Playlist

This morning when I was out at 5:30am trying to get back on the running wagon after a very, um, sporadic running month (6 workouts total in one month), a new song that I just downloaded came on. I hadn't run to this one before -- "Pricetag" by Jessie J, a fairly new artist in America; apparently she's a big star in the UK. Anyway, I loved running to this song. So I repeated it. 4 times. When I finally went to the next song, over a mile had gone by. As usual, one of the keys to refreshing my running routine: NEW MUSIC.

I don't know how people run without music. I have tried to be cool and just hit the road without a soundtrack, and I can't do it. I need something to set my pace, something to give me that internal metronome. I guess if and when I become a more seasoned runner I'll be able to do this without music playing, but where's the fun in that? Mine is a very musical family, every activity requires music--"Cleaning Day" on Saturday ALWAYS means Earth Wind & Fire or Michael Jackson or Outkast playing in the background. I'm always in search of "perfect" running songs to add to my playlist - those songs with the exact right beats per minute, not so fast that I feel like I need to sprint in order to keep up, not so slow that I have to speed-walk instead of run. The genre isn't so important, although I tend to lean towards hip-hop, old school R&B, and rock.

I thought I'd share my recent faves, the songs that actually pump me up when I'm running, either because of the beat or the lyrics (it's cheesy, but during T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" it actually motivates me when he says "want that body, need that body." Of course I think he's talking about something other than losing weight.) My actual running playlist is about 30 songs, some of them selected for when I have to slow down and walk (big hills), and I haven't included those, just the songs that get me hyped. I have to warn you, some of the songs are a little profane ("Tangerine," very profane but an AWESOME beat). Remember, the point is to just keep running!

So what songs get YOU going? I'd really love to add to my playlist. I used playlist.com to make the list and share it, if anyone's interested in making their own playlist I'll be checking it out...