Category Archives: playlists

Running Playlist Winter 2013

Posted on February 9, 2013 | 4 Comments

What a sunny, snowy Saturday we have in NYC!  It’s always so bright when in snows, it makes me forget how short the winter days are!

This morning we had a date with Barry!  We got there about 15 minutes early, but true devotees apparently arrive much earlier.  I told Frank that it was probably best to do the treadmills first to get the running over with, apparently that is a popular strategy because the treadmills were gone instantly.  Hello, strength.

I grabbed 8 pound weights, in hindsight 10s would have been better.  Frank took 25s, which is just insane. This was only my second time (first time recap here), so I was expecting 15 minutes strength, 15 minutes running, 15 minutes strength, 15 minutes running.

However, after several sets of lunges with the booty bands, lots of arm work and some ab work, I started thinking, those people have been on the treadmill a LONG time.  Is this a 90 minute class?  A few minutes later, Joey announced it was a 30 on 30 off day!

Initially I wasn’t thrilled about this news, I think it’s easier mentally to get through 15 minutes on the treadmill, even if you know you have to do it twice.  However, it really wasn’t too bad.  Don’t get me wrong, there were several occasions where the last 15 seconds took everything I had and maybe a little more, but we didn’t have to go up to crazy insane speeds, topping out at 9MPH for no longer than 90 seconds. The structure was something like this…

DIY Treadmill Bootcamp (similar not identical BB):

  • 2 minute warm up at  6MPH
  • 5 minute climb (start at 7MPH and increase by .5 every minute until 9.0)
  • 1 minute recover
  • 5 minute ladder (start at 7MPH and increase by 1 MPH to 9.0 and then back down)
  • 1 minute recover
  • 5 minute climb (start at 7MPH and increase by .5 every minute until 9.0)
  • 3 minute sprint with incline (run at your top speed and increase incline to 3.0 at minute 2 and 6.0 for minute 3) x2
  • 1 minute recover
  • 90 second spring at incline of 8.0
  • 30 second recover
  • 30 second sprint

I’m definitely getting why people love Barry’s, you feel so accomplished at the end!

So back to the playlist, here is my latest. I’m definitely in love with it.

Warm Up:

Take a Walk-Passion Pit (who I saw at the Garden last night!)

Workout:

Sweet Nothing–Calvin Harris

Locked out of Heaven--Bruno Mars

Don’t Stop the Party–Pitbull (really love this for a good push)

C’Mon-Ke$ha

Thrift Shop–Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Scream & Shout–Will.i.am (can I just say, thank god for Britney Bitch?)

Don’t You Worry Child–Swedish House Mafia

I Knew You Were Trouble–Taylor Swift <–Favorite T Swizzle song of all time

Beauty and a Beat–Justin Bieber feat Nicki Minaj

Ho Hey–Lumineer

Cool Down:

Suit and Tie–JT

 

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September Playlist!

Posted on September 10, 2012 | 1 Comment

I’ve got to admit, lately my playlists have been pretty mainstream.  I just haven’t been finding the fun indie music as much as I used to. That said, top 40s tunes have never left me wanting more in the gym.  These are my favorite jams for the start of fall…

  1. Some Nights-Fun.  I’m loving Fun lately.
  2. Titanium--David Guetta. I can’t get enough of this one.
  3. One More Night–Maroon 5.  Adam Levine has been on fire lately and this is one of my current fans.
  4. Everybody Talks-Neon Trees. Fun, fast, catchy.
  5. Blow Me–Pink. Not a huge Pink fan, but this is good for a sweat sesh.
  6. Brokenhearted–Karmin. Another light, easy to get into song.
  7. Good Time--Owl City and Carly Rae Jenson.  This song is pretty cheesy, but download it maybe?
  8. Where Have You Been–Rihanna. Good for the club, good for cardio.
  9. Let’s Go–Calvin Harris and Neyo–ditto above.
  10. Next Year-Two Door Cinema Club. A nice alternative treat for a change.
  11. Clique–Jay-Z and Kanye.  Good for my rap lovers.
  12. Good Girl–Carrie Underwood. Good for my country lovers.

Happy listening!

