Sweatin' to the Oldies

Some people think I'm crazy for running this marathon. I agree. I am crazy. But you should have figured that out before the Marathon thing. I mean, I've hit a child with my car. (Note: I actually just hit the bike he was sitting on; he in turn fell over because I hit the bike...not even hit...nudged...nudged the bike).

As Week 3 of training has come to hump day, I really must say the only problem with training is the fact that I train and then I'm like...okay, so...should I be...doing something more? Like pulling a car behind me now? I haven't given in to that impulse...yet. Although, my first long run (5 miles) I felt like I might die and that I should give up. But then this past weekend I ran 7 miles and it wasn't death. So I chalked up my deathful 5 mile run to being hungover. Which...is probably not the best condition to run in. Or live life in period.

But the thing that helps me the most with a lot of the long runs is the music I listen to. I've always used music as "my thing" to get through all the tough times. All the floods. All the fires. All the dust bowls. And now, this marathon. I'll share my method of making playlists by sharing my main mix to take on my long runs. The playlist is called "Jackie Joyner's Jams". Yeah. I'm hilarious. Here's a selection from the mix...

Date with the Night - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Changes - Tupac
All That She Wants - Ace of Base
Hard Breaks - Alberta Cross
Can You Feel It? - Apples in Stereo
She's A Rejecter - Of Montreal
Something to Believe in - Aqualung
Down on the Corner - Creedence Clearwater
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk
Young Folks - Dawn Landes
July! July! - Decemberists
What do You Want Me To Say - The Dismemberment Plan
Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
The Funeral - Band of Horses
Hurricane - Bob Dylan
Heard It Through the Grapevine - The Temptations

Basically...my way of making a running mix is to pick songs that could be on a soundtrack to my life and also involve running. A lot of people like high energy constantly, and run to things like Godsmack...I would probably run off a cliff if I had to listen to constant guitars, constant screaming, constant anything. So for each song I put on my mix, I think...hmm I could see this being a moment where I'm chasing after the one I love whose in a taxi leaving me forever, or I could see this being a moment where I'm chasing after a plane that I'm about to miss, or I could see myself running to this in an opening title sequence...and so on.

Also, the embarrassing songs on the mix are to make me laugh, trying to forget I'm running 15 miles. These include:

What a Girl Wants - Christina Aguilera
Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
How Will I know - Whitney Houston
Summergirls - LFO

I mean, honestly, the secret to running a marathon lies in the power of LFO.