Maybe it was the Grape Nuts?

I've been stuck on a training schedule of running for 5 minutes and walking for 2 for the last two weeks. With vacations and such I haven't been able to stick to my regular training schedule, so I've fallen behind a bit.

Last night I figured I'd be in for my third week of the 5 minute run segments. Which is no big deal, really. I mean, I've still got about 8 weeks left which is how long I trained last time I did a 5k. So in all reality, I'm ahead of the game. Back to the story.

When I first started running last night I felt a bit weaker than in past runs. I figured I'd barely make it to five minutes like usual. But at the five minute mark, all of a sudden I felt pretty good. Maybe I could try running just a little longer... I felt like I'd gotten a second wind, my legs were in a rhythm, my breathing was steady. I ran for 9 minutes. Then I walked for just under 2 minutes, and then I ran again. For 17 minutes! It was amazing! I couldn't believe it.

Maybe it was the playlist on my ipod, maybe it was because I was running at twilight, maybe it was the bowl of Grape Nuts cereal I had for dinner. Who knows. But somehow I finally felt like a real runner. I had my breakthrough. I hope it sticks around.

In order to keep up my new found running skills, I want to do everything in my power to stay motivated during my runs. For me running is very mental. Music plays a huge part in how long and how well I run. I have a special running playlist on my ipod, but quite honestly, it kind of sucks. I put songs on there that I imagined would motivate me and would be enjoyable to run to, but I find myself skipping over a lot of songs because they aren't quite right.

So I ask you, my dear readers, what's on your playlist? For those of you that are training with me, what are your favorite songs to listen to when you run? For everyone else, what songs pump you up and give you more energy when you work out? I need some help here! Back in the day I was known as Mix Master-K, but I'm not as hip as I used to be I suppose. Or maybe I am, but not when it comes to workout music. To get your brains moving I'll offer up a few of my favorite running songs:

Canned Heat by Jamiroquai (you know, the song Napolean Dynamite dances to)
Such Great Heights by The Postal Service
The Enemy Guns by Devotchka
Jerusalem by Neil Diamond
Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins (Footloose is also a good one)

A Window to My Soul

I've had some requests to post a list of my favorite music and books. Ok so maybe it's not quite a window to my soul, but it's at least peep-hole.

My music tastes are really quite random. I normally like softer nerdy type stuff, but I also love some of those bands that your mom's wouldn't let you listen to. I'm not much of a rap or pop fan, but I would say that there are still songs/artistis in those genres that are tolerable and even enjoyable. I'm going to make a list of my top ten artists. I LOVE all of these and highly recommend them. (I added links to each artist in Amazon.com, most of which have clips of the songs on the pages for each individual CD)

My Top Ten Artists
In no certain order....

1.Brandi Carlile (NOT Belinda Carlisle though she's not bad) ( I have The Story and her self-titled album Brandi Carlile and love both)

2. Alison Krauss (I own "Lonely Runs Both Ways" and "Now That I've Found You")

3. Fiona Apple (Extraordinary Machine)

4. Fleetwood Mac (The Dance)

5. Jeff Buckley (Grace-Legacy Edition)

6. Johnny Cash (I like most of his stuff, but his American IV is really good)

7. Oingo Boingo (Skeleton's in the Closet)

8. Devotchka

9. Pet Shop Boys

10. Pink Floyd

Wow that was hard to choose just ten. Here is a list of other artists I like...

Live
A Perfect Circle
Velvet Revolver
The Cult
The Cure
Ben Folds
Depeche Mode
Violent Femmes
Alice in Chains
Anne Murray
The Carpenters
Big Wreck
Bonnie Raitt
Carly Simon
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Clint Black
Tim McGraw (Mostly older stuff)
Dan Fogelberg
Dixie Chicks
Don Williams (The Best of Don Williams)
George Strait
INXS
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
James Taylor
Midnight Oil (Diesel and Dust)
Modern English
Neil Diamond
Nirvana
Norah Jones
Pearl Jam
Queensryche
Soul Asylum
Sting
Tears for Fears
Tool
U2 (esp. Achtung Baby)

This isn't all the music I like, just groups that are at the top of the list. There's always one-hit wonders and those types of things. As you can see I love what I grew up on, including some guilty pleasures such as Anne Murray that are influenced by my parents. My sister Corinne also had a lot of influence on me as seen by the Violent Femmes and Neil Diamond. There really is only a handful of newer artists on my list, because they just don't make 'em like they used to!

As far as books go, I typically like non-fiction. I will read fiction, but usually only if it's recommended by someone. I'll just make a list of the books I've read and liked. By the way, I did read Twilight... this was before the real Twilight explosion and I didn't know it was a teenage girl-type book. It was alright, but not my style. No I will not be watching the movie.

Books I Like

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (had this on audiobook-loved it... thanks for the recommendation Mom!)

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Naked by David Sedaris (I've read almost everything from him including "When You Are Engulfed in Flames", "Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim," and "Me Talk Pretty One Day"- all of these books are very funny)

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (thanks for the recommendation Mom Hanson!)

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Emerson: Essays and Poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Matilda by Roald Dahl

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

Varieties of Religious Experience by William James

Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey

Death, Taxes and Leaky Waders by John Gierach

Well, that's it for now. If you have any questions about anything I've listed here let me know. I'd be happy to share details!

Yeah, I Remember Records

I never called them 45s, but yeah, I remember records. My parents had a whole stash of them and still do. Nothing worth any money mind you, just good old classics like John Denver and Anne Murray. I definitely had a few favorites back in my younger days, most of which were either kids records or show tunes, but they were still records.

I remember putting on "Annie" and running around our cream colored couch with big brown flowers on it while listening to "It's A Hard Knock Life." I always thought the "Fox and the Hound" record was the coolest because instead of black vinyl it had an actual picture on it. We also had "The Muppet's Rainbow Connection." There was an "Electric Company" record but I think that show was a little before my time and I had never watched it. I never listened to that record because I thought something called "The Electric Company" sounded really boring. We also had a "Raggedy Anne and Andy" record that told a story. It was kind of creepy to me back in the day. Something about the voices I think. Of course I thought that the red cheeked grouchy puppet that lived in the spinning carousel type house on Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was creepy too.

I also remember when CDs first came out. My family was pretty technologically advanced for our time and I remember my dad bringing home our first CD player. I used to love to just hold a CD and look at it. They were so beautiful with all their rainbow colors compared to cassette tapes and records . For the longest time we would go to the mall every Saturday and my parents would stop into the music store and buy a couple CDs. That was back when they used to come in long skinny boxes, not just wrapped in a plastic coating like today. It's amazing how much technology has advanced in my lifetime. CDs are already becoming obsolete with IPODs and other devices now that can hold your whole music collection on something less than half the physical size of a CD. Makes you wonder what it'll be like in another 20 years.

Computers have also come a long way since I was a kid. I don't ever remember not having one at home. We used to have all our games on the big 5" floppy disks and we'd type a run code into DOS to get it to start. Occasionally we'd forget what the special code was and have to call mom up at work to get it. When it came to computers mom always had the answer.

Around that same time in my life was when Nintendo came out. That was the coolest thing in the world. Three buttons was all you needed and as far as I'm concerned it's still superior to all the new complicated gaming systems out there. What other gaming system can you fix by blowing on it? We had probably 40+ games within just a couple years. I wish I still had it. Believe it or not, the Nintendo caused the breakup with my first boyfriend when I was about eight or nine years old. He never let me play. To this day many men still favor gaming systems to women. Some things never change.