'm a David Archuleta fan.

That's right, I love David Archuleta-sweet, cute little 18 year old pop sensation-David Archuleta. According to Greg, this is something that I should not say aloud. Yesterday on the way home from work, I was listing the new songs I bought from itunes-one of those being "Crush" by Mr. Archuleta. He actually groaned when I said the name, which made me think that I should perhaps keep my love for the American Idol runner-up to myself. But then on this morning's run, the song came on and it made me happy...it energized me! It's a good song, goshdarnit. Ok, so it's a tad bit juvenile and I'm sure its the current favorite song of thousands of 15 year olds across America, but I. don't. care. No shame.

All of this leads me to a list of my current fave running tunes. It's been awhile since we've done a music post. My latest TOP 5:

1. Crush-David Archuleta
2. Need U Bad-Jazmine Sullivan
3. Disturbia-Rihanna
4. Used to Love U-John Legend (this one has been on the list for at least a year)
5. Your New Twin Sized Bed-Death Cab for Cutie

How about you guys? What are you listening to these days?

Note to self...

Do not eat a cheeseburger and fries before running and stick with what works.

On Tuesday, I got home from work and was soooo tired. Didn't feel like cooking or running...I really just felt like coming home and crashing on the couch in front of the TV. But in the end, the angel on my shoulder won. After eating a Wendy's value meal and unsuccessfully finding anything interesting on TV, I decided that there was no time for slacking and hopped on the treadmill.

I ate dinner two hours prior to running, but still felt really sick for at least 2 or 3 miles into the run. To distract myself from my extreme discomfort I tuned in to the Music Choice channels. As I scanned through all my choices, I decided to make it fun and listen to a different genre every mile. Since I was to run a six miler, I would get to sample six different types of music and keep things interesting. Brilliant!

I started with the Salsa y Meringue channel. Greg and I bought a "teach yourself Spanish" set (book and cds) last week and this seemed like a great choice. It would be fun and upbeat for my run and also provide excellent background music for Greg who was practicing vocabulary in the other room. And it was fun. But by the end, I decided that salsa y meringue, for me, was best for dancing with a swishy skirt or drinking a mojito.

So next I decided on Oldies. However, after 1/2 of Be True to Your School by the Beach Boys, I felt like throwing my Wendy's back up. Oldies didn't last long-couldn't even make it a mile.

My next choice was techno. I'm not sure why it was my next choice since, generally, techno frightens me. It makes me think of drugged out people dancing with glow sticks in a smoky, crowded warehouse. Yeah, I know that it is possible to listen to house or techno music without doing drugs and that my comment was pretty stereotypical, but whatever. It didn't work for me.

Ok so I was striking out left and right here...and I decided that I needed to be a bit more selective with my tunes for the remainder of the run. I flipped on...
Adult contemporary? No.
Kid's? No.
Show tunes? No.
Opera? No.
Country? No.
Classical? No.
Hip-Hop and R&B? I paused...
I was trying to broaden my horizon here...and this was my safety. Finally I decided on forgetting about broadening my horizons and turned it up as loud as it would go. Ahhhh...just right. Hip-Hop just fits my running style. Next time I'll just go with what works...and no fast food before a run.

Lessons learned.

May I have your attention please?

...Ahem....I'd like to propose a toast. A toast of recognition and thanks to those who each did their part in aiding me on my painless five mile run this evening. PAINLESS! Yee Haw! Yes, I really just said Yee Haw(!) What? You know I'm from the South! Now excuse me while I refill my jar of moonshine and hang my overalls out to dry. Hardy Har Har.

ANYWAY, back to the toast. On this blog, I've expressed my concern (ok...whined and complained, but rightfully so) about the Mizunos I ordered from FootLocker.com AT THE BEGINNING OF JUNE. It is now early August, which means that my new kicks have been on backorder for 2 months. That is ridiculous. Can I get an AMEN? Puh-lease. So naturally, I blame my shin splints on FootLocker.com. I needed a replacement pair so very long ago. Well, tonight, while I was running a couple of errands, I decided to stop in the New Balance store and see what kind of deals they had. The gods must have been in my favor because, what do you know, this is what I saw:

Pink! In my size! On the clearance table! I snatched up these babies at $70 and after the inaugural run in my New Balance 1061s, I can confirm that it was a heck of a deal. They just felt so good. So thank you, new pretty pink New Balance 1061s. I'm looking forward to many comfortable miles together.

