A Killer Playlist

I went to the Killers concert at the Raleigh Red Hat Amphitheater on Monday night.  The Killers is one of my favorite bands, and the band members go along with me (on my iPod) on most of my runs and have during the last seven years.  I recognized the songs from my play list.  When they played one, I felt the need to run, but all I could do was move and dance around because I was sandwiched in the middle of a row along with one of my running buddies. Even though I was boxed in, the concert was amazing --  the singing, the music, the energy, the special effects and the fans showing their love!  I was lucky to get tickets and was pretty far from the stage, but the seats were center stage, so frontman Brandon Flowers was directly in front of me at times.  I had to stand on tiptoes to see him, so I got a good calf workout too.

The following are the Killers songs on my 2012 marathon playlist.  This is the last playlist I made.  Even though I got the band's latest CD "Battle Born" for Christmas 2012, I haven't uploaded new CD's and made a new list since then.  I will be sure to add numerous songs from Battle Born including "Miss Atomic Bomb" when I make my next playlist.  These days the songs I listen to most often are from Flower's solo CD "Flamingo." Whether together as the Killers or Flowers solo, collectively these songs have a good beat, are cleverly written and speak to me.  Flowers's vocals are strong, pleasing and passionate.  My ideal running songs!

Mr. Brightside
Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts (just Flowers)
Was It Something I Said (just Flowers)
Magdalena (just Flowers)
Crossfire (just Flowers)
Loosing Touch
Human
Spaceman
Joy Ride
A Dustland Fairytale
This is Your Life
I Can't Stay
The World We Live In
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
Somebody Told Me
All These Things That I've Done
Change Your Mind
When You Were Young

Positive Peer Pressure: A Plank Challenge!

On my long run last Saturday, my friend Carrie asked me if I'd like to do a plank challenge with her for a month.  She and some others are in the process of  doing the "Perfect Your Core" Plank Challenge as posted on the He and She Eat Clean Blog.  This did not sound appealing to me mid run -- even though my focus right now is supposed to be on total body fitness.   A plank for this purpose is being in a prone position supporting your body weight with your arms with the weight of your lower body being supported by your toes.  In other words, imagine preparing to do a push up, and instead of going down and back up, you hold the first position.   I told her I'd try it for 5 days, and that she had to hold me accountable.

I forgot to do it on that Monday, but I did it Tuesday through Thursday.  Instead of starting with day one, I jumped to the day of the month with which the challenge aligned.  The first day wasn't so bad, and I thought this would be easy.   On the second day, I decided this would be hard.  On the third day, I barley got through it.  Instead of scrapping the whole idea, I will start from the beginning and try to do what I can.   It does not help that I do these after a long workout, but that's my plan.

During the week I got into the groove of classes that combine cardio and strength training.  They are rigorous and much harder than going for a typical run.  In one class when the instructor asked the class how we were feeling, one woman yelled out, "I should have gone running!" (with the group I usually run with at the Y instead of suffering through this class.)  I thought she was just joking at first, but now that I've been to a few of these classes, I realize she was not joking at all.

In the midst of one class with sweat dripping off my nose I thought, "This is for Boston!"  It wasn't for the good people of Boston, but rather for my own selfish reasons.  If I am working this hard to be in shape for Boston, I am determined to make it into the race, run the race, and do my best in the race. In a previous post, I commented that if I don't get in, it just wasn't meant to be.  In that moment at the Y,  I really, really, really wanted to run the 2014 Boston Marathon.  I felt like a selfish, bratty kid, but in adult form, because I knew that I was being selfish the moment I thought it.  If I am accepted, this will make a good mantra, and it won't be totally selfish then.

Training for The Tuna Run 200 for 2013

On Monday I started training for the Tuna Run 200 relay race on Oct. 18-19.   I have not been running as much as usual, and I've felt it as a withdrawal of sorts.  Tuesday morning I dabbled in speed work for the first time in two months.  The break from it was nice and a time of renewal.  At least that's my way of saying that I needed to be lazy.  Of course it was harder to use that much effort after a break, but I felt my power and appreciated my speed in a different way following this break.

After taking myself way too seriously last year in relay races, I've decided not to focus my energy on preparing to race in the Tuna Run.  My approach for the next three months will be about total body fitness and running.  I plan to run three times a week:  speed work, a long run, and another run (tempo, recovery, hills or whatever I please.)  I will cross train on the other three days with a variety of strength training and aerobic intensity classes at the Y.  I haven't seen this training plan anywhere; I'm making it up.

A reason for this is that in the past few years I've spent so much time running that I've neglected strength training.  My main reason for focusing on weights and strength is that I am already preparing for the 2014 Boston Marathon.  I want to be strong when it comes time to train for it -- if I get a spot.  Registration for Boston opens in mid to late September.   Even though I qualified for 2014, there is a good chance that I will not have a spot because those who were stopped on the course and could not finish get the first spots (as it should be), and many qualifiers will want to be there and will register.   I would be proud to be included, and I almost crave the chance to have a positive outcome from the race.  If I am not included, I will be disappointed but will have to acknowledge that it simply wasn't meant to be.