RUNNING WITH MUSIC : 'DEVINE' MUSIC: A Story & Playlist

RUNNING...

Recently I connected with fellow athlete and music enthusiast Nicole Devine through Twitter. Rarely do I find someone who loves music and is as motivated and inspired by it as I am. Clearly, I have met my match. Nicole is a wife, a mother, a runner, a sports fanatic and playlist junkie. Her music keeps her motivated to run, walk, hike....basically to be a healthy, happy person. And at this point her in her life she is "exactly where I want to be." Amen to that! Today I am thrilled to turn RWM over to Nicole who writes about her love for sports and music and then shares one of her recently created playlists. Her playlist includes some of her all time favorites as well as some music suited for her current workouts. Modest Mouse, Motley Crue, & My Morning Jacket...oh my!! I will be spending the rest of the day with this bad boy. I hope you enjoy her story AND her music as much as I do. Rock on, Nicole. And thanks for sharing.

USED TO MAKE QUITE THE MIX TAPE. NOW I MAKE A SWEET PLAYLIST
By Nicole Devine

Hi, I’m Nicole. I’m a wife and a mom. I love my family and the experiences we are all having along the way. I also absolutely go crazy for music and sports. As for team sports, I played softball for 10 years, played basketball and ran cross country track in grade school. I still love watching most sports (and have an unfortunate love of teams that haven't been very good recently), but now my own athletic activities are focused upon an actual fitness routine. A little weight training, an even mix of walking and running, with the occasional hike thrown in for good measure, this has been working for me. I’m doing my best to try to keep healthy for my kids, my husband, and of course, myself. While that’s my strongest motivation, it hasn’t always been easy for me to stick to it. Excuses are easy. Hard work is, well, hard. This is where my outsized lifelong love of music comes in. I favor most types of rock – classic rock, hard rock, alternative, indie, you name it, but I’ve also got many favorites in genres from electronic to hip hop, rap to freestyle to pop, there may even be some Baby Einstein lullabies in between. I’ve ended up with a pretty expansive collection. My attic is filled with shoe boxes of cassettes, racks of CDs, even the occasional record album. Thankfully, digital media came along and it’s made it easy to maintain and keep up with all of it. Of course, digital media also means…playlists. I’ve got ever changing ones, set in stone ones, I created the actual playlist on my iPod for our wedding reception, which was held at our favorite steakhouse. That was pretty special. But I'll also make them for most any occasion. I can be inspired by something as simple as the fact that it’s a Tuesday at 9:37 p.m. I’ve come a long way from the hundreds of mix tapes and CDs I’ve made and I'm the resident playlist maker among my family and friends, even picking up the nickname "DJ Tash" in college. I find it enjoyable, relaxing and sometimes even a little challenging. I’ve always had fun in my quest to find new songs and new bands that I really, really like. It’s how I discovered this site a few days ago. In my aim to remain on track fitness wise, I’m helped by my love of music. I know I’m not alone when I tell you different playlists push me to my finish line, whatever that may be on a given day. My songs make me want to keep going, even if the tank is empty, sometimes just so I can listen to more music. And yes, I’ll admit, working out gives me an excuse to create and update playlists. Different things click for different people. Music has always been a big part of my life. It inspires me to keep going, to listen to “just one more song”, when my body is telling me to stop. Fitness-wise, this is benefitting me and my family. I’ll make a playlist to that!

...AND MUSIC

LISTEN TO THIS: An (Epic) Playlist by Nicole Devine
Rolling In the Deep - Adele