Next on the list-Tony and Rosemary's HealthRider SoftStrider R60. Oh baby, I love this treadmill. Trust me when I tell you that me loving a treadmill is very uncharacteristic of me. I've always hated treadmill running because it's boring and hot and the miles seem to drag by unbelievably slow. But maybe I'm starting to come around. Maybe I can have a positive and loving relationship with a treadmill. You see, tonight, I cruised along effortlessly on its soft, giving surface while enjoying the lovely breeze created by the built-in fans. And would you believe that I even had fun changing up the pace and incline? I love when quality workouts are fun. You made my day, HealthRider SoftStrider R60. They don't call you SoftStrider for nothin.

And last but not least, I want to send a shout-out to Music Choice Channel 672, and more specifically, King Arthur. Mix-Master KA did an excellent job of mixing it up with the best R&B and Hip-Hop hits of the decade. I knew you were the DJ for me when you put some Jay-Z and Outkast in there. Thanks for keeping it real. For real.

Ok, I lied. I said that King Arthur was last, but you know I gotta brag on myself when at all possible, right? Therefore, my final congratulations and words of appreciation will be to me, me and me. I'm positive that readers of this blog do everything right, all the time, but I've been known to slack when I can get away with it. That's why I'm so proud of my thorough warming up, stretching, cooling down after the run and stretching again. Oh, and I even did my shin strengthening exercises. Go Ape.

The only thing left to say is this: You'd better start running, evil shin splints, because I'm on to you and I've got friends in high places.

Good Stuff on a Friday: Sweet Tunes and a Cranergy Review

I was a little tired getting up this morning for my run. Yep...this was my 4th morning in a row to run before work. I'm pretty sure that's hasn't happened since training for the last marathon. (knock on wood, knock on wood, knock on wood).

Sometimes I run with my ipod and sometimes I go without. Well, since I was still feeling pretty sleepy, I decided that this was a music kind of morning. But instead of grabbing my ipod, I grabbed Greg's for a little something different. His mix of tunes came from his dad's (humongous) CD collection and woo boy that really got me movin! Pop aka Papa Tone aka Rap Master T aka Paw Paw has got some sweet runnin jams! I knew he had great taste in music, but I didn't realize how much his favorite songs would pump me up.

Right now, I've been running slower than a 10 minute pace. I know it's because I've been out of training mode, but it's still a bit disappointing because I know I'm faster than that. Well, I think I may have found the key. This morning I ran my first mile around 8:30 and the second mile around 9:00. I did slow way down for the third, but overall, I'm happy to know that my short little legs can still move when they want to. All I need are some Papa Tone old school jams. Here's a sampling of what got me movin:

Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

Maneater by Hall and Oates

Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood & The Destroyers

Get off of My Cloud by The Rolling Stones

Do You Love Me by The Contours

Some good stuff, right there. I'm going have to get him to make me a running mix for my own ipod!

The second good thing today is this:

This is Ocean Spray's new Cranberry Energy Drink. In addition to healthy cranberries, it contains green tea extract and B-vitamins. It contains only 50 calories and 12 g of sugar. Now I know that some people aren't too keen on cranberry juice because of the sour bitterness, but this is very light and goes down smooth. I'm not a huge artificial sweetener fan and this does contain Splenda, but after the first sip or two, I got used to the Splenda taste. I'm a fan.

I gotta tell ya...after my rocking morning run, a Cranergy and my usual two cups of green tea, I'm feeling pretty hyper and energetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (exclamation points to illustrate this fact) I'm thinking that I might need to run up the 24 flights of stairs in my building and do a few hall sprints to get some of this out of my system!

Woooooooooo! Have a great Friday:)

Songs of the Summer

I need some new tunes, too! I've been listening to the same playlist for awhile now (and it is a good one), but I like to change it up pretty frequently to stay pumped. Like Amy said, I dig any song that is about motion or feet or motion of the feet...it gets me going! For example, I love Tom Petty's Runnin Down A Dream and New Shoes by Paolo Nutini. Here are a few others that are currently on my Ipod:

1. Don't You Evah by Spoon- Really, really fun song and its one that I'm still not tired of, which is pretty rare.

2. The Underdog by Spoon - Yep, Spoon made the list twice. They rock. And this song is kind of a funny one to be a running fave. It goes...you got no fear of the underdog,that's why you will not survive! See what I mean? Sort of the opposite of the typical inspirational kind of music that runners like...but it's funny and I'll take anything humorous on a long run. Anything to get my mind focused on other things. And again...Spoon is fun to listen to.

3. Just Fine by Mary J. Blige - I pretty much love anything by MJB. Her music always makes me feel good. This one especially...I won't change my life, my life's just fine (fine, fine, fine...)

4. Four Minutes by Madonna and Justin Timberlake - Madonna gets on my nerves lately, but she's still music royalty and she still puts out some damn good songs. And JT is just hot.