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June Workout Playlist

Posted on June 3, 2012 | 5 Comments

I am hoping June will be a month of change–new habits, new workouts and definitely a new playlist!

One of the recommended items to pack for Reach the Beach was CDs—and I took that recommendation pretty seriously.  We probably listened to the CD I made at least a dozen times over the course of 30 hours in the van—I am sure some appreciated that more than others. This playlist is combination of our favorite Reach the Beach tunes and some other songs that are on my newly updated playlist! 

Enjoy!

  1. Call Me Maybe-Carly Rae Jepsen
  2. Good Feeling—Flo Rida
  3. Turn Me On—David Guetta and Nicki Minaj
  4. You Make Me Feel—Cobra Starship
  5. We are Young—Fun
  6. Payphone-Maroon Five
  7. Drive By-Train
  8. Give Me Everything—Pitbull
  9. Someone that I Used to Know–Gotye
  10. Give It Back-Ting Tings
  11. Chasing the Sun-The Wanted
  12. Wild Ones-Flo Rida
  13. Sexy and I Know It-LMFAO
  14. Back in Time—Pitbull
  15. Brokenhearted–Karmin

Boring Playlist

This Playlist ;)

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May Workout Playlist!

Posted on May 10, 2012 | 1 Comment

May is the perfect month to get moving before summer really hits.  Believe me, I need to take my own advice…let’s just say, I am not completely ready to rock the cute colorful shorts that are filling every store window!

I digress.  Okay, let’s talk music, I am totally comfortable with music.  Music brings me to a happy place.  Lately, I’ve been revisiting some older songs and discovering songs I somehow missed along the way and, of course, there’s some good current pop on my ipod too.

Newish songs:

Turn Me On–David Guetta Featuring Niki Minaj

Part of Me–Katy Perry

Sexy and I know It–LMFAO

Mr. Saxobeat–Alexandra Stan

Moves Like Jagger–Maroon 5

Give Me Everything–Pitbull

Good Feeling–Flo Rida

Love Interruption-Jack White <–slower than the others, but it makes me so angry that it amps me up!

New To Me:

Home-Edward Shapes and the Magnetic Zero<–I am obsessed with this song right now! If you are moving anytime soon, this is the perfect soundtrack!

Money Grabber–Fitz and Tantrums<–not super new, but newish

The Suburbs-Arcade Fire <–good cool down song

Old is New Again-Songs I have a randomly renewed love for after more than a decade:

Never Let You Go–Third Eye Blind

Teenage Dirtbag-Wheatus <–especially great in E03 mash ups!

Criminal–Fiona Apple

Happy listening!

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25 Best Workout Songs of 2011

Posted on December 16, 2011 | 6 Comments

It’s time again to list the songs that powered by workouts throughout the year!  This year had some great pop songs—not to mention some of the best Britney in years!

In no particular order, here they are

1. Stereo Hearts—Gym Class Heroes returned from oblivion and made a song just as catchy as Cupid Chokehold!

2. Countdown—The actual countdown of this song packs the cardio punch that Beyonce does so well.

3. Mr. Saxobeat—Perfect for sprints

4. Club can’t handle me—Makes you feel cooler than Jay-Z, as you pound out the miles.

5. F*** You—This song came out of nowhere to make you remember all those people you want to forget.

6. Black and Yellow—Silly, yet effective cardio fuel.

7. Ni**as in Paris—Kayne and Jay Z take on the city of lights and win.

8. We Found Love—Frank likes to say, we found dove in a soapless place, so now that’s what I always hear.  A little slow, but still makes the list.

9. You Make Me Feel So run run run run run. I have never heard a Cobra Starship song that doesn’t make me want to dance around.

10. Party Rock Anthem—It’s not a song, it’s an anthem, and one that will get you moving at the club or gym.

11. All of the Lights—Kayne had to make the list and this song is kind of meditative and great for repetitive movements like the ellip or bike on high resistance.

12. Boom Boom Pow  You all know I want to get down, but thanks for asking Fergie.

13. Edge of Glory—During races, I like to think that I am on the edge of glory.

14. Till the world ends—What you waiting for?  Meet Britney on the floor.  I can totally picture her bopping around on the dance floor. I like the mix of techno and pop in this song.

