Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Let’s Go

Do you ever have a song on your iPod that speaks to you – that you think was written just for you and your situation? (For example, “Ring of Fire” when you’re giving birth perhaps?)

Today I decided my theme song for where I am in my training right now is (besides “Panama” of course):

LET’S GO by Calvin Harris feat Neyo
{Listen HERE}

I play it on repeat sometimes. Don’t tell Coach Sharpie because I am not supposed to be running with music since I can’t have it during my race. But, I do anyway sometimes. I never rebelled much as a teenager so I am doing it now as a 46 year old. (Okay Dad, I know what you are thinking about that one time you and mom were out of town and you came home early and Dave and I were having a big party, but those were his friends and it was his idea. I was in my room reading Shakespeare and drinking chamomile tea).

bethanddave

We were so innocent

Why do I like this song? Because Calvin Harris knows what I am going through and is speaking to me to not be afraid and to GO. In actuality, I am pretty certain this song was written about two people getting ready to have sex, but I like to pretend it’s about me pushing myself during Ironman training :

Let's go!
Make no excuses now
-
(even if I’m tired, bored, cold, congested, constipated..?)
I'm talking here and now
I'm talking here and now
Let's go!
Your time is running out
-
(only 7 weeks left)
I'm talking here and now
I'm talking here and now
It's not about what you've done
-
(but, I’ve done a shit load)
It’s about what you’re doing - (a shitload)
It’s all about where you’re going - (Panama City on Nov 2- IMFL)
No matter where you've been - (every porta potty and bush in Boulder County)

My time is in fact running out. But I’m not going to to harp on that. I’m going to make the most of the time I have left. See how mature I am?

I took a rest day yesterday and got my shit together mentally. I realized that one of the reasons I’ve been feeling so defeated is that I am a runner and I love to run, yet lately I have hated running. Why, you ask? Because it hurts and it is hard and it is no fun. It took me several months to figure out that this is because I am tired. This is because I never run on “fresh” legs anymore. I always run after being on the bike for 4 hours, or after doing a long swim, or the morning after a tough workout from the previous day.

So, my legs don’t want to go, but I make them go anyway. And on race day, somehow they will carry me 26.2 miles after a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike.

Joie emailed me after reading my last post where I word-vomited all of my insecurities. I LOVE what she said,

“Just think about the training you have behind you.  The volume of training!  That makes you a bad ass right now.  I know you can do it...never a doubt or question in my mind - I simply know you can - because you are Beth.  That might sound cheesy, but it is true.” 

Calvin Harris should write a song called, “You Can Do It Because You are Beth”.

009

Joie helping me out at the Colfax Marathon in May

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What’s your “theme” song or the one that you keep playing again and again while you train?

Off the subject, but were you a rebellious teen? What was the worst thing you ever did? One time I ran with scissors (what? I can’t tell the truth because my dad reads this blog).

SUAR

54 comments:

  1. My song..So I Run by Flatfoot 56

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  2. I enjoy that song and it was recently (last month) added to my playlist again. My go to power song right now is "Come Around" by the Transplants. I love their lyrics like:

    "You gotta come quick if you really want it
    Move fast if you wanna survive
    Life is a cruel joke if you don't watch it
    What it is just to stay alive"

    "Well, I don't know just where I'm going
    I can't remember where I've been
    All I know is what I know
    And I hope someday we'll meet again."

    It just makes my feet move fast and my face smile even when running uphill.

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  3. I don't really listen to much music when I run. But as sick of the damn song as I am, I have to admit "Call Me Maybe" makes me crank up the pace.
    And in a marathon, each time some spectator is pumping "Eye of the Tiger" I get super-psyched!

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  4. Counting Stars~ One Republic and Radioactive~Imagine Dragons (I know this song is so overplayed, but I still love it)

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  5. I did my first marathon last week and really debated about bringing my music as I hadn't done any long runs with it. Well I ended up bringing it along and I have to say I loved it, it helped so much, my go to song was "Till I Collapse by Eminem & Nate Dogg.

    (Last years was Let's Go, awesome song!)

    By the way you are inspiring!

