my muddy hubby & me.

7 miles, 5 obstacles & one mud pit later,
the hubby & i crossed the finish line together.

i guess it's true what they say...
boys like dirty girls.

can't wait until next year.

committed.

absurd, batty, berserk, bonkers, cracked, crazy, cuckoo, daft, delirious, demented, deranged, dingy, dippy, flipped out, freaked out, fruity, idiotic, insane, kooky, lunatic, mad, maniacal, mental, nuts, nutty, out of my mind, & psycho are just a few of the words you might use to describe me. & don't worry, I won't be offended, because i'm kinda wondering if i've fallen off my rocker. i kept saying i wasn't going to do it.  but then carrie started enticing me with promises of a sequin running skirt. & i'm not gonna lie, i really want a turquoise running skirt. so i succumbed to the peer pressure. better live it up now, training starts next week for the surf city usa FULL marathon. 26.2 miles is a long way to run, i hope i have it in me. being a total newbie i am extremely open to any & all tips and suggestions!

151 minutes of toe tapping music

(click on image to enlarge)

i spent a lot of time creating the "perfect" running playlist... chock-full of tunes that would get my feet moving & my heart pumping. unfortunately, i was too blonde, or maybe it was too early in the morning, or perhaps i was just a little bit nervous - whatever the case, i couldn't figure out how to work my cool new earphones. that is, until 5 minutes after the race was over, when it occurred to me to check the volume control on the earphones. (did i mention i was blonde?) so, i ended up running sans any musical motivation. but, i received so many inquiries about my 1/2 marathon playlist i decided to make it available to the "masses." you can check it out HERE.

i lost my virginity this weekend.

early sunday morning, along with about 13,000 people, i laced up my sneakers, loaded up the playlist & hit the pavement running... for my first ever 1/2 marathon. although running 13.1 miles is definitely a daunting task, it's a wee bit easier when you have a friend or two by your side (or at least in the near vicinity).with an "official chip time" of 2 hours, 13 minutes & 15 seconds and a division place of 239 (of 1252 women ages 30-34), i'm feeling pretty good about myself. not bad for a gal 4 months & 4 days post baby, & about two weeks of training. now the question is, what's next?

let's talk dirty.

this weekend i did something that made jeffy get all hot & flustered. get your minds out of the gutter, please! it was nothing like that! what i did, probably made him more excited & happy then that ever could... i went mountain biking.

although getting all geared up in my shorts & jersey, helmet & gloves didn't exactly make me feel pretty (or even remotely sexy), jeffy seemed to think i looked pretty hot - or at least that's what he says. i guess it's true what they say... boys like dirty girls.

so there i was, looking totally & completely professional. & yet, i was a jumble of nerves on the inside. the last time i had taken to the hills on my bike, i fell not once, not twice, but three times. & these were full-blown, over-the-handlebars, twisted-up-in-the-bike, dirt-on-your-teeth types of falls. when i realized, just a few days later, that i was pregnant, i decided it was time i hang up the mountain bike, at least momentarily.

this weekend, i decided that it was time for my riding sabbatical to be over. i broke out my riding shoes (classic vans with a rose patch covering the hole from my last bike ride, because i'm way too scared to "clip in" quite yet), strapped on my helmet & straddled the bike. & let me tell you, even with an entire year to work up to this ride, i was still terrified. the feel of the dirt, rocks slip-sliding under the weight of my bike, the fear that at any moment i could (& very possibly would) go flying over the front of the handlebars, made my entire insides shudder with every dip & bump. i did everything i'm not supposed to do, & nothing that i should do. & through it all, i held my breath, & continually prayed that i would make it off the mountain alive.

i did eventually make it off the mountain, but let's just say i descended rather slowly... i don't know if i'll ever be comfortable going fast. give me a hill to climb, any day. but unfortunately, what goes up, must come down. so down i came, grasping the handle bars tight as i can, sticking out my butt as far as i could, with the phrase "i think i can! i think i can!" constantly on the brain.

i'm starting to develop a complex.

yes, i realize that i just had a baby. yes, i realize that she was my third baby. yes, i realize that my body isn't just going to bounce back. these are all truths that i've accepted. however, i'm starting to develop just a bit of a complex, courtesy of my four year old gavin. case, or rather, cases in point...