15. I Wanna Go The Bravo song of summer, painfully addicting.

16. 6 foot 7  This is a Lil’ more hard core than some of the lighter pop songs, but still fun.  Like lil wayne, I have also dreamed of being 6 foot 7.

17. Pumped up kicks  Much the opposite of Lil Wayne, this song is light and perfect for a warm up.  It even tells you that you better run.  It was one of the first songs playing on the marathon course.

18. Last Friday night  Brings me back to summers in suburbia.

19. Give Me Everything  Pitbull spins a good one. This is a great sprint song, super fast and lots of fun. It makes you want to give it everything.

20. Internet Killed the Video Star I was obsessed with this song, for over a year I guess, but it still counts. They played it at the beginning of a race once and it totally pumped me up.

21. Square Dance  I decided to make a playlist of “at bat songs” one yankees game this season and this song really stuck.  It may not be new, but it was new to me.

22. Winner Ditto above

23. Money Grabber  I love the mix of fast and slow, it’s great for intervals.  Plus, the song is so much fun. It’s like the non-Kanye version of gold digger.

24. Hard  This song is great when you need something to get through a lazy workout, it reminds me that it’s supposed to be hard.

25. I’m Into You  I love this one.  It’s a perfect flirty, yet a little bit tough workout song.

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Running Memories

Posted on June 1, 2011 | 5 Comments

Happy National Running Day!

I thought today would be a good opportunity to take a jog down memory lane. Over the years, I have run races in blistering heat (remember the More Half Ashley?), freezing cold (Gridiron anyone?), rain (NYRR 4Miler) and perfect weather (fortunately most fall under this category), every race is special in it’s own way, but some really stand out. Here is a round up of a few of my favorite race experiences, running playlists and my dream races to run in the future!

Great Races

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Turkey Trots—I love them all, but I believe I PRed in 2009 with a time of 27:24. You never know what upstate November will bring, I’ve trotted in low 30s and mid 50s!

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Queens Half 2007—my first half!  I am glad they changed the course to a more fun route, but you’ll always remember your first official half!  I am excited to run it again this year!

Run as One April 2008 4M—My friend Rev guided me through this one and helped me finished strong!

San Francisco Marathon—my first ever and a major victory!

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New York City Marathon—a truly magical marathon experience

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Staten Island Half—my longest race of 2010!

Great Running Playlists

You know how I feel about music, here are a just a few of my favorites!

Best Songs of 2008

Ultimate Running Playlist

Power Running Songs

Dream Race List

This post summarizes my race wish list, to it I will add the Disney Princess Half and Lake George Half!

Do you have a race wish list or favorite race experience?  What defines a great race, a PR or the experience itself?

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Swagger and Swing Playlist

Posted on May 27, 2011 | 1 Comment

One of my favorite things about watching sporting events live is the music that’s played.  In (college) basketball, it’s the music the play during timeout and half time.  In baseball, it’s the music the players walk out to bat to.  Or the pitchers walk to the mound to.

Being as I have been to my fair share of Yankees games–1.5 last weekend alone–I often get inspired by their high energy music choices and want to add them to my workout playlists.

While I was hoping that there would be a more accessible database of Yankees at bat songs, I was able to pull together a playlist of songs endorsed by the NYYs–past and present players. This mix is all about confidence and determination.  Apparently for the yankees, confidence involves a lot of Jay-Z.

As a final piece of Yankees news, I recently found out the Curtis Granderson actually has a fundraising team for the NYC marathon.  Curtis is very involved in helping you and all the members of his marathon team raise money for the Grand Kids Foundation.  You can find out more about his NYC Marathon team here. The major perk: meeting Granderson!

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Fitness Faves and How He Do Playlist

Posted on July 29, 2010 | 3 Comments

I have had the pleasure of doing a guest post for Jenny of Have Your Cake!  Hop over to her blog and checkout my top five fitness must have of the moment.

I just realized that it has been a really long time since I have done a playlist.  Playlists used to be one of the few signatures of the blog.  I haven’t been listening to anything life changing, although super mash bros is almost in that category—thanks Dori!

