Hitting the Pavement

If you've stumbled upon this blog and at least read the title I can tell you your assumptions are most likely correct. I'm a runner and yes, to some extent, at least I hope, the process of writing this blog will derive a perfect running mixtape. The idea? Well that spurred from my interminable discontent with the amount of discourse online about what music works--and what doesn't--for runners.

This is how it's going to work. I'm going to write about music, running and most commonly a combination of the two. And since the internet has failed at providing quality running tunes up until this point, I'm taking matters into my own hands. I'm going to go on long runs and short runs. Runs on cold winter days. Even extremely fast-paced runs (although they aren't my favorite). The goal is to find music that fits into a motivational role for all different types of running. Along the way I'm sure to pick some songs that utterly suck, and when I do I'm going to explain why.

I think it's also important to note that much like my entire music library the selections will be eclectic. I've found that some of the best running songs aren't always ones that you'd consider, so hopefully some unheralded gems will be discovered over the course of this experiment. Just to give you an idea of what I've listened to in the past:

- When I ran cross-country and track in high school I was a big All-American Rejects fan. I listened to their song "Move Along" on repeat when I ran the annual Haena to Hanalei 8-mile run in my home state of Hawaii.

- Last month, when it was bitterly cold, I decided it was smart to go for a 5 p.m. run 4 miles in a direction opposite my house. When I decided it was time to turn around because the sun was setting, I used the song "Lisztomania" by Phoenix to fight the dropping temperatures.

So, welcome. I hope you're both surprised to have fallen upon this experiment of a blog and excited to see what comes of it. I strongly encourage you to send me input if you find the inspiration to do a little mixtape creating of your own. After all, that is the beauty of the internet.

Happy running!