* the day after i had charlie, the boys came to visit me in the hospital. at one point, i got up out of bed & immediately gavin said "oh good mom! you're almost skinny again."
* recently i bribed my kids with the promise of mickey d's happy meals (yes, i am that mom). we were waiting in the drive thru, when gavin randomly announced "mom, you can't eat mcdonald's. it will make you fat." funny thing is, he doesn't think the rule applies to him.
* just yesterday, gavin was giving the babysitter a tour of our house. when he got to our office, where my bike is set up on the trainer, gavin told her "& this is the bike my mom has to ride to make her skinnier."

if this keeps up, & gavin continues to be more concerned (than i am) about how skinny i am, i don't know if i'll have the nerve to get into a bathing suit this summer. personally, i've been pretty thrilled with my recovery, but gavin's got me doubting myself. oh heavens!

taking the plunge.

eleanor roosevelt once said "do one thing every day that scares you." so, with that in mind, today i took the plunge - literally... i went for a swim. no, not a casual, frolick-lick swim with the boys. but an intensive, calorie-burning, hunger-inducing swim. & unlike my boys, who are fish when it comes to the water, i'm the exact opposite. i feel more like a fish out of water when it comes to swimming. so, although it may have required several (internal) pep-talks, eventually i donned my bubblegum pink swim cap & googles and literally took the plunge. i have terrible technique, i'm still getting the whole breathing thing down, i can barely swim in a straight line, & i doubt i will ever master that fancy swim turn. but, today i did one thing that scares me. & hopefully, tomorrow, it won't scare me quite as much. as long as i keep singing "just keep swimming, just keep swimming," i think i might even start to enjoy this whole swimming thing.

playlist emergency.

i made caramel crack this past weekend & unfortunately, it's as yummy and addicting as ever - so, i've been nibbling at it ever since. (the rolled oats make it a practical choice for breakfast!) & although it is definitely delicious, i am no longer "with child", so i can no longer blame any weight gain on the fact that i'm eating for two. seeing as i'm not planning on giving up desserts any time soon, i really need to stick to my running regime. but, it's hard to coax my lazy bum out the door when i've got no "tunes" to get me motivated, energized & ready to "feel the burn."


i am definitely in need of a new playlist that will get my toes tapping & my heart racing... any suggestions? i'd love to hear from you - what's your favorite song or songs that get you going? i've got an itunes gift card that i'm just itching to spend. any ideas? play my little game & there just might be an itunes gift card in store for you too, at least one of you that is!

today, my running shoes came out of retirement.

luckily, their forced retirement was short-lived... boy did it feel good to tie those babies on. & within moments of tying my laces, gigi came running, ready to hit the pavement with me. seeing as she has put on a few sympathy pounds, as i've continually gained more & more weight over the last several months, i guess it's only fitting that she accompany me. unfortunately, the whole "running" part didn't come as easily as i imagined. in fact, today i realized that i run like a girl. actually, i run more like a granny - some one's great granny that is.

i started out strong. going up the hill i was feeling pretty good. but it didn't take long for me to realize how out of shape i am. pretty soon i was huffing & puffing along. my steps started to slow, if not drag. good thing i had brought gigi along - she was able to pull me along. i may have been slow (so slow, i probably could have walked faster) but i didn't stop once, & i never walked... i just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

i wouldn't say i ran very far, but, it was a start. by the time we were done, both gigi & i were exhausted. gigi's tongue was nearly dragging on the pavement & mine probably looked pretty similar. not only was i tired, but i felt like all my girly parts were going to fall out - like i just had another baby... but i'm sure that was just all the fat melting away.

& how did i celebrate this first post-pregnancy workout? by finishing up the remainders of a tub of coffee heath bar crunch. okay, so that doesn't exactly help me eliminate the big fat post pregnancy butt i've developed, but it's all about the baby steps here.

the affair.

I'm feeling a bit a guilty, so I think it's time to confess: For the past couple of months I have been having an affair. If you want to get technical, it's probably more of an occurrence of "two-timing"...

