Motivation Madness

Well, I finally did it.  I finally got myself out of bed this morning to go running (with a little motivation from  TheCoriCycle‘s latest post)!

This was a big deal for me.  I am not an early bird; I hit snooze about 5 times before I finally drag myself out of bed.  I’ve always wanted to be one of those ambitious people who get up at the crack of dawn and get their workouts in.  So, this morning, I decided I would just hit that not-so-evil button once, and tell my lazy butt to get out of my oh-so-comfy bed.  Threw on some running shorts, laced up my new running sneakers as quickly as possible before I could reconsider, and I was out the door.

It was so nice to be able to run in cooler weather after the humid summer we’ve been having, which has unfortunately been hindering my ability to run outside after work as often as I would have liked.  My run also gave me more energy than I usually have in the morning, and will hopefully last for a good chunk of the day.  As just about every fitness article states, energy=productivity, whether it’s at work, at home or at the gym getting in another workout.  It’s just good all around.

Here’s a question for all you runners out there: Do you run with pumped up jams blasting in your ears, or do you prefer the quiet sound of your own breathing to keep you going?  I’ve realized that my preference changes depending on my mood.  For a long time I ran without music because I liked peace that went along with it.  I felt calm and relaxed after my run, feeling more in-tune with nature and my own body.  It also helped control my breathing and my pace, which was essential when I started running again.  But recently, I’ve been bringing my nano along and listening to throwbacks from my early college days (ok, they’re 3 years old, tops).  It makes my run go by faster and varies my pace, since I tend to run to the beat of the song.  I can’t say I prefer one way or the other, so I’d like to see what others do and why.

In the meantime, anyone got any good workout playlists they want to share?  Here’s what I listened to this morning:

“California Waiting” – Kings of Leon

“The Show Goes On” – Lupe Fiasco

“Livin’ the Dream” – Super Mash Bros

“Live your Life” – T.I.

“Memories” – David Guetta

“Good Life” – Kanye West

“Someday” – Flipsyde

On to strength training!