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  6. Your friend is right. You can totally do it. And all of this battling with pain and discomfort will payoff huge after you taper, recover, and kill that effing Ironman. You already know all of this. But now you can read it too. Happy Training...or not. But training just the same. Kick ass!

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  7. Oh, and I usually listen to an instrumental band called "This Will Destroy You" during any races that I wear ear buds.

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  8. I just ran my best half marathon with that song on my playlist (thanks to your recommendation last spring!). But I had other awesome songs...including one called Born 2 Run by 7 Lions. And Wake me Up by Aviici. Actually many others. But my music ran out at mile 10! Thank goodness I was feeling strong and could just keep going.

    But what to do about the runner ahead of me, at mile 12, who called out a warning and then proceeded to pee on herself? I watched with horror as the pee ran down her legs and splashed towards me. Ewwww. And thought to myself, seriously? Couldn't you take it to the bushes? Am I wrong?

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  9. As a teen (now) the most rebellious thing I've done is ... (I asked my mom for this) I slammed my door after I was told not to and lost the door to my room for a week

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  10. I don't listen while I run, but my current song is "Numb", by Usher:

    "They say life is a battlefield
    I say bring it on
    If you wanna know how I feel
    Live it till it's gone
    I'm just saying that what don't kill
    Only makes you strong
    If you don't recognize what is real
    Then forever is a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long
    ....
    Keep on doing the same old thing
    And you expecting change
    Well is that really insanity
    Or just a losers' game
    I only trust in the things I feel
    Some may say that's strange
    You better recognize what is real
    Cause forever is a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long time"

    [All the "longs" sound better when he sings them, I swear.]

    Hmm...rebellion? Probably taking my new license and driving a few friends for dinner after a long afternoon of drama rehearsal in high school [crazy pants, right?]. But I wasn't supposed to drive anyone, anywhere without permission (at the time, this was a parental rule, not a law). Thankfully, we all survived the 3 mile round-trip.

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  11. I don't listen to music when I run but I have to admit, the song (which only has a few lyrics, and definitely isn't PG) called "Swamp Buggy Bad Ass" runs through my head on a frequent basis. Because I used to drive swamp buggies and I am a bad ass, in my own mind.

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  12. Hall of Fame used to really pump me up. Also Girl On Fire and my kids HATED whenever that came on in the car because I'd start belting it out.

    I was only bad one time. I told my mom I was spending the night at a friends house. Instead I was at a party with another friend and got totally shit faced and spent the night puking. My friends now husband rented us a hotel room so I cute puke in a toilet (and I puked in his car on the way there) and my parents found out because duh I didn't tell the one friend I said I was at her house and my mom called to talk to me.

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    1. I love both of those songs!

      And your party totally reminds me of my high school days...sneaking around....getting caught. Ah the good old days! ;-)

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  13. No music while I run, need to take the whole experience in BUT my motivational song is Bon Jovi's It's My Life....listen to that again Beth and feel the power of those lyrics. I am in last few weeks before my 7th marathon but 1st "big city" run - in Toronto (Oct 20th)....your journey is inspiring me through my journey - as a 50 year old (just this year !), I appreciate the "older" runners thoughts - kick it at IMFL !!

    Rick Boudreau

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  14. Ways to Go by Grouplove and Bleed Out by Blue October have gotten me through some tough runs this marathon training cycle! They are both on my playlist for the actual marathon, though I don't plan on listening to music the entire time.

    Most people in my life now are shocked to know just what a rebellious teen I was, I guess because I rarely drink or do anything crazy (except running for hours on end!) these days. My rebellion more or less ended my senior year in high school with a party that was so out of control that it brought out police patrol cars from three different suburbs and ended with me on probation (not to mention grounded) for the entire year. Fortunately I buckled down in college and grad. school and went on to be a fairly respectable member of society :)

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  15. I'm kind of a sucker for any song with 140 BPM or higher but some of my "can't miss" faves are Feel So Close to You by Calvin Harris and Titanium by David Guetta. They light a fire under me, even on the very last miles of my long runs!

