To Run By

Speaking of brothers, mine has a birthday this weekend and I need your help.

He has taken up running lately and wants to do a marathon next year. I thought a nice present would be to send him some albums (you know, records? but all digital?) via itunes and/or maybe a little itunes compiliation of my very own making. Well, OUR (you and you and me) very own making because me, I do not run unless I am chased and so my personal soundtrack would be this: aaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeee! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeee!

I need suggestions, please. Music for a workout- albums or songs.

Thanks!

PS He likes everything and even if he didn't you don't necessarily need to like a song to feel stirred by it, right?

Comments

[Charlotte]

Four suggestions: 1) Dean Martin's "Good Morning Life;" 2) anything from the School House Rocks compilation, especially "Interplanet Janet" (by Man Or Astro-Man?). 3&4) Another two that always make me break into a run are Liz Phair's version of "The Tra La La Song" and The Ramones' version of "Spider-Man." They're on a CD called _Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits." I don't know if CD titles matter in the world of downloading.

[karyn]

Gwen Stefani is always good for some upbeat music to run by.

And back in the 90s, I used to work out to Color Me Badd. *cringe* In my defense it is very up tempo and would probably make your brother laugh.

[mm]

Anything by Journey (Wheel in the Sky, etc.)
Take me out by Franz Ferdinand
Somebody Told Me, Mr Brightside by the Killers
Shake that, Lose Yourself by Eminem
Pour some Sugar on Me by Def Leopard
Holding out for a Hero (orig or club mix) by Bonnie Tyler
Get it Poppin by Fat Joe
Bootylicious by Beyonce
Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

[Jackie]

I trained for and ran 3 marathons. Albums that fired me up for running:
Ben Folds: Rockin' the Suburbs
Old 97s: Fight Songs and Too Far to Care
Cake is also good- funky tunes, good beats

[elise]

Fortunately, I just sent my brother a similar type of upbeat music list. Here are some of my suggestions:

Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
Satisfaction (I Can't Get No) - Rolling Stones
Proud Mary - CCR
Jukebox Hero - The Who
Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake
Senorita - Justin Timberlake
Smooth - Santana
Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
I'm Real Remix - JLo
Toxic - Britney Spears
Me and My Girlfriend - Jay-Z and Beyonce
Candela - Buena Vista Social Club
La Negra Tiene Tumbao - Celia Cruz
Boom Boom - Chayanne
Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
There's No Home For You Here - The White Stripes
Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith

Now I realize lots of these may meet with much scoffing, but hey, I have never commented here before, and having trained for a marathon myself, know that these songs actually do make you want to...err...RUN. And stuff :)

[Amber]

Delurking to say...From one runner, I love it when I get anything that wicks moisture. Socks, shirts, shorts - you can never have enough of these because you never want to wear something that has been sweated in twice in one week. It's just gross. And my personal favorite gift this year has been an LED headlamp. This way I can still train in the wee hours of morning or night without finding a pothole the hard way.

[Patti]

My current playlist for running:

The Commitments: Try a Little Tenderness
Justin Timberlake: Sexy/Back
Nelly Furtado: Promiscuous Girl
Modest Mouse: Float On
Eminem: Lose Yourself
Nelly: Number One
Black Eyed Peas: Shut Up
Nelly Furtado: Maneater
AC/DC: Thunderstuck
The Game: Hate It or Love It
Daniel Lacroix: The Maker

This list starts you out slow (The Commitments), and that song leads you into a good beat until The Game. Then that song and Daniel Lacrioux are two cool down songs. Enjoy.

-Patti

[MomVee]

I _love_ to run to Ryan Adams' "Cold Roses" album, both discs but especially disc one. He's especially good for interval training, with percussion breaks that inspire you to sprint and meditative guitar solos that inspire you to slow down, but you don't _have_ to--it's all within reasonable running pace. Also his lyrics and music are complex and interesting, something to think about if you choose to check in and really listen.

[Jenna]

Hi Julia,

My hubby runs marathons. He just finished Disney. I got him the Time Life ( cheesy, I know) Eighties for Christmas. 3 CDs for 35$ at BJ's. He loves it. Loaded them all on his ipod and uses them for runs and workouts. Just an idea.