You see, I love to run. That's right, I actually enjoy exercise! And for me, running is where it is at. I love being out on the open road. Feeling the pavement under my sneakers, the wind in my face. Running is "me" time. It's my opportunity to be selfish. As one of my favorite running shirts reads "it's cheaper than therapy." Now that you have a little background, let's get back to explaining the torrid affair.

For Christmas I got a bike. It had been on my list, but I hadn't really put much thought in to it. I'm not a cyclist. I took up spinning that last month or so of my pregnancy, and I thought it was fun. But that was the extent of my cycling experience. Struggling to come up with a Christmas list, I simply listed a bike. There was no make or model described, so you can imagine my surprise when I actually got one. But there was no mistaking it. Bright and early Christmas morning I woke up to a beautiful new bike.

I got it home, and didn't really know what to do with it. I was already running almost daily. When would I ever have time to ride this beautiful bike? Plus how would I ever be able to accomplish this? At least with running I can take the kids in the jogger. Owen is still way too little for a bike trailer. So I decided I needed to get a bike trainer so I could set my bike up indoors and take it for a spin.

Jeff set the trainer up, and for an entire week I couldn't bring myself to get on. I can't explain it, and it sounds totally dumb, but I was nervous. Finally one Saturday, while the boys were napping, the bike and I had our first "date." Boy, what an awkward experience. But I kept at. At first, I was only seeing the bike a couple times a week. But as we became more comfortable with one another, it became a daily experience. Suddenly 3 months had passed. I was still running everyday, but I was also biking everyday. Sometimes it's hard juggling the two, but they are both so much fun, I didn't think I could give up either.

As much fun as I was having, I still didn't feel like I had totally "committed" to the bike. You see, although I was riding nearly every day, we had not gone "all the way." After 3 months of riding, I still had yet to ride the bike outside, on the actual road. So today, I took the plunge. And I am proud to say, I am no longer a virgin biker. This morning (yep I know, chastise me all you want, I admit... I broke the sabbath) I took the bike on a 12 mile loop, and it was awesome! I was scared to death the entire time. Dozens of questions and fears continually ran through my head: What if I fall? What if I can't unclip fast enough? What if I stop on a hill, and have to get going again? What about stop lights? What about going downhill too fast? What if I can't keep up with the group? I am proud to say I encountered, and overcame every single one of fears, including falling. Yep, I fell, but not until the last five minutes of the ride. By then I was feeling confident, maybe too confident. I took a corner too quickly, got stuck in the ridge between the street and the curb, hit the curb and flew off. Luckily I landed on grass. No major injuries, just a bruised ego, and some aches and pains.

All in all, I think this will be an affair to both remember and continue.

note: if you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably already know that this was originally published HERE. but, because i've been spending so much time with my bike, as of late, i thought it was appropriate to re-publish it. (plus riding everywhere on my bike has left me much to tired, & not a lot of time to think of anything new to post.) see... here's proof that not all affairs are one night stands. some affairs can develop into consistent & steady relationships.

it's not easy been green.

actually, to tell you the truth, it's really not that hard & i'm definitely having some fun with it. after having four flat tires in one month, i finally decided maybe it was time to bite the bullet & invest in some new wheels. so two weeks ago i did just that. one week later, i come home from fabulously relaxing & well deserved trip, only to find one of my tires flat again. ay carumba! we haven't quite had time to make it over to the tire shop yet, so i've been chauffeuring the kids around on my bike. i'm actually loving it! it kinda makes running errands, and going to the grocery store - fun. although, i do arrive a little bit sweatier & more disheveled looking than usual. so far, nobody's made any comments yet, about me stinking too much... hopefully if i just load up on the deodorant i'll be good. maybe this will have to become a regular thing! i'm always looking for little ways i can "do my part".

the ride.

lately, i've been pretending that i'm a mountain biker. prior to last saturday, the last time i had been on a mountain bike, was at least 10 years ago, & that experience didn't exactly go well. but when carrie called suggesting i join her & some other girls, for a saturday afternoon ride, how could i say no? & although it was a little awkward riding on dirt, & going downhill makes me really nervous, somehow i managed to survive... in fact, i kind of even liked it. so when carrie called again & invited me to join her & the girls for their weekly wednesday night ride, of course i said yes.