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  16. Lose Yourself by Eminem...
    First line " Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted. one moment Would you capture it or just let it slip?"

    Last line " So here I go it's my shot. Feet, fail me not, this may be the only opportunity that I got. - You can do anything you set your mind to, man."

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    1. Love this song & have used it many times to motivate myself!

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  17. As much as I'll hate it soon due to it being overplayed - I had Katie Perry's Roar on repeat for the last two miles of my 20 miler on Sunday. Totally saved my butt from dragging.

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    1. I agree - Roar has been a good one to run to lately, but I imagine it will drive me nuts soon enough!

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  18. I slid off the couch, dragged myself out the door, and did my speed workout after reading this post, so thanks for that motivation. Marathon in 6 weeks and I've got to stick with the program. I'm always happy when Remnant by Josh Ritter surfaces on my ipod playlist. It has a great driving beat and a refrain of "old man keep a running", and the song is just a kind of lyrical quest.

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  19. Lets Go always shortens or eliminates my walk intervals. Outkast's B.O.B. is my theme song though. the song is probably 15 years old but I still have no clue what theyre talking about...

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  20. I love Let's Go and I actually discovered it bc you posted about it before!

    My favorite running song right now is That Power by Will.i.am. Perfect workout lyrics!

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  21. This Week: "Wake Me Up" by Avicii & "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" by Fall Out Boy.
    Go To at the Starting Line: "Ready to Roll" by Jet Black Stare
    All Time #1: "Dancing With Myself" Billy Idol.

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  22. Batwitdaba, Kid Rock.... mostly for the beginning part, it makes me happy : )

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  23. Currently: Can't Hold Us (Macklemore).
    Soundtrack to PItch Perfect.
    Pound the Alarm (Nikki Minaj).

    Don't judge me on the last song. I.. I just..don't know....

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  24. I do like that song! My go to song for a while was "Greyhound" by Swedish House Mafia. Now, it is Animals by Marin Garrix. I typically listen to techno...it gets me in the zone!

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  25. Right now I'm loving "Royals" by Lourdes. It's a super cool, mellow tune and just what I need on some long runs.
    I was a VERY rebellious teen. I "stole" my brother's car once when he was at his prom so when he came out afterward he had no way to get him and his date home. My parents locked me in my room for about a month after that little stunt.

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  26. Best of luck in Panama City! With your persistence and great work ethic, you'll do great! I really enjoyed reading your blog and as a new runner find it inspiring. I never listen to music on the run, so no comment on that. As a teenager, I became a nun to piss off my family in the communist Hungary. :)

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  27. I just found your blog and I have to tell you I love you! I think we may be long lost siblings or something, the way your brain works. I'm going to spend my work day catching up on your posts so thank you for that. Rock on.

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  28. Ready to Go by Republica. I Can See For Miles byThe Who. And of course at the halfway point it's Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. Can't take the Jersey out of this Jersey girl!

    -ReneeW

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  29. Fort Minor - Remember the Time. It gets me so amped!

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  30. My favourite motivational song is Dog Days Are Over, by Florence and the Machine

    "So you better run.
    Run fast for you mother, run fast for your father,
    Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers,
    Leave all your loving and longing behind
    You can't carry it with you if you want to survive."

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  31. "Unbreakable" by fireflight, "We own it" by 2 chainz...I could make a very long list.

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  32. I am downloading that song NOW! I broke free from the "music as a crutch" habit long ago, and prefer my breathing, footsteps, birds, etc but there are times late in an ultra, especially on hills, where I turn it on -- because in cases like that, it really revives me. Kind of like I assume caffeine would work if I could wean myself off that, and use it only on race day. Fat chance.

    You really SHOULD have a kick ass song written for you.

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  33. Beth,

    I've been trolling, (I guess that's correct internet lingo - used to be called just plain 'ole reading), your site for over a two years now. I love your stories, they are just down to earth, everyday occurrences that I never tire from reading. I'm what you'd call a "Long time listener, first time caller", so to speak. Anyway, I try and keep a playlist of songs that keep me in tempo with my pace, sometimes that's really tough. But, two songs that I always listen to, usually at the end of my run during my cool down, but sometimes mixed in during my run(s) are 1. Bob Seger = "The Fire Inside" and 2. Journey - "Be Good To Yourself". I know that the Bob Seger song isn't necessarily about running, but has great timing to my run, and to me the Journey song just speaks for itself (when I run I am being good to myself, this is for me).

