half marathon playlist

Mirela asked about my half marathon playlist so I thought I would share.

If you're expecting to find the hottest top 40 hits, look elsewhere.  If you're expecting to find obscure and totally awesome songs, look elsewhere.  I mean, I listen to the radio and know what's hip ... but Taylor Swift and Feist aren't going to help me run 13.1 miles.  And I can't do without a few hits from the late 90s and early 2000s.  So, here you go:

Everything In Its Right Place

The Shadowlands

Hoppípolla

Black Balloon

Lose Control

Hold My Heart

Bittersweet Symphony

Keep The Car Running

White Houses

Pass that Dutch

What Sarah Said

Wiggley Fingers

I'm Really Really Hot

Seasons of Love

The Resistance

This Is the Last Time

Uninvited

Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur

Help, I'm Alive

Bird Song

Telephone

Killer Queen

Must be Dreaming

Rent

Again & Again

Hold It Against Me

Slide

Penny & Me

Clarity

Dare You to Move

Yellow

Bye Bye Bye

Tony

Black and White

Twenty-Four

Meaning

Semi-Charmed Life

Yes, N'Sync is on the list.  Yes, Britney made the list.  Hanson even made the cut.  Whatever needs to be done in order to run a half marathon has to be done.

Did I have a strategy in preparing this list?  Of course.  Do you know me at all?  I knew the first couple of miles I'd be fighting through the crowd.  (Not because I'm a fast runner, but because there are walkers.  And there are thousands and thousands of people running in a street.)  I wanted to pick things on the slower side to 'chill me out.'

Throughout the playlist I have a few pick-me-up songs to keep me in check.  These are songs that I like every time I hear them.  Every time.  (Don't judge.)  So, if I felt like my knees were about to pop open or my legs were about to fall off, these would help me refocus.  A few examples of pick-me-up songs are "Bittersweet Symphony," "Telephone," and "Yellow."  Who isn't going to start running faster when Gaga and Beyonce join forces?

And, luckily, I finished the race hearing "Semi-Charmed Life."  I can't complain about that.  I will forever sing my made up words to that song for as long as I live.

What's a must-have on your playlist?