5. Lollipop by Lil Wayne - Ok, this song is kind of dirty. Actually, it's really dirty...but I love running to hip-hop and rap because artists will put anything in hip-hop and rap. Funny stuff, dirty stuff and crazy sounds and beats. This is a good one for all of the above.

6. The People by Common feat. Dwele - The new Common CD is AWESOME and this is one of my favorites on it. Love it...Listen for yourself.

7. Imagine performed by David Archuleta - I know this is a serious song for a 17 year old boy to sing, but he has got one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. When this one comes up on my play list, I turn it all the way up. It seriously gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes.

Ear Candy

I used to be a music snob. It used to be important to me to be up on the latest and greatest acts before everyone else heard of them. But, in my old age… I’ve gone soft. No more are the days of hiding my Neil Diamond and Nelly cds in Beatles or Led Zeppelin jewel cases. No, I proudly display everything I’ve got from Mariah Carey to Gordon Lightfoot. No shame, baby, no shame. Life’s too short, right?

One of the things that has shaped this significant change in my music tastes (well besides the fact that I just could care less what other people think about my taste in anything) is because I’m constantly in search of good beats to run to. And I do mean constantly.

And lately, I’ve been struggling to find some good tunes… so… I’m hoping that by posting some of my latest favorite downloads to run to, maybe y’all will share some of yours? Pretty please? (Some of these are old, I know… but they’re new to my playlist).

No One—Alicia Keys. Aside from the fact that this is one of those songs that I completely belt out in the car and pray to god that my faulty speakerphone button on my cell phone hasn’t accidentally called someone (yes, it does this a lot. Not cool), this is a good running song. R&B songs are good to run to. Good beats.

Wont Go Home Without You—Maroon 5. The chorus makes this song. Try it.

Gunpowder & Lead—Miranda Lambert. This song gets me totally amped up. It has a good build up type of beat and then just totally rocks out in the chorus. I am deathly afraid of guns, but this song makes me feel like I could be a bad ass with a shotgun if I needed to be. I try to relate this song to running, instead of killing a low-life, woman beater… “I’m gonna show you what little girls are made of….”

Abel—The National. Again, another song with a good build up to a rocking chorus. This song chants the phrases… “My mind’s not right.” And “I’m missing something.” I like songs about craziness while I run. I dunno what that says about me. Hmm….

Stop & Stare—OneRepublic. Oooooo I love this song. “I think I’m moving but I go nowhere.” That phrase really gets my legs moving. Aside from songs about craziness, I also enjoy songs about feet, legs, etc…

So, yeah, that’s all I got for now folks… any help??

Let's hear it for the old folks

Greg loves the guitar. He loves to listen to it, play it and watch other people play it. He'll even get down on some Guitar Hero. That's why I scored major points when I got him tickets to see Kenny Wayne Shepherd for his birthday. KWS is a bluesy rocker-type guitarist who taught himself to play by listening to his father's Muddy Waters records. He was only 7 years old. By the time he was 17 he recorded his debut album, which spent 20 weeks at the top of the blues charts (He is now 30). Guitar World named him the third best guitar player...after B.B. King and Eric Clapton. You get the picture. The guy is badass.So last Friday, we headed down to Tunica to see him play at the Grand Casino and MAN, was that an awesome show. I always liked Kenny Wayne Shepherd, but I now have a whole new appreciation for him. Those are always the best shows, you know? The ones that you're just indifferent about going to, but get blown away by the performance.

Ok, so KWS is obviously not an old guy, and this post is about old folks kicking ass and taking names. Friends, I'd like to introduce you to Pinetop Perkins:

Pinetop Perkins is a 94 year-old blues legend and the special guest of The KWS Band last Friday night. He has played with Muddy Waters and numerous other blues legends and continues to do live shows every week. Let me just tell you...old Pinetop can really get down. His assistant helped him onto the stage and to his keyboard, but from that point on, he was in control. He played the keyboard...he sang...he danced...he was spunky! Gotta love that.

Another senior citizen that's been in the news lately is Buster Martin. I'm sure you've heard of him. He's the drinking, smoking 101 year-old who ran the 2008 London Marathon. It took him about 10 hours. He was going for the world's record to be the oldest man to finish a marathon, but the Guinness people said he lied about his age. He was actually only 94. Only 94? Oh, well that's not impressive anymore, is it? Ha. But for the sake of the record, he didn't succeed...A 98 year-old still has that title.

The most amazing thing about this guy is his lifestyle. He still works, he smokes and drinks regularly, has 17 children and plays in a rock band. And he finished the London Marathon. What a rockstar. Maybe that's their secret...Pinetop and Buster are both musicians and live like they are 30. They don't even seem to notice the fact that they're nearing 100. Party on, Buster.

