Of medals and music

This is a picture of my new first marathon "trophy" case, hanging in our den here at our Toronto condo. Kelly needed to go to Michael's craft store yesterday, so I made the trip worthwhile by finding this frame.

It's a diorama-type frame, so it's deeper than a normal one, allowing you to put bulkier stuff inside it. So, as you can see, I've got my Chicago Marathon finisher's medal, a photo my sister Melissa took and my bib from the race on display. Pretty cool huh.

A quick update on my running week so far: Ran nine miles along the lakefront on Tuesday at an easy 8:31 pace, did an eight-mile speed workout on Thursday with eight Yasso 800s (four miles) and four other regular miles at roughly 7:45 per mile, and three easy miles on Friday at about 8:20 per mile.

I was originally down to run nine miles on Friday, but my legs were really sore -- likely from the two hours of volleyball I played with Kelly and some friends on Thursday night (AFTER my speed workout). So after three miles on Friday, I cut things short to rest up for my 20-miler today (haven't gone yet). I'll still hit 40 miles for the week.

I also go to thinking this week about what I would consider my Top 10 songs to run to. Not my favorite songs of all-time, or what I consider the best songs of all-time (yes, those two lists would differ), but my favorites to run to, whether it be due to the beat or the lyrcis or whatever. After going through my iPod, I came up with this list.

In no particular order (with links to youtube):

Da Funk by Daft Punk -- This techno song makes the cut because it reminds me of my Cross Country days at Thornwood High School. It was a favorite for us runners to have pumping through our discman's during warmups before a meet, OR pumping through the cd player we'd tote with us to races. It has a steady beat that is easy to use to set a nice pace.

Confusion by New Order -- This is another techno song that I like to use during longer runs. Like Da Funk, it has a good beat to help establish a strong pace. And the song is lengthy, which is good because it can last for more than a mile of running for me. That helps my mind avoid trying to count songs (usually it's about two normal songs per mile on average).

Cochise by Audioslave -- This rock ditty, the first big single by Audioslave (the band formed by former members of Rage Against the Machine and former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell), has heavy guitars and a strong beat that is awesome for faster workouts. Key lyrics: I've been drinking life, while you've been nausous." This one always pumps me up.

Going the Distance by Cake -- The title says it all doesn't it? The song has lyrics more in line with a horse or car race, but it can easily be applied to us runners. I'm not big on listening to lyrics, but these are hard to ignore and easy to get into when you're running: The sun has gone down and the moon has come up, and long ago somebody left with the cup. But he's striving and driving and hugging the turns, and thinking of someone for whom he still burns. He's going the distance! He's going for speed!"

More Human than Human by White Zombie -- Again, not really reflective of my favorite type of songs. But this heavy rock tune is awesome for workouts. The chorus of "More human than human" being basically shouted over and over is great for getting the ol' blood flowing. Besides, when you're pushing yourself to the limit, you do feel more human than human. At least I think so.

Hail, Hail by Pearl Jam -- PJ is my all-time favorite band and there are a number of songs I could include here. But Hail, Hail is a short, fast song off the album No Code that I really get into when working out, especially during speed work. Key lyrics: "I find I'm on the run in a race that can't be won, yeah." So what? It's about crossing that finish line, not always about coming in first.

Hard Sun by Eddie Vedder -- While I'm on still on the subject of PJ, this single off the Into the Wild (great film, by the way) soundtrack by PJ singer Eddie Vedder is another favorite of mine on the run, especially for longer distances. It's not as hard or fast as other songs, but it works for me. Key lyrics: "There's a big, a big hard sun. Beating down on the big people, in the big, hard world." That's sure what the Chicago Marathon felt like.

Thunderstruck by AC/DC -- It'd be easy to list a number of AC/DC tunes, but after going through them this one stands out as my favorite to run to. It starts off slow and slowly builds as the song goes on -- great for the start of a long run. Key lyrics: "I looked 'round, and I knoew there was no turning back." Ain't that the truth.

Heinrich Maneuver by Interpol -- One of my favorite of the newer class of rock bands. Of course, I liked Interpol when hardly anyone had heard of them and before they signed with a major label. But I digress... This song really worked for me when I was out running in Anaheim this past year, when I was starting to set new personal records for long runs. Key lyrics: "How are things on the West Coast? I hear you're moving real fine. You wear those shoes like a dove. Now strut those shoes, we'll go roaming in the night."

Shipping Up to Boston by Dropkick Murphys -- This song is short, fast and it simply flat-out rocks. It's been made famous as the warm-up music of Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. In the marathon world, Boston is the promised land for elite runners. Someday, I'd love to be able to qualify to run there. This song is fantastic for short bursts, like the 800s I do during some speed workouts.

Honorable mentions: Beautiful People, Marilyn Manson; Lust for Life, Iggy Pop; No Way Out, Stone Temple Pilots; Pug, Smashing Pumpkins; Burden in My Hand, Soundgarden; Aenima, Tool; Mr. Brightside, The Killers; Super Bon Bon, Soul Coughing; I Might Be Wrong, Radiohead; Shut 'Em Down, LL Cool J; Neighborhood #2, Arcade Fire; Bombs Over Baghdad, Outkast; Stage, Live; I'm So Sick, Flyleaf; Personal Jesus, Depeche Mode; Paper Planes, M.I.A; Disco Science, Mirwais; Falling Away from me, Korn; Getting Smaller, Nine Inch Nails; Not for You, Pearl Jam; Comatose, Pearl Jam; Do the Evolution, Pearl Jam; Rearviewmirror, Pearl Jam; Tahitian Moon, Porno for Pyros; Let Down, Radiohead; There, there, Radiohead; Bulls on Prade, Rage Against the Machine, People of the Sun, Rage Against the Machine; Killing in the Name, Rage Against the Machine; Around the World, Red Hot Chili Peppers; Untreatable Disease, Sparta; Punk Rocker, Teddy Bears; Ball and Biscuit, The White Stripes; Seven Nation Army, The White Stripes; Song 2, Blur; Rabbit in Your Headlights, U.N.K.L.E.

Gee, think I could've fit any more songs in there?

Stay tuned for more...