A Playlist to Remember

It's been a long time since I updated my running playlist. And when I write long, I really do mean long. We're talking eons in the music world, with some of my tunes going as far back as the 2007 Boston Marathon, when I started running with this particular iPod, a nano that would be considered ancient by Apple with its 1 GB of storage space and lack of fun colors. Yet, as much as I want to update this playlist with some current 2011 Grammy nominees, it still manages to surprise me when I'm racing. Not with an I'm-so-sick-of-this-song feeling, but with a Thank-goodness-this-tune-came-now sentiment. It definitely helps to set the iPod on shuffle so I never know what's next, but what's even better is when the shuffle is so on target with my mood that I don't have to skip a beat.

Take yesterday, during my soaker of a March Madness half marathon. Those songs came in just the right spot, as if I arranged the playlist based on where I'd need a pick-me-up, how I wanted to start and end the race, and where I'd be climbing hills. Now I can't say I'd recommend this playlist for everyone since it's pretty obvious that we all have different music likes, especially when running, but this one was pretty darn good for my mood. So good I might have to keep it in the queue for my next half marathon. Here's what I got: 

1. Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups. This turned out to be a good choice to start the race, and just loud enough to still hear the gun go off. 
2. 1985 by Bowling For Soup
3. One with Mary J. Blige and U2
4. Spaceman by The Killers. There's something about the beats in this song that add a spring to my step. It happened at Grandma's Marathon and it repeated at March Madness.
5. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) by Bruce Springsteen
6. The Best Thing by Boom Crash Opera. My version is so old--from the soundtrack from the 1991 movie Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead--and different from what you'd find on iTunes today that I don't think I'd add it to my running list without my faster-paced rendition.
7. Memory by Sugarcult
8. Basket Case by Green Day
9. Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
10. Hey Julie by Fountains of Wayne
11. Oh! Gravity by Switchfoot
12. The Sound of Settling by Death Cab for Cutie
13. Foundations by Kate Nash
14. When You Were Young by The Killers
15. Sometime Around Midnight by The Airborne Toxic Event
16. Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun. One of the few updates to my playlist that couldn't have come at a better time, as I was running up a hill.
17. Shake It by Metro Station
18. Ants Marching by Dave Matthews Band
19. Welcome to Paradise by Green Day
20. Feel Like Rain by Motion City Soundtrack. I was practically waiting for this song to ring through my ears because of the shower we were running through.
21. I Still Remember by Bloc Party
22. The Great Escape by Boys Like Girls
23. Keep the Car Running by The Arcade Fire
24. Amsterdam by Guster
25. City of Blinding Lights by U2
26. Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John

What songs do you love to listen to when you're racing? Did any of them land on my list?