- January 31, 2009
- 9 Comments
- Eats, General, Health & Beauty, I have answers, Social Media & Tech, The Love
In Which I Share a Few Thoughts on Running and Music
Did you see my recent post… about how I recently baked a cake for the sole purpose of eating it by the row(s)?
My post today is about 180 degrees in the opposite direction. It’s about running. Eeek – exercise! I have had a few friends recently ask me about what music I listen to when I run. I know I often google “running music” to see if there’s a new song or two out there that might help me push harder, or just go a little longer. So, being the giver that I am, I figured… I’ll just put the list of My favorite songs out there on this here interwebz.
Let me preface this with a statement: Music is VERY personal. What moves me may not move you. As I peruse the song lists of other runners, I think I only click with 10% of what is recommended… and I feel I have a fairly diverse taste in music. However… when it comes to running, I consider music to help me with warm-up, hill-tackling, speed, cadence, cool-down… and groove. Of course… groove!
I bet other runners consider these aspects as well, but how does music fit with your specific motivational tastes? That’s key – what sounds and style motivates you to push… sometimes it’s just the lyrics… I like “Stronger” by Kanye West — “… that don’t kill me can only make me stronger…” I am not a HUGE fan of the song, but I find at the end of a run, when I really CAN push, but just don’t WANT to push – I go to this song. I tell myself, “I am not killed… not killed… not killed… gettin’ stronger..” Or stupider… I digress. Here is my list… not my complete list, but my faves… the ones that take me when I can’t take myself:
POD
Boom (my favorite, favorite… I listen to this song EVERY TIME)
Set It Off
Gnarls Barkley
Gone Daddy Gone (my newest song addition… this song is made out of Awesome!)
TobyMac
Boomin
Momentum
Ignition (Good song for short speed intervals)
Zebrahead
Get Back
The Ting Tings
We Started Nothing
Shut Up and Let Me Go
Kanye West
Stronger
Nelly Furtado
Maneater (I think “mile-eater”… go get ‘em!)
Jay-Z & Amil
Can I Get A (Don’t judge me. I said this stuff is personal. It has a strong beat that is great for setting pace, and I am a bit “street”… if you ain’t “street” enough… you are prolly not gonna dig it. It’s O.K. friends. We can’t all be “street”.)
The Hives
Tick Tick Boom
Here We Go Again
Hate to Say I Told You So
Family Force Five (I just love this group… has a touch of “angry”…)
I Love You to Death (see… ANGRY)
Get Your Back Off the Wall
Rip It Up
Fever
D-I-E-4-Y-O-U
Wake the Dead
Radiator
Whatcha Gonna Do With It
Bobby Day
Rockin’ Robin (My favorite uphill song. Just something about it… tweet, tweet…)
Big & Rich
Save a Horse (I know… country. I’m a bit of a country girl.)
P.S. This list is not necessarily the “cleanest”, so if you want to help your kids make a list… please listen first 
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Here are a couple of great running links I recently came across.
*Become a Runner or Train for a Race Online (A big thanks to CP at 3Giraffes for sending me this link. This is where I found my newest favorite running sone – Gone Daddy Gone)
*For you Twitter people – here is a great list of runners on Twitter. Just look through the comments section!
*Need a pace calculator? Go here. Thanks to Kathleen at Forging Ahead for this resource!
*Have you been to Daily Mile? No? I highly recommend Daily Mile for logging workouts. If you sign up, I will be your friend! Again – CP at 3Giraffes… you rock
*And if all else fails… there is always “Girls Who Eat Cake by the Row” on Facebook. Feel free to join – I am the “Head Baker” there… not only do I run, but I will eat cake by the row, cookies by the sleeve, or Ben and Jerry’s in any quantity available (preferably “Chubby Hubby” – that stuff just takes me to another place….) Just keepin’ it real, yo.
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9 Responses to “In Which I Share a Few Thoughts on Running and Music”
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You need to get you some Fergie.
I actually have a song like “Stronger” one I don’t necessarily dig, per se, but one that keeps me going at the very end. Cocky, by Kid Rock. Please don’t judge me.
Oooh, I’m so gonna go check out these songs! I think you’re definitely more street than me but perhaps that’s the ticket to running faster!
I love reading other people’s workout music. I’m not a runner, but music is VITAL to my workouts. Whether I’m dancing at home or doing the elliptical at the Y, I must have music that makes me MOVE.
LOVE the Hives and The Ting Tings. If you want a good “street” song, may I suggest Ludacris’s “Get Back.” If you like the Hives (and you do, apparently, try The Futureheads’ “Beginning of the Twist.”
Other must-have “make me move” songs:
“Pump It” – Black-Eyed Peas
“Stacey Anne” – Fratellis
“Holiday” – Green Day
“I Get Along” – Libertines
“Generator” – The Holloways
and so on. Gotta go eat some cake by the row now.
There are so many good songs, it’s hard to think! Fergie is good for getting a groove on. I’m ashamed to admit to Justin Timberlake too. Also the Chicken Dance.
My knees would be screaming “I’m Insane” by Ratt.
I love different sets of music, I have a writing set, a driving set, a sitting-on-my-butt-watching-LOST set. Okay that’s not true, because if I did that I would be totally lost about LOST, as opposed to only being slightly not found, at the moment.
Now I have to go check out some of the tunes that I don’t know – I love my iTunes.
If I did run(which I don’t), I always imagined the soundtrack to Rocky would be playing as I ran up mountains,and lifted people over my head.
Mmmmm Chubby Hubby. My all-time favorite. Just another reason to luv ya.
I guess I have been sending you my question telepathically. I have been meaning to ask you about music. Actually, a while ago you posted a friends music list and I was going to ask you about it, but this works too.
Thank you!
I’m all over this list. I put out a public cry for new workout music last week and still had trouble finding songs that were new to my iPod.
BUT, I did find some stuff and was going to write a post about it…someday.
Meanwhile! Thx for the suggestions. Have you run to Lady GaGa? She’s been doing it for me lately (not that I run or anything). Oh! And MC Yogi!