We can run without music. In fact, while training for the Twin Cities Marathon this past summer, we often ran without music -- coinciding with the times we were training with the RandBall Better Half. As she says, "I don't understand people who run 'together' but don't talk to each other," and we completely agree. The people who run side-by-side at the lake, both listening to iPods, confound us. That said, this is December. Lake running has been primarily replaced by treadmill running in our routine. And that means we have re-connected with some of the best running songs of all time. Here, then, is the RandBall unimpeachably great list of FIVE SONGS THAT MAKE US RUN REALLY FAST.
1) Wolf Like Me (TV on the Radio) -- The perfect song to start out with. It's a little heavier, but it has a perfect right-left-right-left up-tempo beat.
2) Chunk Rawk (The Plastic Constellations) -- OK, this song was released in 1999 and we can't find it anywhere for all of you to listen to. These guys, who met at Hopkins High School, were like 17 when they recorded this song. And it rocks. If you ever see us at the gym making wild arm flails or mimicking drumming while turning the MPHs up to 8 or 9, we are most likely listening to this song. And you are most likely wondering what is wrong with us. But NOTHING IS WRONG WITH US. We're just listening to Chunk Rawk. Go find this song. Or ask us really nicely sometime when you see us to borrow the original CD (We Got the Movement). And then you will be able to run faster than you have ever run before in your life.
3) World as a Waiting Room (White Denim) -- OK, so the RBBH downloaded this 30-minute running workout a while back. We were skeptical. It was supposed to help you train to run fast for a 10K. It's full of speed training, hill training, etc. It has a "personal trainer" yelling at you (OK, more like nicely encouraging) to go faster. And when you are maxed out -- running at 3 percent incline at your fastest possible speed for one minute, which for us right now is 10.1 mph at that incline -- World as a Waiting Room is the song that's playing. And somehow it makes you run really fast. It's like hipster Jimi Hendrix tried surf rock.
4) Roaming the Foam (Lifter Puller) -- Obviously. One of the greatest songs -- and certainly the greatest running song -- by the greatest local band ever. Lyrics have some adult themes, so watch out, kids. We're sweating like a [redacted] in [redacted] after this one.
5) SexyBack (Justin Timberlake) -- What. What? What!
Accepting nominations in the comments.
