Can You Feel It?

Today was the Shamrock 15k and 5k, and many of my running peeps represented.  I hope they were able to run away from the evil leprechaun.  Oh wait.  You're saying that's not the purpose of the Shamrock race?  HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT????

When ye run the Shamrock, ye run from me!

I ran the Shamrock last year, and it was just as cold as it was this morning.  It was my first race without any music at all, and I was miserable, as you can read when you click here.

This morning I had to do at least nine miles (in honor of the Shamrock), and I was alone, but I did it with music. As I was running and trying not to be cold and miserable, I started thinking about my running playlist and how I don't have it even slightly organized.  Some people have fantastic playlists that they customize for each run:  warmup song in beginning, tempo change for negative splits, badass song for kick in the end.  I would love to do that, but I have the attention span of a gopher.  I don't mean to insult gophers, actually; for all I know, they may have great attention spans.  I'm just basing my observation on the fact that they just poke their heads up from holes for no reason.  Why do they do that?

What was I talking about?

Anyway, I was thinking about how I categorize my music, and I realize that I choose my running music for the way it makes me feel.  So far I figured out that I have these types of songs:

Songs that Make Me Feel Spiritual/Emotional (for when you need to cry-run or do some heavy thinking):

This is EXACTLY how I look when I'm feeling spiritual.

     Anything by Mumford and Sons
     "Babylon" by David Gray
     "Carry On"  by Fun
     "Freedom"  by George Michael
     "My Companjera"  by Gogol Bordello
     "Clocks" by Coldplay
     "Learning to Fly" by Tom Petty

Songs that Make Me Feel Sexy (yes, that is possible when running):
     "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry
     "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover"  by Sophie B. Hawkins
     "Finish What Ya Started"  by Van Halen
     "Kiss" by Prince
     "Need You Tonight" by INXS
     "Somebody's Crying" and "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak
     "Sweet Harmony" by The Beloved
     "Whatta Man" by En Vogue
   

This is EXACTLY how I look when I'm a sexy runner.  WHADDYA MEAN which one?

Songs that Just Amuse Me
     "American Wedding"  and "Pala Tute" by Gogol Bordello
     "Ana Ng" by They Might Be Giants
     "Black or White"  and "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
     "Burning Down the House," "Psycho Killer," and "Nothing but Flowers" by Talking Heads
     "Butterbean" by The B-52's
     "Goody Two Shoes" and "Stand and Deliver" by Adam Ant
     "King of Spain" and "Michigan Militia" by Moxy Fruvous
     Anything by the Traveling Wilburys
     "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head
     "Peek-A-Boo" by Siouxsie & The Banshees
     "Yer So Bad" by Tom Petty
     "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen

Songs that Make Me Feel Like a Badass

I'm so BADASS, Chuck Norris asked me for advice on running the Shamrock!

     "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour
     "Give It Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
     "Immigraniada (We Comin' Rougher)"  and "Your Country" by Gogol Bordello
     "Pepper" by Butthole Surfers
     "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons
     "Royals" by Lorde
     "Some Nights" by Fun
   
I haven't put these in separate playlists or any kind of order, but maybe I should.  What do you think?

How do you group your music?

Like what you read?  Follow me on Twitter @itibrout.