This is who I really am.

This week's Music Monday is 100 Million Miles by Monster Magnet. This is one of my favorite running songs. It's really been my mantra for the last few races I have run. I just finished up the MRTC Road Race Series. This year has been a lot harder because I have been dealing with more pain and injuries. This song reminds me that I just have to keep pushing and that when I am done running I can rest and recuperate. I also love the steady beat of the drums. On a easier run I sync each step with each beat. On my harder days I sync my right foot to each beat. That means a lot of turnover! The song is not about running but the chorus and drum beat make it a perfect running song. "Hey, there ain't no pain! 100 million miles away!" Enjoy!

This week's Music Monday is "Life Must Go On" by Alter Bridge. The thing I love about Alter Bridge is that their songs have a lot of emotion to them. Myles Kennedy writes in the same way that Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace that really hits every part of me. There are songs about dealing with loss, addiction, determination and depression. Some songs are heavier than others. Some are deeper than others. This song is very deep and yet not really heavy musically. I think Myles is just an amazing songwriter and has a voice that can reflect all of the emotions that are in his lyrics. I picked this song for a friend that I haven't been in touch with lately. This person is going through a rough time right now. Someone that always seemed so strong living a nightmare and struggling to handle everything. I'm sure this person is strong enough to endure. In fact I know it. But sometimes even the strong need to reminded that they can get through anything.

This week's Music Monday is "Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park. While I'm not a big Linkin Park fan, I really love this song. It's one of my favorite songs on my workout and running playlists. When this song comes on during a workout or a run I get a little extra adrenaline going. For me it's about going really hard and putting everything you've got into what your doing. It's not particularly fast or heavy but the clapping and the chanting chorus of "I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away" give it a ton of energy. This is really great for my speed workouts. That's when I tend to go "harder". That's when I put the most work in. If you know me as a runner you know I'm hell bent on getting faster every day. Right now I'm working really hard in the gym with workouts from my trainer/pal Kate, so if you see me at the gym clapping and chanting to myself you know what song I'm listening to - "G...

I have three routes that I usually run. I have a one mile loop around the YMCA that I use the most. I have a loop around my neighborhood that I use when I can't get to the Y. But my favorite is an out and back from the Y. I use this out and back when I want to go for a long run or if I really need to make myself run. The route starts at the end of the parking lot of the Y and goes towards Navy Road. I cross over Navy Road to Veteran's Parkway and out to Navy Lake. Depending on how many miles I plan to run I know where to turn around and come back. All the way out to Navy Lake is 5 miles but I also use it for shorter distances. Days like yesterday is why I like that route so much. Yesterday was one of those days that I wanted to run at least 5 miles or more but I was really tired. I knew if I ran the loop at the Y I would be tempted to quit early. It's easy to talk yourself into shortening your run when you are running a loop because you keep coming back to your startin...

This week's Music Monday is "Unity" by Shinedown. This is another powerful song from one of my favorite bands. I've done posts about their songs "Bully"  and "Fly From The Inside" . They are a band much like Our Lady Peace that I could do a lot of posts about their music. A lot of their music is positive and "supportive". I really feel a connection with their message. They are a band that I always feel is there for me. Much like OLP, their music really "feels" like it's written for me. My favorite line of the song is: So have you ever been caught in a sea of despair? And your moment of truth Is the day that you say "I'm not scared" Another line that really connects with me: If I told you that you're not alone And I show you this is where you belong Put your hands in the air One more time This song is sort of a tribute to their fans and how they feed off the band and how the band feeds off of t...

This week's Music Monday is "Firework" by Katy Perry. I picked this song for my daughter Sophie. This is her favorite song. And it is the perfect song for her. She is the middle child and she has, well....."The Middle Child Syndrome". She has probably the worst personality for her place among our children. She has a hard time dealing with the fact that she is not quite old enough to do the things Nate does and not baby enough to get treated like Olivia. But what she doesn't understand is that she is as special to us as her siblings. Each of our kids are very special to us. Sophie is the princess. She is a "firework". She has a different personality than Staci and I. She has a different personality from the other two kids. This song is great for her because it has a great positive message. I hope when she gets older she will realize what it means. I want her to understand that she is, and always will be, special and that she only needs to ...

This week's Music Monday is "Warrior" by Disturbed. I picked this song for a few reasons. This weekend my wife came to me with an idea her best friend from college came up with: she wanted to do the Warrior Dash . I had thought about doing it before but never really got too serious about it. We decided we wanted to do it and signed the three of us up. While I was at it, it was time to register for the MRTC Road Race Series . I talked Staci into doing it again this year. We did it last year and had lots of fun. The award you get for finishing all ten races in the series is the "Road Warrior". I will be going for my third "Road Warrior" trophy. Another reason I picked this song is because I am starting a new battle with my weight. I really haven't been trying lately. I let myself go when I was dealing with my tendinitis. I couldn't run for a couple months and I really didn't do the things I needed to do that I could have been doing. I...

