On Sunday, I accomplished a big personal goal. I ran in and completed the Columbus Half Marathon. That's 13.1 miles of non-stop running. I have run several half marathons in the past and even completed the Columbus Marathon (26.2 miles) in 2006. A knee surgery in 2009 put my running on the shelf for a few years, so it felt great to get back "in the game" today and finally run in something big instead of just a training run.
Before going any further, I would like to congratulate all who ran the full marathon and the half marathon (almost 17,000 entrants were in the race) as well as thank all the race coordinators, thousands of volunteers and emergency personal and the tens of thousands of Central Ohio residents who stood on the chilly sidewalks and supported every runner, walker and wheelchair participant in the field. It was quite an event that everyone in Ohio should be very proud of.
Just Press Play
In order to keep me pumped up and motivated during my almost two hours of run, I put together a play list of songs on my iPod that I felt would keep my legs moving, my head focused and my soul fired up to "push that rock" until the finish line. A good play list is sort of like a soundtrack for a runner, comprised of the early songs to get you started on a good pace, the middle tunes designed to maintain pace and stay focused and the ending songs which should be designed to give you that important second wind and keep the legs churning even when you're tired.
Here was my play list for this year's Columbus Half Marathon:
- Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones (great song to start your day)
- Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band (If you're gonna run with tunes, isn't this one required?)
- You Wreck Me - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (The guitar riff in this one won't allow you to slow down)
- Elevation - U2 (I felt like Bono and The Edge were screaming at me from the side of the road)
- D'Yer Maker - Led Zeppelin (I figured it might be chilly and overcast - it was - so a little rock/reggae was a perfect choice to warm the insides as the sweat started to warm the outsides)
- Rock & Roll Ain't Noise Pollution - AC/DC (There were plenty of bands, musicians and entertainers along the course today but insuring I would hear some AC/DC was imperative to a kick ass run)
- Three Little Birds - Bob Marley & The Wailers (strategically placed so I knew I should be approaching the 3 mile mark of the race. I had to make sure I was keeping pace)
- Alright - Darius Rucker ("When I lay down at night I thank the Lord above for giving me everything I ever could dream of...")
- Southern Girl - Amos Lee (the slowest tune on the play list but definitely one of my faves. It's not uncommon for runners to start a little quick due to the adrenaline they build at the beginning of the race. This was a reminder to stay within myself and not cramp up)
- Rain King - The Counting Crows (An awesome song to sing along to as we rolled through the streets of Bexley)
- Hippy Girl - Cup a Joe (One of my favorite songs from a good buddy, Joe Estes's college band. While I may have run alone, hearing this song reminded me that I had lots of people pulling for me locally and nationally).
- Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond ("So good, so good, so good!")
- A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley (Running isn't something you can talk about. You've got to get out there and run...all by yourself. The ultimate accountability event)
- Waitin' for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago - ZZ Top - (No jumping on the bus for me but this classic rock song has such a driving rhythm it's hard not to kick the legs up a little higher)
- Next to Me - Gavin Degraw (First line = "Listen up Destiny...")
- Hold My Hand - Hootie and The Blowfish ("Cause I wanna run with you..." - A virtual anthem of the 90's that is hard to hear and not sing along. If you're singing, you're not thinking about your legs getting heavy)
- Rockstar - Nickelback (Time to dig as deep as the lead singer's voice)
- Cowboy - Kid Rock (time to strut...one step after the other. Timing on this was perfect because I had just turned back towards downtown so the line "I'm headed out west sucka" was dead on)
- Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash (Tell me a time in your life when you had cash and you weren't happy!)
- All Star - Smash Mouth (How many people can say they have completed a Half Marathon? That's right...not many)
- I Wanna Be a Boss - Stan Ridgeway (Former lead singer of The Wall of Voodoo (Mexican Radio) penned this anthem to "going solo" and that's what running is all about)
- Fly - Sugar Ray (Time to pick up my speed and make sure I don't start dragging. Still should have about 3-4 miles to go from here.)
- Jump Around - House of Pain (Just like the student section at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, I needed to get my mojo for the final quarter)
- Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (My favorite singer deserved two songs in the play list and this one was a 'no brainer.')
- Chicken Fried - The Zac Brown Band (A song about all the good things in life. "It's funny how it's the little things in life that mean the most. Not where you live or what you drive or the price tag on your clothes. There's no dollar sign on a peace of mind, this I've come to know...so if you agree have a drink with me raise your glasses for a toast." How true is that line?)
- Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon (Another one of my favorites that I knew would give me one final burst of energy)
- Calling All Angels - Train (As I crossed the finish line it was neat to think of all those people who had supported me and were going to be proud of my efforts...including my Dad who had a front row seat from up above)
Do you have a soundtrack for your business? Do you have any songs that pump you up and help keep you focused? What do you play as you drive to a listing appointment? What song do you listen to before making those daily calls which will inspire you to schedule appointments?
It's your business so quit waiting for the jukebox to play your song. You're the deejay. Make it happen!
Tell me in the comments below..."What song would help you build relationships, solve problems and have fun this week?"
