How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Katy Perry

People ask me questions about my running a lot: How do you start? Where do you go? What kinds of running gear do you like? How do you not get bored? Are you insane?

The last question is a subjective, of course, but the rest I plan to address at some point with this blog. However, with my first half marathon looming in the very near future, I want to talk about something that every runner should have: a kick-ass playlist.

(I'll throw my two cents at Apple and say my little green iPod Nano is a lifesaver. It's tiny, compact, and light--if you discover you're one of those runners who hates bulk, get a Nano. Don't mess with carrying your iPhone. Also, if you're like me and sweat like Charles Barkley in overtime, you'll find keeping earbuds in place is a supreme pain in the ass. Never fear! After many, MANY months of searching, I discovered Yurbuds; they have a special locking technology that keeps them in place, no matter how many gallons of sweat you throw at them, not to mention the earbuds themselves are covered with a sweat-resistant silicone. They're pricey, but worth every penny.

RIGHT, BACK TO THE MUSIC, SORRY.)

Every runner's taste is different, obviously, so this is just a taste of what I personally like to listen to when I'm out on a long run. I've gone through several different playlists over the last couple of years, and the one thing I know for certain helps with a good run? Updating your tunes. You'll find your pace picks up exponentially when you add a couple of new songs, be they the latest Billboard Top 20, or a selection from your brother's ELO Greatest Hits. If you don't change up your playlists at least every other month, you'll get bored, and boredom leads to crappy, miserable runs.

Running playlists are when you set your uber-hipster self aside; this isn't the time to put your entire Grizzly Bear discography on shuffle. We're talking no shame here. I am not afraid to say I have over a half dozen Katy Perry songs on my running playlist--as well as the remixes. I nonironically have two different versions of Skrillex's dubstep mix of "E.T." Hell, I have two entire Skrillex albums! Dubstep is your friend on a ten mile run, kiddos.

You may want that Adele ballad, but really, is Adele and melancholy piano riffs really going to keep your pace up? Probably not. Pick songs that have a healthy beat, or a rocking chorus, or hilarious lyrics (i.e. any LMFAO song in existence). Go for the ones that get your blood pumping, the ones that never fail to make you mouth along like a lunatic in your car. My husband refuses to run/workout to anything other than pulsing techno, and when he gets in the zone, he's locked in.

Okay, so let's review:

• Keep your playlist fresh: change up your songs every couple of months.
• Don't be a hipster! No one is going to judge you for those four or five One Direction songs you bought off iTunes.
• Pick songs that are upbeat, fast-moving, or have funny/smile-inducing lyrics.

Here's a sampling of what I currently have on my running playlist (creatively titled Run):

• Ghosts n Stuff by deadmau5
• Waking Up in Vegas (Manhattan Clique Remix) by Katy Perry
• Til the World Ends (remix featuring Ke$ha and Nicki Minaj) by Britney Spears
• Tik Tok by Ke$ha
• In For the Kill (Skrillex remix) by La Roux
• Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus
• Around the World by Daft Punk
• 99 Problems by Hugo
• We Own the Sky by M83
• Domino by Jessie J

Basically, whatever gets you moving, download it! Nothing helps get you going like good tunes. Just make sure you don't accidentally turn your iPod on to shake shuffle. 

Uh, not that I've done this. Repeatedly.