Goal – Half Marathon

Yesterday, I started working toward walking/running a half marathon in October. The half marathon I’m shooting for is the Home Run Half Marathon Big Hit Half Marathon in Louisville. I haven’t registered, yet, but I intend to do it at the beginning of next month. I found that, during May and June, I was working out in a sporadic fashion. I’m a person that needs structure and goals. So, I set the goal to walk a half marathon. I’ll probably have to run a bit to keep it under the 16-minute mile pace mark, but that’s cool. I got a training program, here, at the suggestion of Holli. That is a 14 week training program. Obviously, there are more weeks than that before October 30. So, right now, I’m working on building a good base of 9-15 miles per week.

I’ve been trying to tweak my workout playlist. For a long time, it’s been full of rap and hip hop from the early 2000s. It’s needed a refresh for a while. Of course, I couldn’t totally abandon my roots. I did have to give up the Outkast, though. One can only listen to Bombs Over Bagdad 10,000 times before it becomes a constant refrain in one’s brain.

Here it is, in its current state. There’s a lot of music that I don’t particularly love. In fact, it reads like a really great insight into what I think torture might be like – having to listen to these artists all day long, every day. For the hour or so a day that I do listen to it, I can bear it, because the songs mostly have a good beat for walking. Lady Gaga songs, apparently, have the perfect beat for my particular cadence. I notice that my speed goes up when one of her songs comes on (love my RunKeeper app!).

Any suggestions you might have for workout songs you love would be so appreciated! Before you list your 8000 favorite death and heavy metal songs, just note that I’m not really a fan.

(all links are affiliate links to Amazonmp3 – and they are for the explicit version. I hate edited versions.)

Back That Azz Up – Juvenile (love this song)
Bad Romance – Lady Gaga
Blow – Ke$ha
Boom Boom Pow – The Black Eyed Peas
Break Your Heart – Taio Cruz feat. Ludacris
Copperhead Road – Steve Earle (love this song, especially when I have to shake my butt a certain way on the guitar riffs – lovely as I’m walking!)
F**k You – Cee Lo Green
Firework – Katy Perry
Hot N Cold – Katy Perry
Hypnotise – Notorious B.I.G.
I Can – Nas
I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas
Just Dance – Lady Gaga
Let’s Get it Started – The Black Eyed Peas
Live Your Life – T.I. feat. Rihanna
Magic - B.o.B. feat. Rivers Cuomo
Making me Nervous – Brad Sucks (FAVORITE!)
On Nature – Matisyahu
Poker Face – Lady Gaga
Rock Your Body – Justin Timberlake
Say Hey (I Love You) – Michael Franti & Spearhead
SexyBack – Justin Timberlake feat. Timbaland
Shut Up – The Black Eyed Peas
Single Ladies – Beyonce (also a good butt-shaking song)
SOS – Rihanna
Till the World Ends – Britney Spears
Toxic – Britney Spears
U + Ur Hand – Pink
Womanizer – Britney Spears

Good Lord, that’s a pretty embarrassing list to look at. I seriously don’t love a lot of those people! Clearly, I need help!