Jenna ( Mom to another crazy 4 year old Patrick)

[Kristin]

The last time I ran was in the 6th grade, but my gym teacher always played "jump" by Van Halen, so whenever I think of running, I think of that song. Good for a laugh, which now that I think about it, might not be so good while running...
I hope your brother doesn't live here in MN. With the current weather, he may not get to run outside until June!

[Erica]

Ooh, definitely Eminem's "Lose Yourself." You know, the anthem from the 8 Mile soundtrack? You don't have to like Eminem to like the song--it's got a fantastic thudding beat--perfect for running. And weirdly motivating for exercise.

---
Ha--I see that Patti above beat me to it. Shows you how good it is, eh?

[Bethany]

Ooh...What a sweet sister you are! I've run two marathons and here are some songs that get me fired up when I run:

"Yeah" - Usher
"Rock Your Body" - Justin Timberlake
"Promiscuous Girl" - Nelly Furtado
"Say It Right" - Nelly Furtado
"Somebody Told Me" - The Killers
"Over My Head" - The Fray
"Wind It Up" - Gwen Stefani
"Good Vibrations" - Marky Mark
"Toxic" - Britney Spears
"Danger Zone" - Kenny Loggins (Top Gun soundtrack)

Hope this helps!

[Erica77777]

Oh, and let's not forget Guns 'n Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle." Rock onnnnnnnnnn! (Yes, I am 37 years old. But I kissed Axl once when I was in college.)

[Emily Sing]

I can't make music suggestions because I usually listen to books while I run. But if he has an iPod, (nano or regular, it wont work with the shuffle) I would suggest getting him the Nike running add-on that calculates distance, speed, time, etc. It's keeps track of all your runs and can download the info strait to your computer. It's great and only $30. You can get it on the apple website.

[DebbieS]

I'm sorry, I can't help but add the theme to "Chariots of Fire" to the playlist!

Also, REI has awesome sock liners that wick away sweat. A blister would interfere with his training for days.

What a cool sis you are!

[Natalee]

Damn! I was gonna suggest "Eye of the Tiger", but got beat. There are alot of great suggestions here that I have on my own workout/5K training mix!

[Jenn]

I third Eye of the Tiger. And I'll add A Little Less Conversation-Elvis

[victoria]

I think you are a very nice person. That is a GREAT gift. My favorite songs for running (god, this dates me):

"She Drives Me Crazy" by The Fine Young Cannibals
"Ever Fallen In Love" by The Fine Young Cannibals (or by P.I.L.)
"When You Were Mine" by Prince
"I Would Die 4 U" by Prince
"Beyond Belief" by Elvis Costello
"Burning Down The House" by Talking Heads
"Mr. Brightside" by The Killers
"Just Like Heaven" by The Cure
"Last Night" by The Strokes

[victoria]

Oh, yeah, "Chariots of Fire" theme song -- hard not to be inspired to run by that one!

Depending how ambitious you are feeling, you might want to find out the pace at which he runs (maybe by getting an idea of what he likes to listen to now) and then pick songs that have the same tempo. See, I find that if I listen to fast paced things, I run faster, and slow paced things--like Chariots of fire--make you run slower.

Nice, personalized, thoughtful idea in any case.

[Julie]

He ran callin' Wiiiiiiildfire
He ran callin' Wiiiiii-IIILD-fii-ire
He ran callin' WI-I-I-i-i-i-ildfi-ire...

That is the only thing I have to contribute to this discussion.

[Kim]

I like "Let's Get it Started" by Black Eyed Peas...that is who it's by, right?

Also - I will say that KT Tunstall's Suddenly I See and Black Horse... are both good for running, but they might be kind of girly, for your brother.

Also? If you need good marathoning shirts or whatever (just as another gift idea) - www.mall4mylife.com has great marathoning shirts (and running shirts in general).

Good luck! These need to be compiled into a master list so I can download them for my running playlist!

[Anita]

I have run marathons and I much prefer NPR to music. The music can whack my pace if it's not the right beat.

So I'd vote making a series of tables of This American Life or some other interesting story type thing.

