RWM DAILY SONGS:2015

"Without music, life is a journey through a desert."

~ Pat Conroy

*Note: Scroll down to view and listen to this playlist w/ Spotify. 

Light Out - Javelin

Set On Fire - Magic Giant

LIGHT ME UP - BRONZE RADIO RETURN - DECEMBER ALBUM

WATER - RA RA RIOT, ROSTAM - DECEMBER SONG

People Watching - Air Traffic Controller

We Can Glow - Royal Teeth

Light Me Up - Bronze Radio Return

Off the Ground - Bit Funk (ft. Shae Jacobs)

Dangerous - Big Data

How Hard I Try - Filous

Ghosts - Pink Feathers

Marathon - Jamie N Commons 

SOFT OFFERING (for the oft suffering) - HEY ROSETTA! - NOVEMBER ALBUM

CANNONBALL - SKYLAR GREY - NOVEMBER SONG

Kamikaze - MØ

Believe - MAPEI

Quarterback - Kopecky 

3AM - RAC (feat. Katie Herzig)

JR JR - JR JR - OCTOBER ALBUM

ALIVE - SIA - OCTOBER SONG

Up Up Up - Waters

Here for You - Kygo, Ella Henderson

Cut Me Loose - Royal Tongues

As Time Goes - Jr. Jr.

Mountain At My Gates - Foals

Stars - The Suits 

XOXO - FAMILY AND FRIENDS - SEPTEMBER ALBUM

THE EMOTION - BORNS -  SEPTEMBER SONG

Amadeus - Family And Friends

Hard Time - Seinabo Sey

Radio - Santigold

Good Times - Ella Eyre  

Set Me Free - Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique

MY LOVE IS COOL - WOLF ALICE - AUGUST ALBUM

DREAMS  - BECK -  AUGUST SONG

Make Our Own Way - Little Brutes

Weathered - Jack Garratt  

Make Our Own Way - Little Brutes

Seventeen - Sjowgren

Outta My Mind - The Arcs 

Back of the Car - RAC (feat. Nate Henricks)

DANCING AT THE BLUE LAGOON - CAYUCAS - JULY ALBUM

ANIMAL - HAERTS -  JULY SONG

Let the Night Fall - Dragonette

Feathers & Wax - Vicktor Taiwò

In My Head - Galantis

Running Behind - HOLYCHILD

Over and Over - Hot Chip

Run - San Cisco

THE HELIO SEQUENCE - THE HELIO SEQUENCE - JUNE ALBUM

THE SHADE - METRIC -  JUNE SONG

Scud Books - Hudson Mohawke

1000 - Ben Khan

Place You Will Go - Patrick Watson

Moony Eyed Walrus - Cayucas

Cornerstone - Kid Astray

FROOT - MARINA & THE DIAMONDS - MAY ALBUM

COLORS - VÉRITÉ -  MAY SONG

Happy With Me - HOLYCHILD

Stronger - Clean Bandit

RUN - Delta Rae

Painted - MSMR

Monkey Safari - Cranes

Huarache Lights - Hot Chip

Forgive & Forget - The Kooks

First - Cold War Kids

RUN - AWOLNATION - APRIL ALBUM

Let It Happen - Tame Impala - APRIL SONG

Huarache Lights - Hot Chip 

Forgive & Forget - The Kooks

First - Cold War Kids

Baby Please - WE ARE TWIN

White Light - Waterstrider

We All Want the Same Thing - Rixton

Lean On - Major Lazer

Our Own House - MISTERWIVES - MARCH ALBUM

Get Behind This - FLOR - MARCH SONG

Run - COIN 

Snowed In (feat. Rivers Cuomo) - Big Data 

  

Fool For Love - Lord Huron

Rollin' On - Royal Tongues

Freakout! - Mini Mansions

Heart - FLOR

Control - MILO GREENE - FEBRUARY ALBUM

Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf) - AWOLNATION - FEBRUARY SONG

