Half Marathon Training Plan

The other day, I woke up and found that I missed the West Side Highway. I missed the roar of cars next to me, and the occasional helicopter landing ten feet away.



I missed the cool breezes off the Hudson River, getting passed by the Columbia Track team twice, watching the health conscious doing yoga in the Hudson River Park, and all the dogs, the kids, and the runners.



Yep, after two years of spending at least one weekend day on the West Side logging double digit miles, can you believe that I haven't been there once this year?

Oh I haven't missed it that much. After all, I've been taking trips, enjoying late nights out and late mornings in, and eating all sorts of things that I would never eat before big runs.

But the time has come to leave my wonton ways behind - okay, maybe not completely.

I'm going to be following some variation of this plan from Runner's World.

I will be posting some more on my training but for now, I've got to run.

Adios!

Music Mondays

Finding new music is about keeping an open mind.

Take country music for example. I wouldn't call myself a fan of country any day of the week. I don't hate country music at all...in fact I respect their ballad writing and guitar strumming skills. But the easy melodies of country just don't get me moving. It's just not my thing.

Same goes for rock music too. So when I saw that one of the top selling albums on iTunes was a rock band, my eyes glazed over.

But somehow, indescribeably, Mat Kearney has found his way into my heart...and I may never let him leave.

To be fair, I'm not sure why Mat is in the rock genre. He sound is a little bluesy, a little alternative, and a little folksy.

Here's some of my Mat Kearney favorites plus a few other songs too:

Hey Mama by Mat Kearney

Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine) by Gym Class Heroes

She Got the Honey by Mat Kearney

Over and Over by O.A.R.

Count on Me by Mat Kearney

Moves like Jagger by Maroon Five

Now get out there and enjoy your week!

Music Mondays brought to you by the 80's

I usually post songs that I run to on this blog.

But I live/listen to a lot of other music as well. No activity required.

Far from it.

In fact, music + running is a recent addition to my music story.

Truth be told, music came into my life long before running did. In fact, I probably developed an appreciation for music before I was born.

There are many moments I remember from my childhood. Most of them are not interesting to anyone but me, but even so,some are life changing, some are traumatizing, some are sweet, some are funny, some are cringe worthy and some are completely and utterly random.

But there is one memory that sticks out simply because of its ritualistic nature - I can even relive it on my visits home today as an adult.



AFTER DINNER MUSIC. It is never quiet in my family.

Every night, after dinner is finished, my father would walk into the living room, turn up the stereo, and blast (and I do mean blast very literally) songs while we cleaned up, did dishes, and digested.

I have youtube links to some of my songs but, folks, these are classics, so they are not the best quality and rightfully so. If something lasts a few decades, it's because it's that good.

Here's a very brief list of songs that remind me of those evening mini concerts.

Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2

Money for Nothing by Dire Straits

I'll Always Come Back by K.T. Oslin

Jack & Diane by John Mellencamp

Never Tear Us Apart by INXS

Love Hurts by Nazareth

Pink Houses by John Mellencamp

Where the Streets Have No Name by U2

Cherry Bomb by John Mellencamp

I'm on Fire by Bruce (Need I say his last name) Springsteen

There's lots more, but these names stick out to me.

Now today, I'm beginning a two week juice/raw detox. More to come on my detox, plus reasons for and against detoxing.

Happy Monday!

Music Mondays

One of the best parts of running is listening to new music. I've always been a huge music fan, and music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

New songs are a great way to keep the motivation for exercise up. If you aren't a huge music fan, then maybe planning workouts around your favorite TV shows are a great idea too - almost all gyms have televisions these days.

Here's my new favorite songs on repeat:

Can you feel it (feat. Whiz Kalifa)by Sublime with Rome

Pumped up Kicks (All the Other Kids mix) by DJ Hipst3r

I'm Not Your Toy (Jack Beats Remix) by La Roux

The Cave by Mumford & Sons

Lighters (Feat. Bruno Mars) by Bad Meets Evil

Next week, I'll be on to something new, though I highly suspect I won't be over these songs by then.