[Molly]

It's already been done for you!
http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/programs/2006/10/07/music_for_a_marathon.html

[amber]

Am I the only one who likes some good punk music to get all energized? I vote:

Rudie Can't Fail, The Clash
Janie Jones, The Clash
Career Opportunities, The Clash
Complete Control, The Clash
and
Lust for Life, Iggy Pop

And how 'bout Bhindi Bhagee by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros? I was just dancing around the house to that with my daughter (who has a bday this weekend, too - she'll be 1!) and it was awesome.

Um, there are probably 140 million more, so I will stop there.

[Melissa]

I always know that my husband is on the rowing machine in the basement when I hear:
Hero-Foo Fighters
Where is my life-Pixies
Ball and Chain-Social Distortion
Ring of Fire- first the Social D, and then the Johnny Cash!
Baba O'Reilly-The Who
Been Caught Stealing-Janes Addiction
Hope this helps! Good luck!

[Lauren]

Delurking as well...

Okay, I know I'll be out alone here, but I *cannot* do cardio without hearing "Bad Touch" by the Bloodhound Gang. Is it politically correct? No. Is it lewd, crude and rude? Yes. But I am a sucker for a good beat and a line like "Looooove, the kind you clean up with a mop and bucket..."

[victoria]

I'm obsessing about this. Sorry. But having the right music totally makes the difference for me. Also disregard most of the below list unless he's around my age (41):

"Tubthumper" by Chumbawumba
"Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat
"Big in Japan" by Alphaville
"You Spin Me Right Round" by Dead or Alive
"Come on Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners
"Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats
"Take On Me" by Ah-ha
"Heart of Glass" by Blondie
"Veronica" by Elvis Costello
"Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel
"Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen
"Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen
"I'm on Fire" by Bruce Springsteen
(well, maybe not the Springsteen for running)
"Dance Hall Days" by Wang Chung
"Somebody Told Me" by The Killers

[sadie]

Like a Prayer--- Madonna

and for that matter---

Livin on a Prayer--- Bon Jovi

[Sally]

Afghan Wigs "66"
"Better" Regina Spektor
"Rebellion" Arcade Fire
"Daddy I'm Fine" Sinead O'Connor
"My Girl Josephine" Supercat
"Born Slippy" ?,Trainspotting Soundtrack
"We're All Light" XTC
"I Spy" Guster
"Tail of the Sun" Stroke 9
"Paraniod Android" Radiohead
...and I second "Rockin the Suburbs"!

[Cris]

I am a runner (well, I love to run and do races but it's a hobby)
I wouldn't put Eye of The Tiger..

I like to use House/Techno music, Robert Miles, Moby
I have a lot of Justin Timberlake's new music on there (Sexyback/etc)
Black Eye Peas are a good beat
The Killers-When You Were Young
Panic At The Disco- Lying is the most fun...
-anything else Panic
Green Day
Rage Against The Machine
Foo-Fighters- Times Like These
Etc...A good mix, but nothing TOO fast paced otherwise he may go too quickly and break his pace.

[Beth]

Ferociously Stoned - the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. The whole album.

[Flicka]

Dance Commander by Electric Six
We Run This (Stick It Edition) by Missy Elliot
Everbody Dance Now!

xo

[Cat, Galloping]

Laura by Scissor Sisters is a current personal fave. Not that I run to it, but I dance around with the baby to it.

[Emily]

I love running! Took it up in order to get out of the house and rid myself of the frustrations of mothering 2 small children. The right music on my nano is a must for me in order to have a good run. Music is such a personal thing, though. I personally like songs that mention the word "run" in them. Go figure. And for some strange reason, I feel like I am really exposing myself here by revealing my playlist. Oh well, who the hell cares, right? So here goes:

"Yellow" - Coldplay (to warmup)
"Move Along" - All-American Rejects
"Starlight" - Muse
"Vertigo" - U2, How to Dismantle a Nuclear Weapon
"Deeper" - Delirious
"I Want to be Sedated" - The Ramones
"Glycerine" - Bush
"Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
"Always on My Mind" - Pet Shop Boys
"Your Body is a Wonderland" - John Maher
"Ice Cream" - Sarah MacLachlan (to cool down)

... just to name a few

[Susan]

I like hard driving beats to get me going. Some favs:

Strict Machine by Goldfarb (aka the song from the Chocolate phone commercials and Nip/Tuck)

Personal Jesus by Marylin Manson (this version rocks the house; guaranteed to get you up that hill!)