Colors - Genevieve

FUNN - Cash + David

Until You Find Me - TeamMate

Candy - BØRNS - JANUARY ALBUM

Hanging Around - Charli XCX - JANUARY SONG

RWM DAILY SONGS - 2015

GAME OVER

Monday, 5pm
Temp -2, Feels like Temp -29

Every winter, we runners from the New England area tend to bitch and moan a bit (or, in my case, a lot) about having to deal with the evil forces of nature.  This winter, in particular, has been pretty rough.  I know, I know....I say this every year.  But, this year truly is different.  Case in point, I currently have 70 inches of snow in my front yard.  All this said, those of us who sign up for a spring marathon, and not surprisingly there are many, are still going to train in the winter.  We don’t have a choice.  Well, we do, but you know what I mean.  We run inside, we run with ski gear on, we run with spikes on our shoes.  We run.  This week, my family has been up in NH, skiing at Cannon Mountain for our winter break.  We've been doing this for the past 5 years, and every year I find myself fighting my way through the snow and cold, which tends to be monumentally worse than it is down in Boston.  Every year it’s really damn hard to continue to train over break.  Every year I complain and swear off spring marathons.  And every year I do it all over again.  This year is no different.  Until now.  I am sad to say that Old Man Winter has officially taken me down.  The game is over.  Winter has won.  For 3 out of the past 5 days the high has not been above 5℉.  On Monday morning at 6:30am, the temp at Cannon was -17 ℉ with a windchill of -40℉.  Wait what?  Back in January, I wrote a post entitled "still cold" which outlined the reasons that it might be too cold to run outside, 'might' being the key word as I still went, regardless.  But this week?  This week I had to wave the white flag.  Today, I begrudgingly give you the top 10 ways to know that the game, in this case winter vs. runner, is finally over.  When winter has called the final shot and you simply can not run outside.  I honestly never thought it would come to this.  And I keep laughing about it because that’s really all I can do at this point.  That and pray for spring. 

TOP 10 SIGNS YOU KNOW THE GAME IS OVER

1. When you open the door to go outside you aren't able to breath in.  Literally.

2. Your hair looks like this (see below) within 30 seconds of being out there.

3. Your dog takes one step outside and then turns around and stares at the door to go back in.

"Really?" 
~ Lucy, age 14

4. You put on every layer that you own plus your hat, gloves, ski goggles, neckie and hand and foot warmers, because for a brief moment you think you might be able to pull it off, and after taking 3-4 steps you are forced to turn around and go back inside.

5. Your husband puts his hands on your shoulders, looks at you dead on and says, "It's just not going to happen today."

6. You see signs like this everywhere you go:

7. When you tell your children to go outside and get in the car they immediately start to cry.  When you tell them it's so you can take them to the movies, they still don't want to go.
8. You are ready and willing to pay $20 to run inside at a crappy gym on a treadmill from 1982 that shakes with each step because it's all you've got.
9.  You have no indoor running gear so you run 10 miles on the aforementioned treadmill in long underwear bottoms and a cotton tee. (I'll spare you the photo here, but it wasn't pretty)
10. You have tried everything - inside, outside, running in place - and nothing seems to fly.  So you put your feet up and let it go.  For now.

Listen to this:
Snowed In (feat. Rivers Cuomo) - Big Data

'LOVE' MUSIC

Personally, I think Valentine's Day is little bit ridiculous.  Why do we need a specific day to tell people how much we love them?  Can't we do that all the time?  That said, I'll be the first to admit an extra dose of love and affection every once in a while feels pretty damn good.  Plus, I'm all for a legitimate excuse to eat candy all day.  Well played, Hallmark, well played.  Much to my chagrin, I've been running inside a lot lately, and as a result I have been paying significantly more attention to my music - the lyrics, the song titles, the number of minutes per song, etc.  Anything to keep me distracted.  Turns out, love, the heart and all things related are a common theme in music, regardless of the genre.  When you think about it, it makes perfect sense.  Who doesn't love a good love story?  Throw a good beat behind it and most of us are more than happy to keep listening.  This year, why not run with and/or rock out to some LOVE-related music?  Here's what I've got for you.  Happy Valentine's Day.

RWM Valentine's Day Playlist

Crush - Sleigh Bells  

Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz & Ludacris  

Easy to Love - The Jezebels  

Electric Love - BØRNS  

Elastic Heart - Sia 

Fall for You - Young Galaxy 

Feel the Love - Rudimental 

The Heart That I'm Hearing - Galantis 

Heartbreak Dream - Betty Who 

Hearts - I Break Horses 

Hearts Like Ours - The Naked and Famous  

Heavy Metal Heart - Sky Ferreira 

How Loud Your Heart Gets - Lucius 

Hold On When You Get Love - Stars 

Reckless Love - Bleachers 

Spread a Little Love - Havana Brown  

Tough Love - Jessie Ware 

True Loves - Hooray For Earth  

We Found Love - Rihanna 

Wild Heart - Bleachers 

&

Fool For Love - Lord Huron  

A MASTER

"Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going."

