The Running Playlist - I-Z

The other day, I posted the running playlist, from letters A-H. Today, we continue the musical fun with the remainder of the alphabet!

I Don't Need Anymore Friends: Collective Soul
I Gotta Feeling: Black Eyed Peas
I Want it All: Queen
Instant Karma!: John Lennon
It's My Life: No Doubt
It's Time: Imagine Dragons
Jump: Flo Rida
Just a Girl: No Doubt
Just Dance: Lady Gaga
Just Like Heaven: The Cure
Keep Your Eyes Open: Need to Breathe
Kickstart My Heart: Motley Crue
Kill Your Heroes: AWOLNation
Kings and Queens: 30 Seconds to Mars
Kiss Me Deadly: Lita Ford
Land of Confusion: Genesis
Lazy Eye: Silversun Pickups
Learn to Fly: Foo Fighters
Let Go: Frou Frou
Let it Rock: Kevin Rudolf
Live Like We're Dying: Kris Allen
Livin' on a Prayer: Bon Jovi
Locked Out of Heaven: Bruno Mars
The Long Way Around: Dixie Chicks
Lose Yourself: Eminem
Love and Memories: O.A.R.
Love is a Battlefield: Pat Benatar
Love Song for No One: John Mayer
Love the Way You Lie: Eminem
Lovestoned/I Think She Knows: Justin Timberlake
Machinehead: Bush
Make It Happen: Mariah Carey
Mama Said Knock You Out: LL Cool J
Motownphilly: Boyz II Men
Move Along; The All American Rejects
Mr. Know It All: Kelly Clarkson
Music: Madonna
My Curse: Killswitch Engage
Napoleon: Ani DiFranco
Neon: John Mayer
Never Again: Kelly Clarkson
No Light, No Light: Florence & the Machine
No Such Thing: John Mayer
No You Girls: Franz Ferdinand
Not Afraid: Eminem
Nothing Really Matters: Madonna
Numb:  Usher
The One That Got Away: Katy Perry
Only Girl (In the World): Rihanna
Pain: Jimmy Eat World
Payphone: Maroon 5
Poker Face: Lady Gaga
The Power of Goodbye: Madonna
The Pretender: Foo Fighters
Pretty Girl Rock: Keri Hilson
Pretty Vegas: INXS
Price Tag: Jessie J
Primal Scream: Motley Crue
Push It: Salt n Pepa
Radioactive: Kings of Leon
Raise Your Glass: P!nk
Ray of Light: Madonna
Rebel Rebel: David Bowie
Rebel Yell: Billy Idol
Remember the Name: Fort Minor
Renegades of Funk: Rage Against the Machine
Right as Rain: Adele
Right Now: Van Halen
Right Round: Flo Rida
Rock That Body: Black Eyed Peas
Rolling in the Deep: Adele
Rope: Foo Fighters
Rumour Has It: Adele
Runaway: Love and Theft
Scars: Papa Roach
Set Fire to the Rain: Adele
Sexyback: Justin Timberlake
Shake it Out: Florence & the Machine
Shattered: O.A. R.
Since U Been Gone: Kelly Clarkson
Sing: My Chemical Romance
So What: P!nk
Sober: Kelly Clarkson
Sometime Around Midnight: Airborne Toxic Event
Special: Garbage
Sunday Morning: No Doubt
Supermassive Black Hole: Muse
Sure Shot: Beastie Boys
Sweetness: Jimmy Eat World
Take it Off: The Donnas
Take Me Out: Franz Ferdinand
Telephone: Lady Gaga & Beyonce
These Days: Foo Fighters
Thunderstruck: AC/DC
Titanium: David Guetta feat. Sia
Torn: Natalie Imbruglia
Under Pressure: Queen and David Bowie
Unity: Shinedown
Uprising: Muse
Waking Up in Vegas: Katy Perry
Walk: Foo Fighters
War Song: O.A.R.
Warehouse: Dave Matthews Band
The Way You Move: Outkast
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: Taylor Swift
Welcome to the Fold: Filter
What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger): Kelly Clarkson
What Have I Done to Deserve This: Pet Shop Boys
What Would You Say: Dave Matthews Band
Whataya Want From Me: Adam Lambert
The Whole World: Outkast
Why Georgia: John Mayer
Why Pt. 2: Collective Soul
Wide Awake: Katy Perry
Wild Ones: Flo Rida
Wild Side: Motley Crue
Wonderwall: Oasis
You and I: Paper Route
You Can Do It: Ice Cube
You Get What You Give: New Radicals
You Shook Me All Night Long: AC/DC

It's just small stuff...or is it?