    You are going to knockem' dead in Panama City, just keep at it!! I have no clue what you are going through, but one day I aspire to reach the goals that you have already attained. So, if nothing else, your history here is blazing a trail (sorry for the pun, but I love them), for the rest of us. And, there is no failing!! I usually don't quote Yoda, very cheesy I know, but there is no try. YOU ARE DOING IT!!! Keep up the hard work!! Like I tell my kids, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it!

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  34. Beth:
    Define "bad" - according to my parents, I was so close to convent school, but I was good in comparison to my friends.
    I listen to Lady Gaga, Bad Romance, it makes me pick up my pace, and I like old school Rocky soundtracks. Also, Rapper's delight and anything Elvis. ACDC makes me get a smooth pace going, and I lenghten my stride when thunderstruck is on.
    I think it's not the music but the beat that gets me going.
    Amy P. Philly Runner

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  35. I am training for my 4th marathon and it seems like every marathon has it's own theme song. I like the Black Eyed Peas or something with a good beat. You are doing awesome on your training! The Hubs and I want to do an IM when the kids are a little older.

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  36. Oops, ran off too soon. One more song by Journey - "Keep On Runnin'" - how can I forget that one. Can you tell I like Journey??

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  37. How has no one mentioned Britney Spears "Work B!tch" its not quite so motivational but its fun and gets the point across :) I never run with music but am considering taking it now so I can play this on repeat!

    Julie

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  38. "Don't Look Back" by Boston.
    "Josie" by The Outfield, my fave Rockie Charlie Blackmon's walk-up song (love that guy!)
    Also "Just Dance" Lady Gaga, "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons and "Hall of Fame" The Script/will i am.
    A bit rebellious but I also learned a lot about consequences and accountability....

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  39. Ran my first full marathon on sunday. :) And I have to say that Emilie Autumn gets me through. Her latest album FLAG rocks. The best songs: "Fight Like a Girl" and "One foot in front of the other" always help to motivate me.
    On another note...saw a few people stopping to take pictures while running. One guy actual ran with a camera!!!! I was totally annoyed by it. Ok, so its Maui and it is beautiful but come back later with your camera! Rant over.

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  40. I was a pretty rebellious teen, mostly of the sneaking out to clubs variety. I think I realized that teenagerhood was going to be one of the only times in my life I could stay up all night and not suffer too badly the next day (when, if it was a Sunday, I'd be working at McDonalds in the drive-through).

    One of my current favorites is 'Every Chance We Get We Run" by David Guetta and Tegan & Sara.

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  41. I don't listen to tunes anymore when I'm running, but Beyonce's "Run the World" usually gets me pumped.

    This morning after my 11 miler, MIMS "This is Why I'm Hot" was inexplicably stuck in my head and I found myself singing it out loud in the YMCA locker room. Talk about embarassing...

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    1. Oh and I was NOT rebellious at all. I was such a boring teenager. Then I got a tattoo when I was 26 as my grand gesture of rebellion and my Mom totally freaked out. Guess she wasn't used to me doing something other than what I was "supposed" to.

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  42. How about, PRIMAL SCREAM, Motley Crue... Oh yeah, that'll get ya moving, even at 55!

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  43. I think Queen wrote the song "You're My Best Friend" to describe a love affair with running. I don't listen to music while running, except on the treadmill... and that song SOOOOO speaks to me!

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  44. "Invincible" by Muse... my song of the moment ;)

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  45. When we were young by Gaoler's Daughter is my present earworm

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  46. I love when Vampire Weekend 'M79' comes on when I'm running... the harpsichord and violins make me happy and I can't help but pickup the pace. If I could manage it without tripping - I'd do some leaps!

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  47. Forgot a great one just before the start of the race. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins gets me focused and ready to take the starting line by storm!

    Renee W

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