Picking the Perfect Playlist

Next weekend (March 4-6) is the weekend I have been training for these past 10 weeks; it's the weekend of the Seaside Half Marathon. It will be the first half marathon I have ever attempted to run, so naturally, I am filled with a plethora of mixed emotions: anxiety, excitement, pride, etc. Throughout my 10-week training program, I have grown to love running - most of the time anyway. Going for a run provides me with the opportunity to de-stress, burn calories, improve my mental health, exercise my dog, and unwind after a long day at work. Because of these effects, I am thankful for my health and for the ability to run. While running, I'll even offer up a prayer to God thanking Him for my two (mostly) good legs, my healthy heart, and my ability to exercise in general.

Then, there are those moments when running makes me cranky and miserable, when I am literally dreading taking the next step forward. These emotions are usually brought on by the fact that I'm incredibly sweaty; my knees are aching and in terrible pain; I would just rather be sitting at home on my couch watching t.v. or reading a good book and drinking coffee; and I'm just plain bored out of my mind. It is to these moments of dread and apprehension that I dedicate this blog, which brings me to the crux of today's entry: picking the perfect playlist. Now, it's not just any old playlist. It's not a spring break or break up playlist I'm interested in creating. No, I'm wanting to put together a list of songs that will both inspire and motivate me while running the Seaside Half Marathon next weekend. Therefore, this playlist is a serious issue; it must be carefully thought out.

Here, I must interject something I heard about running with music. My husband, JT, once told me this: "real" runners don't run with iPods during a race. Not that I don't believe him, but can this actually be true (a.k.a. I need confirmation on this)? I see runners out jogging with iPods all the time. I'm not sure what they are listening to exactly, but I'm sure it's a carefully selected podcast or playlist that helps stave off the monotonous boredom of putting one foot in front of the other quickly. If runners train for marathons with music, then why in the world can't they run with music during the actual race? O.K., let's say this is a hard and fast rule of the running world (of which I am a recent member). Luckily, I am not much of a rule follower myself. Some rules just don't apply to me, and the "no music during a race" rule is one of those. So, back to the playlist dilemma.

I need some assistance when it comes to putting this all-important playlist together. (Please post suggestions in the "comments" box at the bottom of this blog entry.) And, if anyone is going to offer some musical suggestions, I realize they would need to know some of the requirements songs must meet before they are added to "The Playlist." Therefore, I have composed a list of prerequisites that songs must meet in order to be considered or worthy of making it to my iPod and being played on that special day.

If a song is going to make it on "The Playlist," it must meet one or all of the following requirements:

1. The song must be sung by a music artist of whose physique I am both extremely jealous and yet highly motivated by at the same time. (i.e., pre-K-Fed Britney Spears, the Dirrty version of Christina Aguilera, and Jennifer Lopez or J.Lo...either one will do)
2. The song cannot be one of those "screaming" songs where the singer yells at you and the subject matter consists of homicide, suicide, or the misery of life. Those are not very encouraging lyrics. I'll already be somewhat miserable and in pain; I don't need those feelings compounded.
3. The song has to be fun. If you don't want to dance to it, then I don't want to run to it. Therefore, and above all, it has to have a great beat! (This does not apply to techno music, however. Because, while techno does have a good beat, it never changes. The monotony of techno is not conducive to the enjoyment of a long run.)
4. I'm down with rap, and rap songs can definitely make this list as long as they aren't too heavy. I like to keep my rap light. So, this means no gun shots in the background; no talking about "beefs" with other rappers and how this or that rapper should die; no singing about how awesome drugs are; no references to loose women (hos, skanks, etc.)....Wait....I've pretty much negated every rap song ever written. (Just use your best judgment when suggesting a rap song.)
5. No country songs please! Not that I have anything against country music, I just don't find songs about break-ups, trucks, double-wide trailers, and watermelons very exciting to run to.

Now that you know what I'm looking for, start sending some song suggestions my way! Countdown to the Seaside Half Marathon...8 days!!!