There’s a remarkable short movie starring Bruce Campbell by that title, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about actually running.
I started running at the tail end of summer, following Christina (my lovely and talented wife) by a few weeks. I found, rather to my surprise, that I like it, largely because it makes me feel more alive and present in my body. This is not surprising to those of you who are into regular exercise, I suppose. I find that my mind wanders, which I suspect is quite normal – the fabled “runner’s high” is, at least for me, a somewhat trancelike state.
To get me started, I used a podcast series created by Robert Ullrey, using the Couch to 5K program. It works really well, at least for the first few weeks. The program uses intervals of running and walking, gradually building up to longer and longer runs as you build up strength. I was surprised to find how quickly my body gained the ability to run for 20 minutes without stopping.
At any rate, the point of this rambling post is to talk about the music I use for my runs. I like music with a really strong beat, fairly fast. I’ve been a fan of techno and trance music for years, and it fits really well for running.
My current set starts with a relatively slow 5 minute walk (3mph), then speeds up to something that I can run 4.5 to 5 mph with. I have a lot of VNV Nation in my running playlist right now – there is a 4-song sequence that’s built for “get your $#% in gear!”
1. Feel Me – Blancmange
2. Song for Dot – Space Raiders
3. Funky Little Demons – Wolfgang Press
4. Able to Love [Original] – Benny Benassi
5. The Farthest Star – VNV Nation
6. Testament – VNV Nation
7. Chrome – VNV Nation
8. Defiant – VNV Nation
9. Somnambulistic – Information Society
10. First Day [Extended Version] – Timo Maas
If I can figure out how to do a podcast, I’ll post it.
Stacey and I both got back into running as adults (after not having run seriously since high school) with a similar 10 week run/walk program that promised to put you through a 10K, which we both (barely) managed to do. We fell off the wagon, then, for a year or more, but it came back pretty easily when I started running again last year.