I thought I would post the songs I put on my practice 10k run yesterday. All of them motivate me in different ways, so i’ll try to sprinkle in some of that as well!
Garbage – Beloved Freak – if you saw my post from the other night – this song is just new and exciting to me. New music motivates me, especially when I really connect to a song. For some, it’s just the beat, for me it’s connecting to the song, being able to focus on it, and clear my mind of the parts of running that may seem less enjoyable.
Some Lyrics To Connect To //
“And Nothing Good Was Ever Free” – True, true, and true. the pain, the burn, the struggle, the challenge, it’s all worth it in the end, results are not free, the future is not free, it requires work.
“Sometimes we get tired and weak, We lose the sky and leave our feet, You’re not alone” – This part is particularly motivating when running – talking about feet obviously, but we do get tired and weak, but “you’re not alone” is very motivating to me, there are others out there running at this very moment, some struggling, some persevering, some setting PR, but all part of this greater concept of bettering ourselves.
“Don’t worry for me, just think about yourself” – This is an odd one, and sometimes I stretch my interpretation of songs, but for me, I see this as the old me vs. the new me – don’t worry about the old lifestyle of being lazy and complacent, think about you, your future, and what you have to give yourself.
Overall – the sentiment song is more about being outcasted, going through difficult times, which I can also relate to, and the song is just very mellow and inspiring, but I found it to be a good running song.
SafetySuit – Someone Like You – Like the last part of the the Garbage song, I see this self-reflectively. Though not the intention of the song, I see “you” as me, and a different iteration of myself (am I the only one that does this? haha)
“If I could be, someone like you, would I be strong enough” – I see this as the tomorrow me, each day. Someone like me, is someone who I am becoming, which is inspiring on it’s own steppe, but the fact of being someone else who you are trying to become – it’s a powerful message to fuel the running shoes!
He Is We – And Run – Overall the sound of this is just kind of mellow, I time it in the playlist when I will most likely needing to be bringing down the pace for a minute, upbeat enough, but not crazy fast.
Some Lyrics To Connect To //
“I’m going to open my mind to all these, new found exciting possibilities” – This is prevalent in so many different ways – there are so many things i’ve never known I was able to do before (like run a 10k, for example!), and like my blog yesterday noted, the psychology behind progress is more difficult than the action.
“Draw a map, find a path. Take a breath, and Run.” – self-explanatory, but, yes, it has the literal piece of it, but the drawing a map had a “future roadmap” connotation as well.
“Filling my head, with words to encourage me, gotta get my act so straight so I can truly believe” – This is a daily struggle, but the inspiration blog references why this is so neccessary.
The whole song really is just fun and inspiring.
Kerli – Love Is Dead – Lyrically, this song doesn’t do much in the means of inspiration, but the dark beat and steadiness is timed to keep a very constant pace, and this is the first Kerli song I ever heard, and so it presents a piece of nostalgia. The song just feels deep and intricate, which motivates me to run in a more “musical” way. A lot of running playlists I see online feature metal or trance or dubstep music, because the beats allow them to move forward. For me, knowing a song, knowing the meaning, and moving to concept is way more effective.
SafetySuit – These Times – This tune is good on a variety of levels. The video to the song is very powerful, showing statistics and people’s personal stories of difficult times. I try not to really mesh my weight loss journey into those situations, because those struggles (cancer, death, suicide, eating disorders, etc.) are certainly more encompassing of a difficult time, but some of the lyrics speak well to me, and this is a song I rely on in many scenarios.
Some Lyrics To Connect To //
“These times are trying hard to define me” – Starting off the song, the guitar and this line propel me forward – whenever I want to give up, I just think about how this time will not define me, I will overcome the hurdle and move forward.
The rest of the song refers to breaking through times that are tough and difficult.
The Used – The Best Of Me – I have been listening to The Used since high school. They are probably the band that I have liked the longest and consistently. Best of Me doesn’t present a lot of lyrics motivation, but sometimes you need that raw rocky feel to push you forward a bit. I do love the line “real nice to know that you care, to leave me soaking wet” – I think about how this journey really is on me. No one has “left me soaking wet” per se, but often times, the struggle is your own and you only have you at the end of the day to move to the next day and the next stage. Regardless, the song is just fast and pretty awesome.
The Vincent Black Shadow – Fear’s In The Water – Like the Kerli song, this is mostly nostalgia. I hadn’t listened to TVBS’s first album in quite some time, especially this track, which was fun to just run to.
Icon For Hire – The Grey – I love Icon For Hire, so much in fact that in the last few months I haven’t listened to them – this is because when I enjoy a band, I play them so much I get sick of them for awhile, then I filter them back into the regular playlist. The Grey has a very ambient atmosphere – it’s mellow and engaging. It’s a nice song to slow down to for a bit, but has a power to it, to keep me going.
