Running Sucks

Plain and simple, trying to find the motivation to run is absolutely horrible. First you have to put on the appropriate clothes, find your running shoes stashed somewhere between your dirty laundry and your six cases of Natural Light you have prepared for your upcoming house party, stretch, find your headphones and your bound to be misplaced iPod, lock your doors, and then figure out where to run in College Park without getting mugged (Note: I'd stay away from the mall a little while longer, just incase…).

But the most important part of that first paragraph, other than "house party," is definitely "iPod." My classmate wrote a blog on good songs to run to, which you can read here, which got me thinking something along the lines of "if some minor miracle were to happen where I was to actually run, and I inevitably was sucking wind about four minutes into my yog (it's a soft 'j'), what are some tunes I could use to power through that last hard lap. So, without picking any specific genre, here are my top ten.

Famous - Puddle of Mudd: Solid tune, gets you pumped, though is a bit more on the angry side of music than other songs. However, if you like rock music, I highly suggest this one.

Sweetness - Jimmy Eat World - Timeless classic of our generation. Very upbeat, never slows, and you nothing gets you going like "ARE YOU LIS-TEN-ING? OOOOO-OOOOOO-OO-OO-OOOOOOOO!!! I might try downloading the 'demo' version over the final studio cut though, more of a raw, guitar based sound.

Blow Up - Sam Adams: Definitely not a 'last lap' kind of song, but it's a solid beat with a great guitar riff and solid lyrics that will keep your feel moving throughout. By the way - if you haven't seen a Sammy show and you have the opportunity, see it. What a wild time.

(Bonus song: If you like this one, definitely hit "Bullets" by Sammy as well)

Levels - Avicii: I don't think I really need to explain this one. I'm pretty sure even my 95 year old great grandfather could hit the fountain of youth for five minutes to rage his face off to some Levels.

Warp 1.9 - The Bloody Beat Roots ft. Steve Aoki: If you like the techno/house kind of sound, this one will do it for you. There have been many, many wild times at the UMD Hockey House when this came on during house parties, and I can only imagine it translates to the work out world as well. Again, that is assuming you're into this kind of music. A very hit or miss genre among college students.

Monster - Paramore: Say what you want, but anyone who truly knows me is more than aware that I have a HUGE space in my iPod devoted to Hayley Williams' beautiful voice. It's a solid tune that builds up constantly as it plays, dropping hard at the end with a solid drum beat sure to keep you in full sprint for those last hundred yards.

PS - Yes, I have seen them live… twice. And both times were awesome.

Heavy - Collective Soul: Great tune. When you're really struggling through that last bit and your feet are really dragging, this will help.

My Hero - Foo Fighters: Incredibly inspirational lyrics, great guitar rifts, and Dave Grohl's voice is absolutely perfect for it. You'll finish your run real nice with this on, even if you can hardly breathe while listening to it.

Hell Yeah - Rev Theory: If you like rock music, this will definitely do it for you. Upbeat, solid guitar solo, and there's no way some crazy guy singing "Give me a 'Hell,' give me a 'Yeah,' stand up right now!" isn't getting your blood pumping.

You can't stop me - Guano Apes: Another solid rock tune. Not to metal, not too soft, just the perfect combination. Another song with very solid lyrics when you're sucking wind. And I should note, I only came across this song when I discovered my favorite European hockey sensation, Linus Omark. Thanks, Linus!

PS - Which is of these two moves below is ballsier? The shootout chip-shot goal while playing for the Swedish national team, or pulling the spin-fake-shoot to win the game in your NHL debut? Love him.