Music

The lights are on. There are people everywhere. Everyone’s on the line, striding out, ready to race. The gun fires. The race begins. At this point, it all seems so simple. It’s just a bunch of guys running, but everyone knows that it takes a lot to get to this point: it takes training, dedication, and hard work. Because of the pressure of these races, I freak out. At that moment when I’m about to race, I am in a deadlocked battled with my nerves.

I’ve always been nervous before races. It’s a sure thing that I’ll be anxiously pacing before my race, trying to calm myself. One thing that really helps me get the better of my worries is music. Listening to music before a race allows me to turn some of my nervous energy into beneficial excitement; music pumps me up. The day of a race, I’ll wake up to my current race playlist and listen to it up until the point where I check in for my race. My race playlist is my baby. It’s constantly updated and consists of usually around 200 songs. It has everything: rap, rock, dubstep, everything.

My race playlist isn’t just for bragging rights; it really helps me out. It calms me down, it pumps me up. All of the songs in it are catchy as hell. I always have a song stuck in my head, especially when I run. One of the main functions of my race playlist is to get some fast, intense song stuck in my head for my race. When I run, the song stuck in my head cycles through, over and over. It becomes a cadence. I use it as a mantra to calm myself down and to keep me focused on the race. For this reason, I don’t want some slow, calm song coursing through my brain. I ran with Mrs. Robinson stuck in my head once, and I never want to experience a painful situation like that again.

Music really is a magical thing. It has the power to evoke all kinds of emotions in us; it can make us happy or sad, tense or relaxed. It can help us run a race or get to sleep. Music really is a wondrous thing.

Below is a playlist of 20 songs that are currently in my race playlist.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Is it bad that I’m sort of glad that it’s almost impossible to run outside right now? I mean, I love running, as you know. But running outside in the winter is a different matter. For the most part, winter runs consist of freezing your ass off. Going eight miles in what feels like subzero conditions is not at the top of most people’s to-do lists. It sucks being uncomfortable for an hour, no matter what you’re doing, praying to god you don’t get frostbite while sliding along the street included.

Running with a group of people in this weather isn’t bad; you can have a conversation and take your mind off the fact that it feels like you’re in Antarctica. Running by yourself, on your own time, however, is a different matter. Do you know how hard it is to leave your cozy, warm house to force yourself to trudge through the next ice age? I do, and it sucks. My body tells me that if it’s cold enough to freeze to death, I shouldn’t go outside.

Maybe the worst part of winter runs is that they can actually be enjoyable, and yes, I realize I make no sense. If it has just snowed, night runs are simply majestic. All the parks in town look beautiful, and there’s a certain tranquility to feeling like the only person around, seeing an unknown wonder. That is, until you realize you can’t feel any of your appendages and you’re half an hour’s jog away from the couch. You always remember how majestic winter can be, but you still can’t bring yourself to run in it.

There’s such a feeling of guilt that comes with really not wanting to run. My years on track and cross country have instilled in me a personal duty to keep in shape. Not running feels like a betrayal to this bizarre duty. But look at how much snow there is outside, and it could start hailing again, so I guess it would be irresponsible for me to go on a run right now. I guess I’ll just have to stay inside and be warm.