Robyn – Indestructible – Robyn is ALWAYS a good playlist choice. I rotate songs in and out. My last playlist had Time Machine in it, the one before had Dancing on my Own. When I run a race, there is always a Robyn song on it.
Some Lyrics To Connect To //
“Sweat dripping down from your brown, hold tight, don’t let go” – at this point in the playlist, I was sweating, and it was hot. She was referring to the dance club, but running outside works too.
Overall, the song is just fun, has a great beat (like all Robyn songs), and the spirit of being “indestructible” is inspiring!
The Wanted – Chasing The Sun – I have only been listening to The Wanted for a few weeks, and generally I like them – this is probably my favorite song. The beat and tempo are great for running at a fast pace, so when I know I need to pick it up, this song does it all. Plus the entire song is about “chasing the sun” and going for it, so it’s all relatively present. Breaks up the playlist with some newer music and some male vocals.
David Guetta – Titanium – feat. Sia – This song has been on various running playlists for awhile now. The first time I heard this song, I kind of skipped over it, then one day when I was running it came on randomly, and I said “oh what is this” because the lyrics were suiting in every which way for such a journey.
Some Lyrics To Connect To //
“I’m bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away, fire away” – The entire sentiment of this line alone is enough to push me a few steps further. In the same way “indestructible” is inspiring, “Titanium” finds a way to create an image of a person who will not waver. Having had lots of doubt in the last year about what I can do, what I can accomplish, and where I can go, this song gives a motivation that we, as people, are capable of so much.
Research Material – The Sun – Lyrically, Research Material, is just an odd band. I was running out in the sun, the song is fun, a little slower to slow down the pace a bit, and that’s about it. Sometimes just a song you love is needed in the mix!
This song, for me, is very deep. When I think of all the music i’ve listened to in my life, and ones that reach down into my core and make me feel, this is one of those songs. It starts off so slow, increases, then the lead singers voice just penetrates. I can’t really describe it, but if you have a song that goes to your core, always add it in, i’d say about halfway to get a boost of energy
The sentiment of the song repeats “I come to you in pieces, so you can make me whole” – AGAIN, I see “you”, as a different iteration of “me” – I need to pick myself up, and I see “pieces” as the parts of me I am still working on, and I am putting together this puzzle of myself. Overall, I just love this song.
R.I.O. – Miss Sunshine – This song has 0% lyrical qualities to it, but after “pieces” I needed a fast and upbeat song, this did it.
LIGHTS – Flux and Flow – LIGHTS has always been a favorite, lyrically, it is motivating, but not in a deep or profound way. Flux and Flow just has a fun atmosphere to it – the song is very techno(ish) meets grit, and fluxing and flowing is very much part of running!
Almost this entire song motivates me – in a way that it is how i’ve always thought about myself.
Some Lyrics To Connect To //
“There’s a vulture on my shoulder, and he’s telling me to give in” – made for a great motivator as I recircled onto my street. That I would not fall victim to doubt.
The overall sentiment of being fixed at zero is about being stuck, because of yourself – something I can relate to very much, BUT, I am no longer that person, so it motivates me on the basis that I don’t want to be there again.
Plus, it’s just a fun rock song.
Aqua – My Mamma Said – I never got to this song in the mix. I mostly put it in because it was an odd and weird choice for the near end of the playlist. Not sure how it would work, but I love the song, and haven’t heard it for awhile, so these are factors that help me when creating a new playlist.
Charlie Chan – Someone Like You – Dubstep Remix – First of all “Someone like you” is just an amazing song, it can inspire anyone – despite it being a breakup song. I would NOT consider this a dubstep mix, I hate dubstep, and this song is a pretty good remix. It has the inspiring pieces of Adele, with some mad beats!
Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – I put this song on my playlist, in hopes I would reach the end before I got to this song. Thankfully, I did. I don’t believe the VERY prepackaged version of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – paralysis, vegetated states, and having constant tragedy are all things that many times do not make people stronger – aside from that, I hate prepacked philosophies. Quotes are okay, here and there, when they inspire a productive thought process – prepackaged philosophies are thrown around so much, they mean NOTHING. Anyways, ALSO the song is SO overplayed that I can’t even listen to it without hating everything.
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Well, there we have it, my 10k playlist from yesterday with some reasons why they are good songs. Like I said sometimes the beat , sometimes the lyric (usually), but songs I can connect to. I can’t just listen to a trance radio station and be very effective. My mind has to have something to focus on, and if it is something way in left field or I can’t prepare for it, the music becomes less effective. I will post some of my other playlists as they come along – without so much analysis 🙂