Last night, I ended up being in a foul mood. Even though I slept well and woke up to doggie kisses (go figure), it still lingered over to this morning. I felt useless, I was angry and was thinking I didn't have anything to offer.

And then, a friend of mine posted an article from today's Lansing State Journal about Thanksgiving dinner at Cristo Rey Community Center. While I played a small part and dropped off three pies that I bought, members of the Lansing Jaycees came together and helped provide 28 pies, 4 turkeys, 10 hams, macaroni & cheese for 50, green bean casserole for 50, 6 dozen rolls, 5 full turkey dinner kits with all the fixings, many servings of mashed potatoes and stuffing.

The article is here and if you're a sap like I am, you'll probably tear up.

The second thing, and a bit more trivial, is from yesterday's Turkeyman Trot in Lansing. I got up and wasn't particularly in the mood to run, but after dropping off pies, I went downtown and ran into some people I know. Then the race started.

I went with alternating running 7 minutes and walking 1 minute, which was what I did on Tuesday night. I actually stuck to it without any changes. I felt pretty decent throughout the race, and even pushed myself a little faster than I was comfortable with at times. The result? My personal best for a 5K (let's not kid ourselves, that's the ONLY race I've ever been in) at 34:05 (just less than 11 minutes/mile)!

Now, both of these things are small things. But, in order to try to pull myself out of what I was feeling last night/this morning, I've had to rely on them. To me, they're pretty big things. They're things that wipe out, in their own small way, the voices in my head telling me that I failed or have nothing to offer.

Some days, we have to rely on the small things. Whether it's a small achievement, going to a half an hour exercise class, putting 50 cents in the savings jar - there's nothing wrong with the small stuff. Many times the small stuff is the stepping stone to the bigger things in life.

The current running playlist - A though H

So, I found it a bit funny today when during the Turkeyman Trot, these two songs came up, right in a row:

- Rebel, Rebel: David Bowie
- Rebel Yell: Billy Idol

Of course, now I'm thinking there's a conspiracy of music by artists mentioned in The Wedding Singer  that was going on with my playlist today.

However, thinking about music during my drive today, I thought I would share what is currently on my phone for my running music. There are some patterns and some of it makes no sense. Some of it is awesome, some of it is embarrassing, but it's all mine!

Here we start, with songs A-H!

3's & 7's: Queens of the Stone Age
4 Minutes: Madonna
Airplanes: B.o.B. & Hayley Williams
All Fired Up: Pat Benatar
All I Ever Wanted: Kelly Clarkson
All You Did Was Save My Life: Our Lady Peace
Amazing: Madonna
Anna Sun: Walk the Moon
Ants Marching: Dave Matthews Band
Barracuda: Heart
Battle Scars: Lupe Fiasco & Guy Sebastian
Sabotage: Beastie Boys
Better Now: Collective Soul
Big Casino: Jimmy Eat World
Bigger Than My Body: John Mayer
Bleed It Out: Linkin Park
Blow Me (One Last Kiss): P!nk
B.O.B.: Outkast
The Boys of Summer: The Ataris
Brass Monkey: Beastie Boys
Breathe: Michelle Branch
Bring Me to Life: Evanescence
Burn It Down: Linkin Park
Called Out in the Dark: Snow Patrol
Canned Heat: Jamiroquai
Catch My Breath: Kelly Clarkson
Cheers (Drink to That): Rihanna
Click Click Boom: Saliva
Closer to the Edge: 30 Seconds to Mars
Cradle of Love: Billy Idol
Different People: No Doubt
The Distance: Cake
Don't Stop the Music: Rihanna
Don't Tell Me: Madonna
Dr. Feelgood: Motley Crue
Dreams: The Cranberries
Dreams: Van Halen
Electable (Give It Up): Jimmy Eat World
Everlong: Foo Fighters
Everybody Wants to Rule the World: Tears for Fears
Everything Zen: Bush
Extreme Ways: Moby
F*ck You: Cee-Lo Green
Face Down: Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Falling Away from Me: Korn
The Fallout: O.A.R.
Fat Bottomed Girls: Queen
Fergalicious: Fergie
Fight for Your Right: Beastie Boys
Fighter: Christina Aguilera
The Fighter: Gym Class Heroes
Firework: Katy Perry
Float On: Modest Mouse
Freak on a Leash: Korn
Freedom 90: George Michael
Get By: Talib Kweli
Gotta Get Thru This: Daniel Beddingfield
Hall of Fame: The Script
Happy Now?: No Doubt
Hard: Rihanna
Harder to Breathe: Maroon 5
Hazy Shade of Winter: The Bangles
Heartbreaker: Pat Benatar
Heavy: Collective Soul
Here I Come:  The Roots
Here It Goes Again: OK Go
Hit Me with Your Best Shot: Pat Benatar
Hollaback Girl: Gwen Stefani
Home: Phillip Phillips
Hot N Cold: Katy Perry
How Far We've Come: Matchbox Twenty
Humpty Dance: Digital Underground
Hungry Like the Wolf: Duran Duran

There are 12 months in a year...