~ Sam Levenson

Today, I am a Master.  In our culture, you better be really damn good at something to call yourself a master.  At this point in my life, I do lots of things and I do some of them pretty well, but I can't honestly give myself the 'master' title in any of them without sounding incredibly conceited or like a total moron.  I am not a master chef or a master sensei (although it would be really cool to be both of those things), and I am far from a master parent (is there such a thing??) but I am, officially, a Master runner.  Turns out, all you have to do to give yourself this title is turn 40.  That was easy.  In racing, the master runners, specifically those who are 40+, have their own, oft-celebrated category, sometimes entitling them to new and different perks ie. a separate start or special awards.  The thing is, while I appreciate the title and I do love to be able to call myself a Master at something, (who wouldn't?) my ability as a runner is not much different than it was at age 39.  In fact, I'm probably stronger and more dedicated now than I've ever been, excluding college.  Running happens to be one of those rare sports where people often peak later in life and many are still improving and competing well into their golden years.  I, myself, started running marathons back in 2007, at age 32.  I rolled, er um...crawled across the finish line of my first in 3 hours and 39 minutes.  Despite how I felt (awful), I was thrilled with that time and over the moon about the whole experience.

Baystate Marathon, 2007
Mile 18
(it's hard to put in words the pain I was in)

Last year, I finished my 10th marathon at age 39 in 3 hours and 11 minutes with a smile on my face, to boot.   Sure, I've been training harder and smarter, I now have a coach, and I'm significantly more committed to the sport than I was back than but still 8 years older is, well, 8 years.

Mohawk Hudson Marathon, 2014
Finish Line
(yep, I was giddy.  Tired, but giddy)

Haile Gebrselassie, one of the most celebrated distance runners of our time, once said "age for me is just a number."  Amen to that.  I'll be the first to admit that I don't feel quite as spritely in the morning these days and that I need an extra day or two to recover from a long run or a hard workout.  But, that said, I do feel pretty chipper on a regular basis and I almost always get a little spring in my step every time I'm headed out for a run.  Those feelings have been with me since my teens and I'm guessing (hoping) they will never change.  I was pretty fired up to get the latest issue of Running Times with Jen Rhines on the cover, a Master runner who, according to the headline, is finding "new competitive fire at age 40".  In fact, the entire issue is dedicated to us "older" runners who are working to "master our years" from this point forward.  True, we may be slowing down and our bodies may be changing, but our successes can be measured by so many other things at this point in our lives.  I know mine are.  And really, what it comes down to is this, if I am still finding joy in running at this stage in my life, then who the hell cares how old I am?  So, yes, today I am 40.  And I am a Master.  And that is awesome.

Listen to this:
Rollin' On - Royal Tongues

GROUNDHOG DAY

You've seen the movie, right?  If not, it's worth the rental.  Bill Murray wakes up every day and freaks out because it's still Groundhog day.  He's literally re-living the same day, February 2nd, every single day.  Same wake up time, same song on the alarm clock, same route to work, same people getting in his way, and so on and so on.  At first he totally loses it.  Then he gets annoyed.  Then angry.  Then he begins to find it humorous.  And then finally (spoiler alert), he realizes that he might as well embrace it and make the most of what's unfolding before him.  His game.  His rules.  Okay, so the past few Mondays here in my house haven't been identical, but they've been pretty damn close.  I'm not necessarily losing it at this point, but I do find myself laughing.  Like, a lot.  I guess I'm at the "I can't really believe this is actually happening" stage.  Thankfully, I've got a neighborhood full of moms and kids who are all in the same boat so we are mastering this snow day thing like you wouldn't believe.  Hmm, maybe I'm getting close to the "embrace it" stage.  Maybe.

7:00 AM in Winchester, MA

Monday: ✔︎

Blizzard: ✔︎

No school: ✔︎

Out of milk: ✔︎

Shovel: ✔︎

Try to come up with activities for the kids (all 8 of them): ✔︎

Send the kids outside to play in the snow (round 1): ✔︎

1st hot chocolate break: ✔︎

Boots, jackets, gloves, hats, etc. of 8 kids

Throw all the wet clothes in the dryer: ✔︎

Try (and fail) to run outside: ✔︎

Cross Train (inside): ✔︎

Shovel (again): ✔︎

Breakfast

Feed all 8 kids breakfast and/or lunch: ✔︎

Try to come up with more (different) activities for the kids: ✔︎

Send the kids outside to play in the snow (round 2): ✔︎

The Edgehill Mountain
(Caroline, Grace, Jane, Rosie, Me, Sally, Tessa & Carly)

2nd hot chocolate break: ✔︎

Throw all the wet clothes in the dryer: ✔︎

Order pizza (because we have no food): ✔︎

Check the 10 day forecast: ✔︎

Freak out when I see more snow is on the way: ✔︎

Host an impromptu dance party: ✔︎

Pray to the weather Gods: ✔︎

Go to bed: ✔︎

Listen to this:
Freakout! - Mini Mansions  

DEAR DRIVERS

I want to, even when it don't make sense, even when it don't make sense

Actually I want to more when you don't make sense

So please, don't let it get to you

I know that you won't realize it, but it's still all up to you
~ Rostam, 'Don't Let It Get To You'