Rock n Roll Part II (aka Sound Explosion) by Gary Glitter

You Spin Me Right Around by Dead or Alive (latest best of album - new remix kicks ass)

Get Right by JLo (don't laugh, this is the shizzlenit)

Paradise City and Sweet Child of Mine: Guns n Roses

Photograph by Def Leppard

Lose Yourself by Eminem

Hell's Bells: AC/DC

Mas Tequila: Sammy Hagar

Evenflow: Pearl Jam

Fashion: David Bowie

Fat Bottom Girls: Queen

Flamethrower: J Giles Band

Girl All the Bad Guys Want: Bowling for Soup

I Wanna Be Sedated: The Ramones

Love Shack: The B-52s

Stacy's Mom: Fountains of Wayne

[Mandy]

You said he just took up running, so I don't know what his fitness level is - but if he's beginning there's a program called Couch to 5K that you can get as a download for your ipod. Really cool if he's just starting.

[KatS]

That's a great idea! Another idea if he likes to read is an audiobook. I prefer a plot while I'm running, not just mindless tunes. But that's just me!

[jen]

"I can't drive 55" Sammy Hagar

It makes me speed. Maybe it will make run fast!

[Febe]

Delurking - Vision Quest soundtrack - it worked for me long long ago when I imagined that people were chasing me.

If he runs into any foot/knee/hip pain during this endeavor, my sister puts feet back on track with orthotics (Lance Armstrong included) Shameless plug, sorry but I she's like the Annie Sullivan of feet
www.elitefeetusa.com

I gotta get back to lurking now

[emery]

When you're ready to run, it's Tenacious D time.

[Jen A]

I'm guessing these have already been mentioned, but a few that come to mind...and bear in mind, I'm probably butchering some spelling as it's 2 am here and I just don't feel like Googling the correct spellings, LOL.

Justin Timberlake "Sexyback"
Evanessance "Bring Me To Life"
Mary J. Blige "No More Drama"
Green Day "Holiday"
Rolling Stones "Paint It Black"
Gwen Stefani "Hollaback Girl"
Fergie "Fergilicious"

[Dianne]

"It keeps you running" by the Doobie Brothers

[Susan]

'It's a Long Way to the Top if You want to Rock 'n' Roll' by AC/DC. Or, as we sing in Oz (which is okay seeing as they are ours), 'It's a Long Way to the Shop if you want a Sausage Roll'.

[Shawnee]

Khia: My Neck My Back
because that is what i would be yelling the whole through the marathon (sorry its probably a useless attempt to be funny!)

[Slim]

Elvis Costello "Pump It Up"
David Bowie "Let's Dance"
J Geils Band "'Til the Walls Come Tumbling Down"
John Hiatt* "A Thing Called Love," "Slow Turning," "Ethylene," and "Stolen Moments"
Shriekback "Go Bang" (although that is more for sprints, which maybe marathoners don't need)

*I wonder if so many of his songs are good for cardio because he spends so much time on the Nordic Track. Kinda like Wallace Stevens walking to work and the metrical effects thereof?

[Peach]

OK, so here's my deep dark secret - I workout and run on the treadmill to musicals. "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is pretty good up front and has a few slow songs in the middle to relax and ends with some good paces. And "Riverdance" is my favorite, it is awesome for the interval training.

I'm such a geek.

[Sarah]

A few from a playlist I used in a race this summer:

Star Guitar - Chemical Brothers
Orange Wedge - Chemical Brothers
Elevation – U2
Isaac – Madonna
How High- Madonna
Fell in Love with A Girl – The White Stripes
Discotheque – U2
Standing in the Shower Thinking – Jane’s Addition
American Idiot – Green Day
Holiday – Green Day
Song 2 – Blur
She’s A Rebel – Green Day

[Liz S.]

The soundtrack for "Run, Lola, Run" is, perhaps unsurprisingly, great music to run to.

[Liz]

Eminem's Lose Yourself.