Running Playlist

Mila and I were running the other day (if you can believe that in a running blog). After a few minutes of quiet, I looked over and asked what she was listening to. She had borrowed my iPod Mini (You know, the one with the engraving saying that Chris Boyce is the real MVP) and was listening to my playlist of maybe 40 songs, the vast majority of them my own downloads. All she did was shrug her shoulders and admit that she had no idea.

Now, every time we run together, Mila asks to take the iPod, knowing that she had only requested that I download maybe a handful of those songs. It got me thinking about music while running. On a semi-related note, isn't it the worst when only one headphone works? Especially when it's a song that plays individual instruments on different sides?
Anyway.

My tastes have changed a bit since I started running. In fact, when I started, I couldn't imagine running without music blasting in my ears. I needed something to pump me up and motivate me to putter along for a couple of miles before returning to the apartment. As I started to run more with groups, my dependence on music waned. I ended up spending more time talking with a running partner than listening to music. It is something that has transferred over to my mostly solo runs here in San Angelo. It no longer bothers me to go running and just listen to what's around me.

I will admit that music still plays a role in my running. Otherwise, why would I have taken the time to add enough music to get through my next marathon? I am going to include some of the things I listen to and why I listen to them. What do you listen to as you run? Why?

To get pumped before I race I HAVE to listen to this clip of Teddy Atlas:

Sometimes you just need a "kill it" song like this:

You can't forget those suburban Michigan white boy roots:

When I want to be taken somewhere far away:

When I'm hearkening back to my "teen angst period":

or when I want to think back on some great times:

When I want to think about how "Irish" I am, or at least feel that way:

Or call upon fighters:

Sometimes, on a long run, I'll just listen to a podcast. It helps to get my mind on something else and the time goes by more quickly.
Some of my favorites:
Hardcore History
History on Fire
The Fighter and The Kid
The Bryan Callen Show
Trail Runner Nation

Good luck to all those running the Houston Marathon and the Shannon Trail Series Race #1 this weekend!

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