led by a fearless leader, our group of adventurous, fun loving ladies hit the trails. we conquered mountains & sand traps. some screamed the whole way down, while others were screaming on inside, as we maneuvered around the bumps & rocks in the trail. & i, took my first fall... yep! i locked my arms up tight, shifted my weight forward, squeezed the brakes a touch too hard & i went flying over the handle bars, somehow managing to wrapped up in my bike. some skinned knees, a knot or two in my leg, a nice bruise on my stomach, a raw elbow & some dirt on the teeth... i definitely exuded beauty & grace.

but i have too say... i'd do it all again, just in case you had any question about it carrie, as long as we finish the evening with arby's loaded potato bites again.

just another day in paradise.

the lighting is dim, almost non-existent, except of course for the flickering black lights, which resemble a low-budget light show. the music is pumping. i look around & everyone, including me, is moving & swaying to the beat. i feel a bead of sweat roll down my forehead & quickly i reach up to wipe it away.

he peers around the corner. almost immediately i feel him watching me. i try to play dumb & ignore him, but he starts to move towards me. he weaves in & around the other people, swiftly, almost athletically. all the while, i feel his eyes on me. as he makes his way across the room a zillion thoughts enter my mind. "me? he can't be heading towards me. i must be calm... play it cool." when he finally reaches my side, he says nothing. he simply head nods towards the door, while raising his eyebrows just a bit. mesmerized, i too say nothing. and almost trance-like i follow him. once again he weaves in & around the other people, this time however, i am following. i notice that people have started to notice us. i feel their eyes on us & hear the whisperings. although, at this point i'm too self-involved to really pay too much attention... i'm too busy thinking to myself, over & over "he came for me?!"

after what seems an eternity, we finally reach a quiet place, somewhere where "we can talk". immediately, without even thinking, i ask the question on my mind. "what did they do, & which one was it?" he simply shakes his head & said i'd have to talk to the child-care coordinator about that. i reach the children's play area & the first thing i notice is that there are four children, two of which are mine. in the corner of the room stood the "child-care coordinator". as soon as i walk in, she blurts out "they have to leave." whoa?! what?! they have to leave? what in the world could have prompted this? i'm the first to admit that my children aren't angels. but the definitely aren't malicious trouble makers.... it's not like they go around biting, pushing & otherwise bullying kids for no reason at all.

pointing at gavin she says "he dumped the crayons", and then pointing at owen she says "& he pushed him back" pointing to another boy (who was twice o's size & probably age as well). shocked & very embarrassed, i didn't think to actually ask any questions. i simply gathered up my boys & left the facility, with my head hanging very, very low. i'd always worried about it, even had nightmares about it, but i never thought i would have been banned from the child-care at my gym! & even though i think the child-care coordinator may have over-reacted (come on! kicking us out because a 3 year old dumped some crayons, & because a 1 and 1/2 year pushed back at a 4 year old), i'm still too embarrassed to say anything about it. instead of being brave, brushing it off & going back the next day. i decided to cower. it took nearly a week for me to get up the nerve to go back. however, now, i leave the house early each morning, hoping to get in a workout before my family even wakes up. still embarrassed, i try to sneak in & out of the gym before the child-care coordinator even arrives.

so i'll admit it, loud & proud... i am a total wimp! maybe the next time i go to the gym, i can work on strengthening my backbone!

feeling the burn.

almost every morning... i pump up the tunes, sweat like a pig & go! go! go! on my bike. all from the comforts of my own home. with all the heat we've been experiencing, it's much more pleasant to ride my bike indoors on my trainer, then battling the hot hot sun outside. seeing as i'm kinda lazy, lately i've figured out how to get more bang for my buck, in regards to my workout, that is. lately i've been incorporating interval training into my work outs. i work harder but for a less amount of time. don't believe it's beneficial? then check out THIS newspaper article.

have i piqued your interest yet? ready to add a little variety to your workout? for starters you're going to need a heart rate monitor, then you need to print out THIS handy little heart rate chart, get some water, pump up your tunes & get ready to work... (for the sake of brevity, i will refer to the heart rates zones, on your chart, as follows: recovery - zone 1, endurance - zone 2, strength - zone 3, interval - zone 4, race day - zone 5. every "*" represents a "recovery" period. & finally, don't start timing until your heart has raised, or dropped to the desired heart rate. in the beginning it will take longer, but the more you train, the faster it will happen. make sense?)

