Today, I put the finishing touches on the playlist that I will will be listening to while I run the Lincoln Half Marathon this Sunday. This was the first time that I have ever tailored a running playlist to the race that I am running, including the specific course. I put together a playlist of my "running" songs for Disney, but I just listened to it on shuffle, rather than having any kind of music "plan."
This time around, I took both the specific course and my race plan into consideration (more on that later when I write my race recap... but like Disney, I'm using a Races2Remember pace band with the "Modified Warm Up" Strategy). For example, I don't want to go out too fast, and I want to make sure I hold back a bit for the first 2-3 miles, so I included some "lighter" songs that are intended to keep my mellow and tamp down on the adrenaline rush associated with the start. Also, based on some race recaps I'd read (most notably Emily's at the Pursuit of Healthfulness), I knew there was a big/steep hill at the end of Mile 8-Start of Mile 9, so I included some music that I know will keep me motivated going up the hill and down the back side.
So, here's the list, in order, with some explanations for some of the songs.
Early Stages - Miles 1-2 (Goal: Get motivated! But take it easy)
1. Beautiful Day by U2 - this is always one of my motivation songs, and it just makes me feel good. I love starting a race running to this song
2. Go the Distance (from the Disney Hercules soundtrack) - seems a bit obvious. Plus, it's slower, so it should help me keep my pace down
3. Breath Me by Sia - totally mellow, but also has a good beat for keeping a pace
4. Long Day by Matchbox 20 - I'll still be in Mile 2 when this song comes on, because I want to remind myself that there's a long way to go.
5. Crooked Teeth by Death Cab for Cutie - I just like this song. It's catchy, so it will help me feel good, but it's slowish, so it will keep me grounded.
(Read the rest of the playlist after the jump)
Pickin' It Up - Miles 3-5 (Goal: Ramp up the pace and the energy a bit)
6. Bound for the Floor (aka "Keep it Copacetic") by Local H - it's time for a little nostalgia from late high school/early college. A steady beat and some hard rock toward the end will start getting me pumped up.
7. We Built this City by Starship (seriously) - I am a total sucker for '80s music, so I put this in for a change of pace. I know a lot of people make fun of this song, but I don't know how you can listen to it and not be happy.
8. Ca Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand - an insanely catchy, hard-beat driving French pop song from the '70s. I understand only about four words in this song ("chat," "moi," "king" (as in the English word "king"), and "divan"), but I don't care, I love it.
9. For Good (from Wicked, the Broadway Musical) - "Wait, what?" I can hear you saying. "This is a really slow song. How will this ramp up your energy." Well, this is a very personal song. My grandma (one of my favorite people ever) died a couple years ago, and we played this song at her funeral (because she loved Broadway shows, and she changed all of our lives "for good"). If I've planned this right, at this point in the race, the route passes pretty close to her old house (within a couple blocks). I fully expect to be crying for at least part of this song (it's getting a little dusty in here just writing this)... thankfully, I sweat a lot, so I *might* be able to cover this up.
10. Alex Chilton by The Replacement - OK, time to get over that sadness and focus on the race. "I'm in love... what's that song? I'm in love, with that song"
Time to Maintain - Miles 6-8 (Goal: Keep Up a solid pace, position myself for the PR)
11. The Distance by Cake - I think the lyrics speak for themselves. "Reluctanly crouched at the starting line, engines pumping and thumping in time. The green light flashes, the flags go up. Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup. They deftly maneuver and muscle for rank, fuel burning fast on an empty tank...."
12. Turn It Off (from Book of Mormon, the Broadway musical) - now it's time for the first of a few Book of Mormon songs to break the tension. This song is nothing more than a fun distraction for a good chunk of Mile 6.
13. Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes - a great driving bass beat, and the opening line "I'm gonna fight 'em off. A seven nation army couldn't hold me back." Yeah, that'll do.
14. Bawitdaba by Kid Rock - F&%K YEAH! BAWITDABA DA BANG DA BANG DIGGY DIGGY, "DIGGY" SAID THE BOOGY, SAID THE, JUMP THE BOOGY! I don't know what it means, but this song from my college years gets me pumped the F&%K UP!
15. I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - OK, it's time to tone it down a bit, while still keeping my focus. This song has a slower beat, and quiter lyrics, but it will remind me not to back down.
16. Standing Outside the Fire by Garth Brooks - I'm not ashamed to admit it, I like me some Garth. This song is moving and emotional to me, mostly because of the special-needs kid in the video (cut to about 2:30 in the video and watch to the end. When the kid gets back up and finishes, I get choked up.... damn it, it's getting dusty in here again).
17. Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus - I don't know why. I just like it.
Here Comes the Hill - Miles 9-10.5 (Goal: Don't Lose Focus, power through)
18. Baba O' Riley (aka "Teenage Wasteland") by The Who - The keyboard riff and the driving rock will deliver you to greatness.
19. King of the Mountain by Midnight Oil - This should be playing as I'm running up the hill (and might even be playing when I crest the hill). It's my way of saying "EFF YOU HILL, YOU DON'T OWN ME!"
20. Fall Down by Toad the Wet Sprocket - "When will we fall down?" As we're running down the hill. This is a high-school nostalgia song.
21. I Believe (from Book of Mormon) - At this point in the race (I should be around the middle of Mile 10 when this comes on), I will probably be in one of two states of mind: (1) Kicking ass, and possibly thinking of pushing for even better than my goal (1:50), or (2) hurting, and needing the motivation to push through. This song, corny as it is, is uplifting and fun.
22. Man Up (from Book of Mormon) - the last of my BoM songs, but it's a doozey that will carry me into the middle of Mile 11.
The "Home Stretch" - Miles 10.5-12.7 (Goal: Keep Up the Intensity)
23. Viva La Vida by Coldplay - And now is the part of the race for a couple girly songs. I don't care, I find them moving.
24. Defying Gravity (from Wicked) - yeah, I like Broadway musicals. But this one is all about exceeding limitations, how can you not be moved.
25. Don't Stop Believin' by Journey - the greatest song of all time. Period.
26. Let's Go Crazy by Prince - as I am from Minnesota, I am legally bound to include at least one Prince song in every playlist. This is my favorite (next to Little Red Corvette, which was too slow for this race)
"Husker! POWER!" - Mile 12.8-Finish (Goal: GO FAST! Enjoy the experience!)
27. Dear Old Nebraska (No Place In One) by the University of Nebraska Marching Band - So, a bit of an explanation. The finish line for this race is the 50-yard line of Memorial Stadium, the home stadium of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. I grew up in Lincoln and am a die-hard Huskers fan. So, I'm setting up the very last little stretch to play songs from the Nebraska Marching Band. This one starts out slow, but builds in intensity. I figured I'll be able to build my pace and energy for the next two songs (Note: all three of these Nebraska songs are very short, not more than a minute and a half).
28. Hail Varsity by the University of Nebraska Marking Band - a little more emotion and a little more power. When this song comes on, I should be running alongside of Memorial stadium ready to turn into the tunnel.
29. There's No Place Like Nebraska by the University of Nebraska Marching Band - the Nebraska fight song. This will be playing as I power through the tunnel, out onto the field, and sprint (or as close as I can come to "sprinting" after running 13 miles) to mid-field.
So, there you have it... the music I'll be listening to on Sunday. Don't make too much fun of me
No comments:
Post a Comment