So I asked the boy what he listens to at the gym, here’s what he’s got…

HOW HE DO PLAYLIST:

For a throwback (and running), try

He also mentioned, “obvi, anyone who has ever seen Bill seek the Queen’s help knows that the best song ever is New World In My View by King Britt & Sister Gertrude Morgan.”  Ominous, yes.  Workout song? questionable.

I should mention I almost stopped dating Frank when very early on he told me one of his favorite songs was The Sweater Song by Weezer.  Classic yes, but not a song that should be in the top five favorites.  Fortunately, since then he has proven that he does, in fact, have decent-excellent taste in music.and here we are today.

We are headed to a wedding in Rochester tomorrow, so blogging may be sparse over the weekend.  Wish us luck on our first “on the road” long run!

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Pump It Up for Summer

Posted on June 1, 2010 | 5 Comments

I have been in a music rut for a while.  Fortunately, I had some time to catch up on many many DVRed episodes of The Hills and the City, and created a new playlist courtesy of bad reality TV with good music.

Some of these are pretty cheesy, others are borderline offensive, but hey, they all have a good beat for hard core cardio.

Enjoy them like you do your guilty pleasures.

Note:  I think when Stephanie Pratt said, “I don’t know what lacrosse is,” I lost a little of my dignity, then kept right on watching.

Girls Only by Har Mar Superstar

Rock that Body by The Black Eyed Peas

Like Sexy Dynamite by The Orion Experience

You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie by Submarine

California Gurls by Katy Perry

OMG by Usher

Dirty Talk by Wynter Garden

Creep Show by Kerli

ShowStopper TobyMac

Take it Off by Ke$Sha

Get Crazy by  LMFAO

Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz

Shut It Down by Pitbull

Backstabber by Kee$ha

Rock What You Got by Superchick

Everything, Everyday, Everywhere“ by Fabolous featuring Keri Hilson

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Rockin’ Reader Playlist

Posted on March 14, 2010 | 4 Comments

You all know I LOVE my workout music.  Lately, I’ve been listening to some slower (but awesome) songs by The Upwelling (American Girls is amazing) and Urban Sun—both great NY-based indie bands. And, of course, Little Boots, but not enough variety to create a full-blown, heart-pumping playlist.

Just when I was really in the need of new music and struggling to create a playlist for the blog, Jessica, a reader from NJ, sent me the most phenomenal playlist.  In the words of Rachel, I kind of have a boner for this playlist! It has a few of my favorite workout songs, and quite a few songs  I didn’t know, but instantly fell in love with.  Moreover, it combines indie and mainstream jams to create a list with great pop/rock tunes and fantastic top 40 tracks (which always have a loveable splash of cheesiness).

Thank you so much Jessica for this serendipitous playlist! I need to buy stock in iTunes asap!

1. Best of Me- Morningwood
2. Broken Strings- James Morrison
3. Cat & Mouse- Nikki & Rich
4. Certain Tragedy- Saves the Day
5. Dollhouse- Priscilla Renea
6. Giving up the Gun- Vampire Weekend
7. Horchata- Vampire Weekend
8. Hotel Song- Regina Spektor
9. How Far We’ve Come- Boyce Avenue
10. Infinitely Red- Matthew Loiacano
11. Jai Ho- A.R. Rahman, Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah & Mahalaxmi Iyer
12. Just Fine- Mary J. Blige
13. Love Like This (feat. Sean Kingston)- Natasha Bedingfield
14. New in Town- Little Boots
15. Next Best Thing- Nikki & Rich
16. Nothin’ On You (feat. Bruno Mars)- B.o.B.
17. Obsessed- Mariah Carey
18. Radio- Beyonce
19. Remedy- Little Boots
20. Say Hey (I Love You) [feat. Cherine Anderson]- Michael Franti & Spearhead (This song will always make me think of Dori)
21. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)- Beyonce
22. Up Up & Away- Kid Cudi
23. Wait a Minute (Feat. Timbaland)- The Pussycat Dolls
24. What’s Your Name- Usher Feat. will.i.am
25. What I’m Trying to Say- Stars

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