A 12-Mile Shuffled Weekend

I had all intentions of planning ahead for this past weekend, creating playlists in advance, but time passed and before I knew it we were on a bus to Northampton. Visiting Lindsay and Rob is superawesome for many reasons, one of them being they love food as much as we do. We were treated to a home cooked four-course meal that included cocktails and wine, a trio of international bruschetta, the prettiest cheese plate you ever did see, smoked ribs with mashed potatoes, string beans, quinoa  stuffed zucchini, and a homemade cake that doubled as a work of art. Goodness, it was fantastic.

The next morning I set off on my yearly 6-mile Northampton run, sans playlist. In honor of my location, I played all of the Indigo Girls I had on my Nano, and then the Dar Williams, and then just shuffled:

Shame on You -- Indigo Girls
It's Alright -- Indigo Girls
Rock and Roll Heaven's Gate -- Indigo Girls
Fill It Up Again -- Indigo Girls
As Cool as I Am -- Dar Williams
Sober -- Tool
Avril Lavigne -- Sk8rboi
Hand on My Heart -- Dan Wilson
E-Pro -- Beck
Waking Up in Vegas -- Katy Perry
It's Gonna Be Me -- N*SYNC
Bohemian Like You -- The Dandy Warhols
Drain You -- Nirvana
Love Will Never Do (Without You) -- Janet Jackson

Then I went on a breezy 6-miler at 9:30 last night. Too lazy to go upstairs, I just shuffled again. So, you know, no master planning behind this one, either. But it turned out well.

The Choice is Yours -- Black Sheep
L.S.F. -- Kasabian
Message in a Bottle -- The Police
Closer -- Nine Inch Nails
Not Big -- Lily Allen
Waiting for You -- Seal
Fly on the Wall -- Miley Cyrus
Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts -- Wolf Parade
Holiday -- Weezer
Easy Silence -- Dan Wilson
Maria -- Green Day
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-Lot
What Are You Waiting For? -- Kathleen Edwards

9 miles, A Belly Full of Chicken Mole, Ugh

Don't Let It Bring You Down - -Annie Lennox
Begin The Begin -- R.E.M.
Old Enough -- The Raconteurs
Sell Out -- Reel Big Fish
Divorce Song -- Liz Phair
Never Again -- Kelly Clarkson
**Waiting For Tonight -- Jennifer Lopez
The Infanta -- The Decemberists
Let's Dance -- David Bowie
Breathless -- Dan Wilson
***Shine -- Collective Soul
No Excuses -- Alice in Chains
Sleep To Dream -- Fiona Apple
When I Come Around -- Green Day
Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
E-Pro -- Beck
King Of New Orleans -- Better Than Ezra

** I know. I know.

*** In high school, like everyone else, I used to keep a blank tape in my boom box and record mixes from the radio. I taped this song one day off of either Y-100 or 94.9 Zeta or any other of the stations on which it played 80 million times a day. Some wacky DJ must have been bored, because during the guitar riff that leads into each chorus, right before the "yeah," he played an automized voice saying,

"P-Pardon me, a-are you Hispanic?"

The hell?

So I still hear that, 15 years later.

Also, I kind of felt like I was in a commercial for a Christian Rock CD when this one came on today. It got so bad during the, "hey yeah, hey yeah, heaven's little light gonna shine on me" breakdown at the end that I had to go on to the next one.

J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge

I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor -- Arctic Monkeys

Pieces Of Me -- Ashlee Simpson

Tones of Home -- Blind Melon

Bohemian Like You -- The Dandy Warhols

Soul Meets Body -- Death Cab for Cutie

Know Your Enemy -- Green Day

The Distance -- Cake

**E-Pro -- Beck

Transistor -- 311

Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts -- Wolf Parade

This Is Such A Pity -- Weezer

Hail, Hail -- Pearl Jam

Tremor Christ -- Pearl Jam

Satan's Bed -- Pearl Jam

Never There -- Cake

Bleed It Out -- Linkin Park

Waking Up in Vegas -- Katy Perry

This was my first road race since the debacle of the Lewis and Clark Half Marathon in September (torrential downpour, winds straight-on for the first 3 miles, course stopped at mile 10 due to flooding). In real life, I never run by mileage; I always run by time, assuming a 10-minute mile. I probably actually run closer to a 9:30 or 9:45, but I'd rather run for 60 minutes and call it a 6 miler. Makes life easier.

I'm pretty excited that I set a PR for 3.5 miles. Officially (and by that I mean according to my stopwatch, since the race didn't keep official time via chip or bib), I ran this in 31:34 -- a 9-minute mile. But because this was a Fun Run, the first mile or so was MUCH slower than I would have and could normally run; everyone was pushing, stuck behind walkers and joggers, and weaving in and out. So I'd like to think I easily ran sub-9-minute miles, which makes me very pleased.

**My powersong. Thanks, Beck.

Also, I usually have WAY more songs on my playlists than I fully listen to. I'll create my list and then >> after a minute or two or just skip if I'm not feeling it.