Running Remedy: My Workout Playlist

I hate running.

Any mention of the word sends me running in the other direction.  Er, walking... but emphatically so.

What to some would be considered chasing that endorphin high is for me nursing that stubborn side stitch and cursing my feeble respiratory system.

I've always found people who run on a consistent basis very admirable and wish I shared the same motivation.  Honestly, I understand why people run and the numerous health benefits associated with it, but I have a hard time understanding how people enjoy it.

To people who love running: How do you do it?  How do you get past your burning lungs, your aching joints, your throbbing muscles...?  Is it really the act of running that you love or is it the result?

When it comes to exercise, I much prefer activities that keep your mind distracted, like martial arts, aerobics, dancing, hiking, Wii tennis... Also swimming is great if you don't mind oxygen deprived environments.  Yoga is great for people who have the patience.  Biking is great if you are coordinated enough not to run into other people (ahem...)  And competitive sports are fun.  I get why people like all of these things.

But running... really?  I just don't get it.  When I run, I can't stop myself from thinking the whole time about the pain I'm in and wondering when the physical torture will be over.  It's a game of mental endurance as much as it is a physical one.

But let's face it - when it comes to exercise, running is the most convenient and effective exercise out there.  You don't need a video or an instructor or a machine or a team.  And though there are hardcore runners out there with their pedometers and fancy shoes and training agendas, you don't necessarily need a plan or even a destination in mind.  You just need to make up your mind to do it, which for me has always been the biggest hurdle.

So I've started running again recently, mostly as a means of combating my predominantly sedentary existence when I return home from work.  Like I said, it's convenient and effective.  And though I wouldn't go so far as to say I love it, I've found it's not so bad, contingent upon one very important factor:  THE PLAYLIST.

For me, it's the one remedy that makes running tolerable.  If I find a good song with a good tempo, I can zone out enough to where I'm not thinking so much about what I'm doing.  I can actually forget the pain and focus on matching the rhythm of my steps to the rhythm of the music.

But it's all about having the right song for the right moment.

That said, a workout is very personal, and the songs are even more so.  I tend to work out at a very gradual rate, which looks something like this:

Warmup - Power Walking - Jogging - Running - Cool Down

I've been playing around with my workout playlist for awhile (as in the past week) and so far it's worked out pretty well.  Here is an example of songs I've been choosing for each type of interval:

Warmup:





Power Walking:





Jogging:





Running:





Cool Down:





So this is a sampling of what I've been listening to.  I'm sure it's very different from your routine and your playlist, and I'd be very curious to know how it differs.

I know it's only a matter of time before I start getting bored of these songs and I have to start a new list.  I'm worried that I will literally run out of songs before March is up.

What kind of songs are on your workout playlist?  If you have any suggestions for me, please let me know!

oo,