Tunes to Lift Your Feet To

There are just 3 things I must have to ensure a good run: proper shoes, a sportsbra, and upbeat music on my iPod. Try not to picture me running with only these things on. You’ll go blind.

I have a friend who can run half-marathon distances while listening to audiobooks. I also know someone who finds lyrics distracting and use beats from Podrunner (free on iTunes under “podcasts”) – you choose your speed and get an hour of music at exactly that pace.

Me? I like catchy tunes. Not what the musical elite would call “good” songs, or songs that make you cry or think deep thoughts. Running is not the time to indulge in sentimentality or emotion; it’s a time to strip yourself down, turn off your brain and just be pure moving muscle.

Dance and pop music are great for motivation to move. They give you the all-important high beats-per-minute that you need to keep a steady, aggressive pace. I also believe that if you listen to some of the same songs every time you run, your body’s response becomes Pavlovian – your heart and lungs feel the rhythm and know what’s coming up, so they tune in and work harder to move oxygen around.

That said, with all the races and training coming up in 2010, here are some of the songs that help me warm up, stay fast and put an extra burst of speed on when I’m pushing towards the finish line:

Warm-Up

• Lebanese Blonde – Thievery Corporation/Garden State
• Porcelain – Moby/Play
• Wonderful – Adam Ant
• I Know I Know I Know – Tegan & Sara/So Jealous
• I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ – Scissor Sisters/Ta-Dah
• Bug Powder Dust – Bomb the BASS/The Rebirth Of Cool Phive
• Faith – George Michael
• Clint Eastwood – Gorillaz/Gorillaz
• Lazy Eye – Silversun Pickups/Carnavas
• My Moon My Man – Feist/The Reminder

Hardcore Speed

• Fell In Love With A Girl – The White Stripes/White Blood
• Inner Universe – Yoko Kanno/Stand Alone Complex
• Intergalactic – Beastie Boys/The Sounds of Science
• X Project – Dj Fresh/Escape From Planet Monday
• Stronger – Kanye West/Graduation
• Ocean Drive (Tiga’s White Linen Vox) – FPU
• Destination: Overdrive – Chromeo
• Firestarter – The Prodigy/The Fat Of The Land
• My Elastic Eye – The Chemical Brothers/Come with Us
• Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani/Love. Angel. Music. Baby
• Fuck The Pain Away – Peaches/The Teaches of Peaches
• Holding Out For A Hero – Frou Frou/Shrek 2
• Sexyback – Justin Timberlake/’Futuresex/Lovesounds’
• Milkshake – Kelis/Tasty
• Womanizer – Britney Spears/Circus
• Toxic – Britney Spears/In the Zone
• The Distance – Cake/Fashion Nugget
• My Red Hot Car – Squarepusher/Go Plastic
• What You Waiting For? – Gwen Stefani/Love.Angel.Music.Baby
• Smack My Bitch Up – The Prodigy/The Fat Of The Land
• Hey Ya! – OutKast/’Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’
• No Sleep Tonight – The Faders/Veronica Mars
• Crazy In Love – Beyonce & Jay Z/Dangerously In Love
• Single Ladies – Beyonce
• Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas/E.N.D
• Don’t Stop The Music – Rihanna/Ultimate Collection

Sustained Speed

• Kids – MGMT/Oracular Spectacular
• Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
• Unbelievable – E.M.F.
• Change – The Lightning Seeds/Clueless
• Number One – Chaz Jankel
• Yes – Merry Clayton/Dirty Dancing
• The World’s Made Up Of This And That – Fatboy Slim/Deeds Plus Thoughts
• Damn Girl – Justin Timberlake/’Futuresex/Lovesounds’
• Can’t Get You Out Of My Head – Kylie Minogue
• Let’s Dance – David Bowie/Let’s Dance
• Rehab – Amy Winehouse/Back To Black
• Black Betty – Ram Jam
• Billie Jean – Michael Jackson/Thriller
• Simply Irresistible – Robert Palmer
• Two Princes – Spin Doctor
• Just A Girl – No Doubt/Tragic Kingdom
• Zombie – The Cranberries /No Need To Argue
• Pain – Four Star Mary
• Shout – Tears for Fears
• Crabbucket – K-Os/Joyful Rebellion
• I Hear You Calling – Gob/The World According To Gob
• A Bad Dream – Keane/Under The Iron Sea

