Get Your Jam On

It's almost the middle of March, so, why not:

Even Elly is so over it that she tried to avoid it while on the deck!

Okay, so, on Monday, I was in a spectacularly bad mood when Elly and I set sail to run, and I do mean bad. But, let me be the first to note that running in a bad mood is a pretty bad deal. Anger, frustration, agitation, all of that noise takes a lot of energy, and that energy will deplete your run. Or, at least, it will deplete mine. (It's like I've experienced it a time or two ...)

So, if I'm in a mood when I'm ready to run, I take some very deliberate steps to alter how I'm feeling. First and foremost, I pray which helps more times than not. On Monday, though, things were a little too fresh to be able to completely let go, so I moved into my ultimate back-up plan: Tunes!

I've mentioned I do not run with ear buds because I want to hear everything around me. (Almost getting hit by a car careening to the wrong side of the street while I was running with ear buds will change a girl.) But, as I run, I sing to myself a lot. Or, on days like Monday, I sing out loud. For real. As I was getting my pace together at the start of that run, the words to Footloose could be heard by many. They weren't good, and I know I repeated a lot of the same lines because I'm not really concentrating on singing. But, I tell you what, it put me in a much better mood at least for the duration of that run!

To get good tunes in my head before almost all of my Half Marathons, I make a play list of songs that inspire me to hear in the car or in the house. With less than a month before the next Half, I finally got my tunes together!

I like putting it together because I do it in such a way that it takes me through those 13 miles. The first song is a little slower (while I get my pace going), the middle is usually more dance-matic and whatever music at the moment keeps my groove on, and then the last few songs are a bit of a coast and, usually more intentionally inspirational as I mentally cross the finish!

So, more specifically, my first song is (and has been for at least the last 3 big runs) You're the Reason (Victoria Justice) because it's not only a good starting pacer, but it's also a personal, self-interpreted thanks and acknowledgement to God for the health, strength and ability to be able to participate. The "reason" in the song is a significant other; I can't get much more significant than the one who wholly, completely, unquestionably believed in and knew about my abilities before I chose to look for 'em! ("Now, no matter what it is I have to do, I'm not afraid to try, and you need to know that you're the reason why." BAM.)

The middle of the playlist is smattered with the likes of Britney Spears' Work Work (check it out; it's awesome ... and, what a great message if you really think about it) as well as the dichotomy of Nickelodeon teen bands and the not-sure-what-this-really-says-about-me Blurred Lines (Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams). And, seeing as I find this very funny ...

... it just stands to reason that LMFAO's Sexy and I Know It has a spot in the thick of the mix!

I tend to round out my list with songs that somehow evoke a feeling of "having arrived" through the words, the music (regardless of the words) or, when I'm really lucky, both. In putting Feel This Moment (Christina Aguilera; Pit Bull) at the end, I think I finally found the perfect end song.

And, just as a point of interest, there is one song that has made the cut for every race play list I've put together: Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On Me. I have always loved that song, but how and why it became my ultimate go-to for running is beyond me. But, why look a gift horse when it's gotten me up a whole mess of hills and across many, many miles ...!

Sorry, Footloose, you just didn't make the cut. It was you or Blurred Lines ... hahahaha ...

Whatever it takes to keep you moving and inspired, do it! I'll have the tunes on this afternoon while using the weights then mapping out tomorrow's long run. I'll check when the run's behind me! Until then, stay warm! Or, cool! Or ... whatever weather you're experiencing, stay whatever-you-need in it!