I finally got the chance to run for the first time in over two months. And it was AWESOME! I got the "all clear" on Friday but somehow waited until Monday to get out and run. Going in, I had a little bit of fear. Really just little silly worries: will the knee be ok, will I get shin splints, will I remember how to run, will I be terribly slow, will I have to - gulp - walk. Monday afternoon was the perfect time to get that first run. I couldn't think of any better way to get going than my favorite running weather: hot-as-balls! The temperature had to have been over 90. I know a lot of people don't like running when it's that hot but I love it. It really make me pay more attention to my body and how efficient I am. As I was getting ready to go outside my kids asked where I was going. Of course they all wanted to go but the girls just can't make it but my son can ride his bike right along with me. Those are some of my favorite runs wh...

This week's Music Monday is "Open Your Eyes" by Guano Apes. This song helped pick me up today (Tuesday) during my workout when I was in need of a kick in the ass. I wasn't struggling with my workout. I was struggling with my focus. I have been really bummed about the way my knee has been and starting to really get down because I can't do what I want, RUN. This song really gives me that reminder to stop being negative. Open my eyes and beat that feeling. I am not completely shutdown. I can still do other stuff. Just gotta keep myself focused. Open your eyes,open your mind  Proud like a god don't pretend to be blind Trapped in yourself, break out instead Beat the machine that works in your head The funny thing is that after this song played another awesome song came on. Hole's "Be a Man" came on. There is something about Courtney Love screaming "BE A MAN!" that makes me work harder. Enjoy!

This week's Music Monday is "This Time" by Depswa. This is so very much a song that I can relate to. It's one that every time I hear it my blood begins to boil. My fists clinch. My teeth grind. This is a song about me. The psychological battle within is the hardest to win. We often know the way to win but we constantly let our "mental demons" get the best of us. I know how to lose the extra weight I am carrying right now. I just keep losing these little mental battles with myself. But THIS TIME I've finally had enough! THIS TIME I'm ready to fight! Everyone has these battles. They can be about anything in your life, not just weight loss. So if you keep losing these same mental or emotional battles with yourself I suggest you clinch your fist and say: This time, I think you'll finally see This time, I will not break This time, I'm smart enough to know There is only so much I'll take This time, I'm gonna make change This ti...

This week's Music Monday is "Superstar II" by Saliva. Lately I have been really struggling with this whole "not running" thing. I finally went to the doctor in March and was diagnosed with tendinitis. The doctor told me I could do whatever I want....as long as it doesn't inflame the knee. In other words: no running. For two months. I thought it wouldn't be that hard. I could still lift weights as long as I wasn't using my knee. This was actually a bonus because I HATE doing walking lunges. (If you've ever seen my do walking lunges, then drop and do four push ups, it is one push up for each letter of the four letter word I want to scream out loud.) I also had found pool running  as a way to "run". I knew what I could and couldn't do, now it was time to do those things that were allowed. I came up with a plan and thought it was a good one. Not quite. The plan: MWF - Pool running. 1+ hour in the pool running and swimming. Tu...

This week's Music Monday is "Bully" by Shinedown. This song lashes out against bullying. It has more than one special meaning for me. I've been bullied. I've bullied others. I've had others close to me be bullies or bullied. I have kids that I fear may be bullied or be bullies themselves. When I was in middle school I was bullied. This kid harassed me, and others, at school. He would call me at home and harass me. He would beat up his sister while he was on the phone with me. I really never knew how to handle the situation. Finally when we got to high school he became less of a bully to me because there were less opportunities because we had less classes together and I think he was a little intimidated by the upperclassmen. I think he also realized that girls didn't like that stuff and like all teenage boys he wanted attention from girls. From what I can tell about him now he is not anywhere near the person he was back then. To him: I truly regret that...

This week's Music Monday is "Fire It Up" by Thousand Foot Krutch. This song is the ULTIMATE "get fired up" song. It is always at the beginning of my playlist for a race, especially a 5K. It's a really good song to get your blood pumping for a great workout. I thought of this song after reading a blog of an old friend . She is blogging about her journey to a better self. She has a great story for why she is on her journey and recently wrote a post about her fire within. It was one that really shows her fire for getting where she wants to be. Check her blog out. Everything I've read has been great. I haven't seen her in years but judging from her blog it looks like she is in a good place. This song should definitely be in YOUR workout playlist. Listen to the lyrics and try to not get fired up! I've got a bad case of turning it up It's getting cold in here so fire it up Enjoy!