It's the holiday season, and I've noticed an uptick in the giving spirit. People are donating food, money, items for multiple reasons. We want people to have a good holiday season, we don't want kids to go without presents, we want to get the tax write off (though in Michigan, it's only the federal write off now).

But every year around this time, it still bothers me. It bothers me that in general, people don't give during the rest of the year. It bothers me that somehow, November and December seem to mean more to people than the rest of the year. It bothers me that people/causes in needs struggle at times during the other 10 months.

Now, don't get me wrong. I also tend to get in the giving spirit during the holidays. I think in some ways, it's what society has conditioned us to do.

But, cancer doesn't go away January-October. Neither does hunger or worrying about how you're going to pay your bills or take care of your family if you're just getting by.

The same goes for "Small Business Saturday". Small businesses don't stay in business because people go there one day a year - they need business all year round. I frequent many small businesses in Lansing and also suggest them to people 365 days a year, not just one day a year.

Before everyone gets caught up in the holidays this weekend, I challenge you all to think about what you will do in 2013 to support people, causes and businesses all year round. I challenge you to give to a charity or volunteer in your community at least once a month. I challenge you to do something kind each day. I challenge you to shop local on a weekly basis (which I know some of you do this daily).

We're always wondering how we can be better human beings. Here's a start. Take it through the holidays and into the new year. You'll make a difference, even if you don't see it.

When you least expect it...

Words to live by, for sure.

However, while I've been working on my final exam for my class and working on Team in Training stuff this weekend, my mind has wandered back in time.

To a time when my first two real boyfriends decided that the best way to break up with me was to just not return my calls and completely ignore me.

To a time when a guy I had a crush on in high school decided that it would be funny to play a prank on me and it crushed me.

To a time in college when a boyfriend told me that I should get my teeth fixed.

To all the times I haven't felt good enough.

I had to laugh the other night when someone said to me "I can't imagine you NOT being popular in high school". Which I found funny - because I was so NOT popular in high school. Or in a lot of other situations since then.

Most times, I have been able to put a lot of the things I've gone through out of my mind and move on. But for some reason, the last couple of days have brought them back to the surface, even though I know I deal with the aftermath every day in my general sense of self. It's an inner struggle some days.

The above words are something I've been working on for a long time - once I realized that deserve better than the crappy thinking that's been ingrained in my head from a young age.

It made me think of the song "Glitter in the Air" by P!nk this morning and the lyrics, "Have you ever hated yourself for staring at the phone? Your whole life waiting on the ring to prove you're not alone..."

Here's to not waiting for the phone any longer and start being kickass.

Why do we fall?

This post-election Wednesday, I find myself going back to this quote that we hear a few times during The Dark Knight series (from Bruce's father and Alfred) - 

"Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up."

It's always been a quote that makes me think. It came up again about a month ago when a group of us were having a discussion about the motivational use of a different quote when this quote would have been more appropriate. Since then, it's been on my mind.

Which brings me back to today. In the aftermath of yesterday's conflicting events, this has been one of the only things I can think in my brain today. Mostly because a dear friend of mine lost a race that meant a lot to him. But I'm also seeing my challenges in the sentiment.

But what I want to add to this quote are two additional statements to add to why we fall:

1) To show others how to pick themselves up: These are the moments that we can choose how to pick ourselves up, and that sets an example for others when they fall. We have the opportunity to show our family, friends and others what our character looks like when we pick ourselves up.

2) That sometimes, it takes a little longer to pick ourselves up - and that's OK. Everyone handles things differently. After we fall, there can be obstacles - another fall, an injury, something that kicks you while you're down. But we need to be ok with how we pick ourselves up and how long it takes. And that means being ok with it, despite how quickly others think you should have picked yourself up.

So whether we trip and fall or take a major spill, there is a reason. If we never fell, we would have no idea how to overcome things. We may miss out on an opportunity.

Knowing this doesn't take away the pain, but it can give us some perspective when we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. And when we pick ourselves up, we can end up heading down a new path we never thought we'd go down.