Laugh Through The Pain

• I’m Too Sexy – Right Said Fred/Up
• Girls – Beastie Boys
• Money – The Flying Lizards/Sedated in the Eighties
• I Touch Myself – The Divinyls/Divinyls
• The Humpty Dance – Digital Underground/Sex Packets
• Baby Got Back – Sir Mix-a-Lot/Mack Daddy
• Bust a Move – Young MC
• I Want Candy – Go Gos/The Best of Bow Wow Wow
• Istanbul (not Constantinople) – They Might Be Giants
• Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen/Greatest Hits
• Mashin’ On The Motorway – DJ Shadow/The Private Press
• U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
• Me So Horny – 2 Live Crew
• Tubthumping – Chumbawumba
• Smile – Lily Allen/Alright, Still
• Supermodel – Jill Sobule/Clueless
• Watch Out Now – The Beatnuts/Classic Nuts, Vol. 1

Home Stretch

• Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
• Danger Zone – Kenny Loggins/Top Gun Soundtrack
• Mission: Impossible Theme – Lalo Schifrin/U2
• The Imperial March – John Williams/Star Wars Trilogy
• Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor
• You’re the Best – Joe Esposito/Karate Kid Soundtrack
• Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky) – Bill Conti/Rocky Balboa

What do you like to listen to when you’re pounding the pavement? Suggestions welcome!

Music and Video

I just had a really good talk with one of my coworkers about her 14-year-old daughter and music videos, and I had to recommend to her that she leave work IMMEDIATELY and go to Bay Street Video and buy the boxed Directors Set of videos by Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry. And then it occurred to me that I should tell all of you the same thing (especially section2 and cranly, being music fanatics). Go. Buy. Be merry.

Speaking of buying things and videos…

I have officially abandoned all hope of finding my cell phone. Possibly it will turn up in the distant future, like Wesley, the cat I once accidentally lost, who ended up missing for almost two months, and was actually just hiding in the basement very confused and hungry.
Except the cell phone probably won’t be hungry.
And it will meow less.
And not have diarrhea for a week.
But I digress.

It is time to move on, to look at new options, new plans and new phones. Please advise me, oh wise and all-knowing LJ readers!

Three Choices for a New Cell Phone:
1) Stay with Telus, on their $25 ‘Big Deal Promo’ plan which I am contractually obligated to until October, which gives me a measly 150 daytime minutes, shitty 3 message/3 day expiry message centre, and makes me pay an additional $3 for call display and $6.50 for system access fees, as well as ¢25 e911 Emergency. This option entails buying a new phone at full cost, and paying a $25 changeover fee.

2) Change to Bell, on their $20/month OPSEU Corporate plan, with free activation, e911 Emergency for ¢25 per month, System Access Fee for $4.50 per month, Includes for FREE!: 300 Anytime Local Minutes, Call Display, Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, Conference Calling, Message Centre (Voice Mail), Unlimited Weekends (8pm Friday to 7am Monday), Detailed Billing, Per Second Billing and Unlimited Local Calling free for the first 3 Months as well as Unlimited Picture and Video Messaging (with Camera Phone purchase) free for 2 Months. This option entails paying $100 to break my contract, and if I enter another 3-year contract, getting a new phone from Bell either for free or for $50 (camera phone) or $100 (tiny camera phone with video capability).

3) Face the fact that the Gods do not want me to have a cell phone, and let it go. Cancel contract and live a happy, un-cell burdened life between work and home. Live with not having a phone at the condo and just use MSN when there.

Please give me your opinions in my cellular phone poll…

Thank you!