I think I'll start a band...who wants to join me?

Bringing it down a little...

Since I have been just completely tearing it up with my training lately (hopefully you can sense the sarcasm there)... it's time for a step back week.

I know what you're thinking...

You: "Amy... the last month has been all step-back weeks for you.... do you really need another one?"

Me: "I know, I know, you're right... but running 20 miles for the first time in a training session makes my muscles tired. Very Tired. So get off my back, jeez... you blog-reading nazi." (I kid, I kid).

So, yesterday I ran 4 miles, this morning I ran 6 (I'm following Hal's plan for the week after the first 20 miler) tomorrow is 5 I think and then Thursday is 7x hills. Woo hoo. This weekend, I'll try to get in a 12 miler or so and then a good pace run in. Then next week, it's right back up to hardcore mileage and another Striders Training run of 20/21 miles.

Sidebar... I bought the Vampire Weekend cd this weekend... and it's really good. I particularly enjoy "A-Punk" to run to.

Such Preppy looking punks to have a name like Vampire Weekend, no?

The Sickness

For the last 4 days, I've been shacked up in the house with The Sickness. I guess its going around...or so I hear. (Doesnt it always seem like "it's going around" ?? I feel like people are always saying that...) So anyway, I got a good run in on Friday afternoon and then it was downhill from there. It's frustrating because when I miss a scheduled run, it's most likely because of work or being busy, but then when I'm home all day long and I have all the time in the world to run, I can't because I'm sick. So unfair.

But because I'm a very dedicated coach and my student is prone to slacking (Sorry, honey, but its true and you know it), we went out on Monday night and ran for almost an hour. The Advil had kicked in and I was feeling ok enough, plus I was dealing with a serious case of cabin fever and I needed some fresh air. The run was great! Right until I stopped running. I guess I overdosed on the fresh air cause my lungs felt like they might just collapse on me at any moment. I seriously felt like I had just chain-smoked a pack of menthol cigarettes. It hurt. But like I said before...I'm a dedicated coach and I was just doing my job...

I also sneaked in a strength training workout last night. I've been doing one that I found in Fitness Magazine. It's supposed to be a "see the results in 4 weeks!" kind of thing so we'll see how that goes. I usually just do my own thing, but I decided to give this one a try...mostly because it has some new and interesting excercises that I've never done before. Gotta keep it fresh!

On a side note...I've been listening to The Cure while I run. The Cure is good running music.

P.S. Spellcheck on Blogger hasnt been working for me lately (is it just me?) so I apologize for any misspellings in the post!!

Runner's High

Runner's High is somewhat of a mystery. Scientists and researchers still debate on its exact cause, but any distance runner will tell you that they've experienced it at least once. We know that it occurs during long, strenuous workouts and it has to do with the endorphins and other chemicals produced while doing this type of activity. Basically, its a natural drug. Scientists say that it has the same documented effects on the human body as morphine, heroin and marijuana. That's just crazy! When non-runners ask why I run, I usually tell them that running is addictive. And that's true...more so than most of us realize!

When we experience Runner's High, its like everything in the world just falls into place. All is good and calm. There's an intense, elated feeling of euphoria and any present pain or exhaustion melts right away. Even when I can't run as much as I like or I fall into a non-running slump, I always come right back. I run to experience Runner's High, even though I can only really reacall experiencing it a handful of times in my years of running.

I can vividly remember all the details of my last Runner's High. It was a cool and crisp, sunny day at Moss Wright Park. I was doing a long run of 19 miles. I came around the back turn of the loop and the sunshine blasted me with warmth...it seemed to be giving me strength, speed and energy. I felt like a super-human with magical powers. I even remember the songs that were playing on my MP3 Player-Beastie Boys-An Open Letter to NYC and Matisyahu's Jerusalem. Two great songs.

I recently read about an interesting Runner's High experiment that used rats. All of the rats were given an hour of feeding time-enough to live a healthy life. But, half of them had excercise wheels in their cages while the other half did not. The rats that had excercise wheels ran so much that they eventually died of starvation. They decreased their food intake and spent most of their time on the wheel. They were addicted to running.

It makes sense that doctors reccommend excersise in most any situation...depression, anxiety, eating issues, warding off cancer and heart disease. Running is absolutely a miracle drug!

Something to run to...

My friend Jeff recently asked me... do you ever get The Rage while you're running and end up running further than you thought you would and not even realize it? There was an awkward pause in the conversation when I told him, that no, I had no idea what he was talking about. I guess I'm just not someone who ever gets The Rage. Clearly, he does. But, instead of The Rage, I have my music... So, I thought it was time to do another music list... here's a sampling of what I've really been into lately.

