six miles!

That's right, I ran six miles.  Six 14 minute miles, to be exact.  For some, that wouldn't even count as running, but for me, it felt like a huge accomplishment.  I knew that in order to finish, I'd have to go slow.  Thursday I ran 3 miles and the whole run was miserable.  When I finished I realized I'd been running 13 minutes miles, which explained the misery thing.  I can run a mile under 12 minutes, but I know that I have to pace myself for these longer runs.

One thing that helped, aside from the gorgeous day and the interesting route I'd plotted on walkjogrun.net, was the playlist I made before I left.  I've learned that the best playlists are the ones you make yourself, so I'll share mine here in case it sparks any interest, but I encourage you to look through your CDs and grab every song that makes you go "Hey, turn it up!" when you're listening in the car.  I've tried searching for good playlists on various blogs and websites, and sometimes I get ideas, but I really don't enjoy running to a song that doesn't have a pretty well-worn groove in my brain.  With that said, here's my six mile list.  It's more of a pleasant, keep you in the groove kind of list than a rockin', keep you moving hard-core kind of list, which works for a longer, more meandering run.

New Slang - The Shins

An all-time favorite song, good for starting out slow.  (Haha, I am ALWAYS slow, but you know what I mean.)

The Boxer - Simon and Garfunkel

I prefer Paul Simon to Simon and Garfunkel, but for a long time Paul Simon was the ONLY thing on my Ipod and I needed a change.  

Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen

Probably the most cliched song ever to have on a running playlist, but there's a reason.

Laid - James

This bed is on fire with passionate love?  I dare you not to pick up the pace a little.

Vaseline - Stone Temple Pilots

Chosen because runners use vaseline to prevent chafing, but also because, when I run, I feel like a fly stuck in vaseline.

Flowers in the Window - Travis

A great upbeat but not way overplayed song.  With sentimental value, cause we played it at our wedding when the bridal party came out.

Nugget - Cake

The perfect antidote to the pleasant sentimentality of the previous song.  Get angry!  Shut the fuck up!  Learn to buck up, yeah, shut the fuck up.  Pretend they're singing to that voice that says "You're tired, it's time to quit."

My Name is Jonas - Weezer

By the time they got to the "The workers are going home" section, I was on my way home.

No One - Alicia Keys

Yes, it's way overplayed and kind of a dumb song, but dang if it doesn't pick me up after all those alternative tunes.

When I Come Around - Green Day

But then it's time to get back to the alternative.  

Worn Me Down - Rachel Yamagata

Because yes, at this point, I am way worn down.

Perfect Gentleman - Wyclef Jean

Dude, I love this song so much.  And for four solid minutes, I try to remember the lyrics word-for-word rather than thinking about how much farther I have to go.  Come on, has there ever been a better line than "Ten Grand let me see you shake it like you got no bones in your body and you was meant to be a celebrity."

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend

It's only like the most upbeat song in all of history.  And it sounds like Paul Simon

Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

And now I'm thinking about lying on the beach.  The perfect way to end.

(Just to be clear--I did not run six miles in the time it took to listen to this playlist--I listened to it about one and a half times.)