This week's Music Monday is "Carnival" by Our Lady Peace. This is one of those songs that really has a special meaning to me. I found this song at a time when I was really having a hard time dealing with life in general. I was 21 years old and frustrated with how unfair I thought life was. I really didn't have any direction and I really didn't feel like anyone else thought much of me. I would try to envision myself in the future and all I could come up with was a blank. This song is about the exact way I was feeling. A perfect song for me as I was trying to figure out where I wanted to be while dealing with the frustration of not really seeing a future. When I really listened to the words I had one of those moments that you never forget: this song is about me and is telling me it's ok, and for some reason I believe it. you're frustrated by the cracks in the pavement and every mother's back... once again the carnival closed down but if this w...

This week's Music Monday is "Adrenaline" by Bush. This is another one of my favorite running songs. Especially right now. This morning I was having a really hard time finding the right song for this week. Sure enough this was the first song on my iPod when I started running. It's funny how these things happen. Music is so important to me and I don't really think it is ever an accident. I posted this song a few weeks ago because it just kept coming on during my runs when I really needed it....and it has three more times since I posted it. Like, literally right when I needed it. If you are friends with me on Facebook, now you know why I have "my music" listed as my religion. This song instantly became this week's song because lately with my knee issues I have had trouble getting started because I never know for sure how my body will react. Today I said "F- it, whatever I need to do to get 6 miles in I'm gonna do it!" How can you ...

Positive thoughts = Negative splits. I saw this on the back of a guy's race t-shirt while waiting in line to get on a ride at Disney World a couple years ago. I thought it was a perfect saying for runners. Negative splits for runners is when you run each increment of your run (I go by miles) at a faster pace than the previous. In other words, if you run a 9:00 on your first mile, an 8:30 on your second, and an 8:00 on your third, than you had negative splits.  When I run I tend to get stronger every mile. I have heard people say the opposite, that they get slower because they get tired. Part of it is physical. You have to train yourself to get stronger physically. But by keeping your thoughts positive you give yourself a better chance of getting stronger with each mile. Instead of thinking "I'm too tired, I can't do this" you need to remind yourself that "I'm strong, I can do this" You...

This week's Music Monday is "Get Up" by Breaking Point. I have quite a few friends that are starting or have already been working towards new goals. Some have been working on losing weight. Some are just starting. Some are getting back to exercise after getting away from it for a while. Some are getting ready to run distances they have never run: 5k, half marathons and marathons. I even know someone that is working on writing a book. And another that is starting a new job. So right now I am excited for a lot of people. And I KNOW every single one of them is going to do great, because well.....I don't surround myself with losers! This song is from my collection of songs that always seems to make it onto whatever playlist I make for a new goal. This song is about getting knocked down and getting back up. It's a great motivating song. Another one of those songs that really gets my blood pumping whenever I hear it. In fact I am sure it will come on my iPod whil...

This week's Music Monday is three songs from Bush's latest album The Sea of Memories. Lately I have been having trouble writing in this blog. I've pretty much only written my Music Monday posts and the non music ones (as well as the music ones) that I did write were crap. So this morning as I was trying to decide on a song to use and trying to write one about running I could only draw a blank (or crappy sentences). So I did what I usually do when I am stuck: I turned on my ipod. I picked this album to play while I sat there trying to come up with something good to write. Then it finally hit me! (8 hours later) I decided to do something I really have wanted to do for a while: give you a few songs and let you decide what you think/feel. These three songs have very special meanings for me. I won't discuss them because one of my favorite things about listening to songs that Gavin Rossdale has written is that there is not always a clear meaning. There are a lot of hi...

This week's Music Monday is "Where Are You?" by Our Lady Peace. Last week's Music Monday was a song I used to blow off steam for how I had been feeling recently. I would put in a "good" week working out and then go on an eating binge all weekend. That went on for a couple weeks until I was finally too frustrated to write anything positive on Monday. So I decided to go with a song that I was using to call myself out for not really putting in a good effort in anything. I felt like I was "faking" a lot of things. Three things happened after I posted that song. First, I really got that off of my chest. It was something I had been feeling for a few weeks but had kinda kept to myself. Next thing was a guy that I have gotten to know pretty well at the gym gave me some advice: If your not happy with the where you are, get back to the where you were before. So from there I decided to get back to the same attitude I had before. I had fallen into a pit...

This week's Music Monday is "Fake It" by Seether. Good god, you're comin' up with reasons Good god, you're draggin' it out And good god, it's the changin' of the seasons I feel so raped, so follow me down and just Fake it, if you're out of direction Fake it, if you don't belong, yeah Fake it, if you feel like affection Whoa, YOU'RE SUCH A FUCKIN' HYPOCRITE Enjoy!