Note: Hall of Fame songs. Some of these songs have been on my playlist since day one of running. There are some songs that I will just never tire of, so they’ve likely been on previous music entries in this blog, but they deserve it. So, get over it.

The Pretender – Foo Fighters. So, I have a lot of Foo Fighters songs on my playlist, but that's basically because the foo fighters kick ass. And this song is awesome to run to. It builds slowly and then the last 3/4 of the song is just upbeat, hardcore screaming... I love the lines..."What if I say that I'll never surrender" and also... "Now, who are you? yeah, who are you? who are you?" Good stuff. Good Stuff indeed.

Just Got to Be - Black Keys Again, I have a lot of Black Keys songs on my playlist and this one isn't in the hall of fame yet but it's almost there. I think that this song is like my personal soundtrack. This is the song that I am humming in my head on a daily basis. "I got to go because something's on my mind, and it won't get better no matter how hard I try." God, the black keys are gods. Seriously.

Kiss-Kiss - Chris Brown w/ T-Pain I love me some hip-hop and this song is catchy and upbeat as hell. Repetition in songs is good for running. "Shawty let me holla at you, you so hot, hot, hot, hot. You think i'd be hollering if you not, not, not not." Classy lyrics, too.


When Your Mind's Made Up - The Frames Okay, so this isn't your typical great running song. I mean, it's The Frames for chrissakes, you should be holed up in a basement listening to this song while looking at pictures of your ex boyfriend who left you for your best friend and took your dog with him, too. But, while their songs are very heartfelt and emotion-filled, some of them are also kind of bad ass in a screaming/wailing type of way... and this song definitely fits that bill.

When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin HALL OF FAME So, I have a ton of led zeppelin songs on my playlist, too. See a pattern here? I also really like long songs, too and this song besides being one of my all time favorite songs, is great running song. Although, I must admit... ever since Hurricane Katrina, I kind of enjoy this song a little less... bummer.

Stronger - Kanye West HALL OF FAME Basically, this song is the ultimate running song. The beat is perfect and the lyrics are genius. "That don't kill me can only make me stronger..." I mean, dude, how can that not totally pump you up and make you run faster. It's better than Rocky's theme song. (Yes, I did just say that).


My Mathematical Mind - Spoon HALL OF FAME Thank god, my friend Steph introduced me to the band Spoon a few years ago. I mean, is there another band out there that keeps making cds better and better? I mean, you know how it goes... your favorite band gets a little popularity and then makes a new cd and you are scared before you play the first song. You're scared that this is going to the cd that sucks. Well, with Spoon... that cd hasn't been made yet, and I'm beginning to think that it never will. Their latest cd, Ga ga ga ga ga ga, is amazing. I can't stop listening to it, but this song is from their previous cd, Gimme Fiction. And it's a great running song. The opening gets you pumped up as it's the sound of like a film reel clicking or something and it just builds into this awesome upbeat, smooth song.

All These Things That I've Done - The Killers HALL OF FAME April suggested this song to me and since day one, it has remained a song that totally keeps me in the groove and on task. I can't stop running during this song, it's just not possible. "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier...." (Okay, I seriously had to look up how to spell soldier today... I kept spelling it solider and I was thinking... wow, that doesn't look right. Jeez. It's going to be a long day).

Is It Any Wonder? Keane This song has a great build up and beat. You'll run fast to this song. Maybe too fast.


Yeah! Usher HALL OF FAME I don't really think this song needs an explanation of why it's here. It's awesome.

Shoot to Thrill - AC/DC HALL OF FAME So, basically the entire AC/DC cd Back in Black is Hall Of Fame worthy. I was born in 1980. Coincidence? I think not. Picking one favorite song to run to from this cd is like choosing between your favorite candy bars. There are no losers.

Dirt Off Your Shoulder - Jay-Z I have a ton of Jay-Z songs on my playlist, too, but I always get pumped when I hear this one. Confession: When I used to run on the treadmill, when I heard this song I would brush my shoulders off during the song. Yeah, I like to keep it real.

White, Discussion - Live Whatever happened to these guys? Isn't it kind of ironic, that their band name is Live? I love that. Also, as a sidebar... I tried to find a picture of Live on google images, and couldn't come up with one, I did get pics of marachi bands and Dr. Hook, though, so, I guess it wasn't a total loss. This is a good, consistent song to run to.

Ok, so that's a little taste of what I'm listening to now. Now, download these songs today and run further and harder. Or, just get The Rage if you're too cheap.