On Wednesday, I dropped my car off at the Ford dealership for an oil and filter change.  The guy asked me if I was going to wait for it or leave it.  "Actually," I said, "I'm going to go for a run.  I'll be out for about an hour.  Is that enough time?"  He stared at me for a second or two and then responded, "You're gonna do what, now?"  "I'm going for a run" I said again.  Another blank stare.  "I know it seems crazy, but I've got to get out there, so I might as well do it now."  He had a very concerned look on his face as he told me to be really careful because the roads were iffy and there was not a lot of room out there for anything other than the cars (ie. me).  I promised I would as I headed off.  I didn't say "thanks, dad" but I thought it.  The roads were, in fact, awful.  The banks on either side were ridiculously high and there were no sidewalks or lips to work with.  As expected, I got a lot of dirty looks from drivers, several honks, many wild hand gestures and quite a few nods of disapproval and/or disbelief.  It kind of sucked.  But,  after three days of running inside, I couldn't bear to do another run on the treadmill.  I know it doesn't seem logical to most.  But, it had to be done.  It was outside or bust.

On Thursday, I set out yet again.  It was snowing and windy, hence the goggles.  But it was also a balmy 33 degrees so I figured I might as well take advantage of the warm(er) temp.  At one point, a car slowed down next to me and the passenger rolled down his window, stuck his head out and said, "Are you f*#@ing crazy??!!  No joke.  I just kept going.  What was I going to to do?  Stop and explain that, yes, I am a little crazy but I'm also training for a marathon and I need to get these miles in and I'm beyond sick of the treadmill so I'm out here doing this?!?!  Neither of us had time for that.  This morning, I was explaining how tricky it's been to run outside these past few days to my girls.  I was describing and showing them some of the looks that drivers have been giving me such as the 'should you really be doing this' which is always accompanied with a nod of disapproval and sometimes a finger wag.  Then we all started dying laughing as we acted out all the different driver reactions.  (see below)  "Mom, they said, "you're nuts!  But we get it."  "Oh, thank you", I said.  "It's so nice to know I have your support."  The shots below should be a good laugh for all, particularly for my fellow runners who are getting out there with me and maybe for the drivers who are frustrated with all the runners on the road?  But, here's the thing, dear drivers.  We get it.  We don't like it either.  But, we've gotta run.  So next time we're out there together, I'll move over even more if you give me the "Way To Go".  Deal?

The 'Should You Really Be Doing This?'

The 'GET THE H%$& OUT OF MY WAY'

The 'I'm Just Going To Pretend You're Not There'

The 'I'm Too Tired To Deal With You'

The 'OMG, What Is She Doing?!?!'

The 'Way To Go!!!'*

*rare but worth a mention bc it's so nice to get!

Listen to this:
HEART - FLOR

WINTER, FEBRUARY, 40, ETC.

"Winter is a season of recovery and preparation."

~ Paul Theroux

It's February.  It's still winter.  It's still cold as hell.  And, yes, it's still snowing.  You're not going to believe this, but Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter yesterday.  I know, shocker. Today we are having our 4th snow day in less than a week.  Totally awesome if you're a kid, a skier, or a Bernese mountain dog.  Not awesome if you're a parent and/or a runner.  It is what it is.  I just took a look at back at my 2014 Feb To-Dos post.  Not surprisingly, my list for Feb 2015 is pretty similar.  My younger daughter is turning eight, so I'll need to plan her birthday.  I'm training for yet another spring marathon, so my mileage is slowly creeping up.  Oh, and I'm turning 40.  D'oh!  Recently one of my friends from college sent me a note telling me that she thinks all the running I'm doing is keeping me young.  Ha!!  Could be.  But, more likely, it's keeping me sane.  And that's what's keeping me young.  Either way, I'll take it.  So here's to a new month.  And to winter....the season to recover and prepare; for spring, for 40, and for all that lies ahead.  Bring it on.

FEBRUARY TO-DOs
~ Work.
~ Ski with my family as much as possible.
~ Eat too many of those disgusting Valentine's day conversation hearts.  Just because.
~ Take my 10 year old to her first gymnastics meet of the year.
~ Celebrate my 40th with my girlfriends and my family.
~ Ski more. (the kids have winter break...because they need more time off from school)
~ Run the Half at the Hamptons in Hampton Beach, NH. (first race as a Master.  WOOT!)
~ Celebrate my daughter's 8th birthday.
~ Count down the days until AWOLNATION releases their sophomore album, 'RUN'.
~ Continue to embrace winter (or, at least continue to try)
~ Recover & prepare.
~ Listen to good music.

FEBRUARY MUSIC OF THE MONTH
SONG:

HOLLOW MOON (BAD WOLF) - AWOLNATION  





ALBUM:
CONTROL - MILO GREENE