to ipod or not to ipod

"To iPod or not to iPod?"

"To iPod or Not to iPod?" That is the question. I recently read this

article about the prolific use of MP3 players. The author, Boston

Marathon Race Director Dave McGillvray, made me smile because I often

feel the same way he does--alone in the sea of iPod-clad runners. He

went out for a run one morning and noticed almost every single runner

that he encountered (55 out of 62) had some form of MP3 player coming

out of his or her ears.

This is not to say that I never run with music. I even own one of

those little iPod Shuffles--although I've only used it on a run a

handful of times. Occasionally I feel like going out with it, but most

of the time I run in silence. I like the quiet peace of being out on

the road or trail. I think running is a great time to just think and

enjoy the beauty of our world (see my earlier post "Why I Run.")

With that said, I admit that I do have a "Running" playlist in my

iTunes. I don't know how most people select songs for their own

playlists, but I have read about choosing songs with exactly the right

tempos and ordered in such a way to have the songs coincide with the

warm-up, work out and cool-down portions of their run. That sounds

like a lot of work, and more of a hassle than I want to worry about. I

have a much less scientific method of adding songs. I just chose some

songs that don't annoy me (right now they are in alphabetical order).

So, here are a few of the songs I like to listen to on those rare

occasions that I run with my iPod:

All These Things That I've Done - The Killers

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Chariots of Fire - Vangelis

Eye of the Tiger - Survivor

Feel Good Inc - Gorrilaz

Hook - Blues Traveler

Impression that I Get - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Send Me on My Way - Rusted Root

Upside Down - Jack Johnson

Yellow - Cold Play

My actual playlist is much longer than this, but these are some of my

favorites. Feel free to comment on my list or suggest some of your