A Lollapalooza 2010 Playlist

Admittedly, I've been a little too focused on training (and organizing training excursions) for my Ironman race, selecting and attending races, working and recuperating to pay much attention to the pop culture happenings flooding Chicago this summer.

Transformers 3 filming on Michigan Avenue? I've seen the warnings about street closings, read the headlines in the news and viewed one too many pictures from the scene. But I have yet to see it with my own two eyes.

The celebrities coming to Chicago to run in the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon or participate in its festivities? Missed that too--for the most part anyway--because I was in Michigan over the weekend. Sure, I squeezed in an interview with Josh Cox before I left town (thanks Josh and interview to come soon), but forget seeing Maria Menounos or Five for Fighting at the post-race concert, wins by Patrick Rizzo and Tera Moody, and Al Roker, Kelly Killoren Bensimon and Giuliana Rancic on the course.

So before another happening in the Windy City comes and goes, I'm finally paying attention to its pre-event pandemonium and don't want to miss out. That and well, Lollapalooza, running from August 6 through 8 in Grant Park, really is the talk of the town. My first reminder came on Tuesday while driving up Lake Shore Drive and seeing the assemblage of tents in the park. My second reminder came this morning when the Red Eye contained the weekend's artist line-up. And when I saw who was coming, I immediately thought running playlist.

Who doesn't like an array of new songs to spice up the running mix? If you heard mine with some selections hailing from fifth grade favorites (I kid you not), you might think my answer to this question would be "not me." But on the contrary, it just takes a really good song to make it onto my hardly unchanged from 2006 playlist. I confess: That's partially because I fear I'll never find select songs again if I remove them from the list. I won't miss many of them though if I do some updating from this year's Lollapalooza artists; some are already playlist favorites that I don't dare part with. We're talking Arcade Fire, Green Day and Empire of the Sun, which has a one-hit wonder that I've been loving since it carried me up a tough hill at Grandma's Marathon. Others--mainly Lady Gaga--might float your boat more than my own.  Here's what I'd be listening to:

• Phoenix: 1901
• Phoenix: Lisztomania
• Arcade Fire: Keep the Car Running
• Arcade Fire: Rebellion (Lies)
• Neon Trees: Animal
• Green Day: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
• Green Day: Know Your Enemy
• Green Day: anything off the Dookie album (like Welcome to Paradise and She)
• The Strokes: Last Nite
• Empire of the Sun: Walking on a Dream
• Lady Gaga: Alejandro
• Lady Gaga: Poker Face

There's no order to the above songs, but their beats will liven up a playlist for your next long run--and if you're attending Lolla, you may just hear them live this weekend. Do you have any favorites from Lollapalooza that you're listening to? Too bad The Killers performed last year, or they would have made my list, too.