so here's the plan:

2-4 minute warm up in zone 1, progressing to high end of zone 2

moderate intervals:
2 minute zone 3
*1 minute zone 1 or 2
3 minute zone 3
*1 minute zone 1 or 2
4 minute zone 3
* 1 minute zone 1 or 2
5 minute zone 3
*1 minute zone 1 or 2

gear down - more challenging intervals
2 minute zone HIGH zone 4
*2 minute zone 1 or 2
2 minute HIGH zone 4
*90 second zone 1 or 2
30 second HIGH zone 5
*60 second zone 1 or 2
30 second HIGH zone 5
*60 second zone 1 or 2
60 second HIGH zone 5
*2 minute zone 1 or 2
60 second HIGH zone 5
*90 second zone 1 or 2
2 minute HIGH zone 4
*2 minute zone 1

approximate acceleration time for zone 1,2 & 4: 15-45 seconds
approximate deceleration time for zone 4 & 5: 30-60 seconds

the great thing about this workout? it's really flexible... some days, when i feel really ambitious, i'll do the whole thing. other days, i'll just do the moderate intervals, some days i'll do just the more challenging intervals, & then there are days where i do bits and pieces from both. plus you can do it using any type of machine - bike, treadmill, etc. (i'm sure you could do it without a machine, too, it'll just be harder, and take longer, to change your heart rate.)

don't forget your towel... you'll be sweating like a pig.

life can be an uphill battle.

blog-o-sphere, i'd like to introduce you to my newest training parter & friend, big red. if you haven't noticed already, beach season is almost upon us. (i think i just heard a collective gasp, followed by a long sigh.) i, like most of you, i'm sure, have a bit of a love/ hate relationship with summertime. on one hand i love all that it has to offer: warm weather, longer days, promises of bbq's, etc. but on the other hand - all of these goodies mean, it's bathing suit season. i think my whole outlook on wearing a bathing suit was shaped by a coffee mug by mom had in her cupboard (& still has to this day) that reads "things could be worse. we could be trying on bathing suits." with the fear of having to wear a swimming suit sooner, rather than later, i asked jeffy to help me get "bathing suit ready." that leads me to how big red & i met. it was monday, & jeffy & were out for a run. when we came across big red, jeffy announced, with a huge grin on his face, that my task for that day was to run up & down big red 10 times. although i didn't make the full 10 laps, my legs were like jello, i did manage to make 8. & seeing that i didn't bring my nano along, i had lots of time to think... & ya'll know that means i'm ready to dispense lots & lots of wisdom, because as i was running up big red, i started to think about how climbing this hill related to life, & i realized a couple of things.

first of all, that old adage is true. "slow & steady wins the race." about lap 3 or so, i was really pushing hard, trying to get up big red as fast as i could. on the way up i passed an older gent, who was walking. a little further up the hill, i lost my steam. i didn't stop running, but my steps definitely got closer & closer together & my pace slowed way down. & although he didn't pass me, i could really feel him on my tail. i for one know that this a lesson i need to take to heart regarding life. too often in life, whether it be a new project or simply cleaning the house, i start off going full throttle. usually though, it doesn't take long for me to get bored, or tired, & start to slack off. personally, instead of "go! go! go!", i need to remember to slow down, enjoy the scenery & just run along at an even, constant pace.

in addition to "slow & steady" i realized it's important to remain forward looking. what do i mean? in running, cycling, snowboarding (& probably several other sports i don't play) it's important to keep your eye on what's coming up ahead, instead of just the immediate future. by doing this, you can see obstacles like rocks or bumps, & have enough time to to respond. however, if you're only paying attention to the immediate future, no such luck. you'll see a rock, & you might side-step it, but without enough time to really process what's going on & your surroundings, you might end up in a hole or tripping over an even bigger rock. in life, it's easy to get caught up in "the now." sometimes i get so busy with what i have to do today & tomorrow, that i don't take the time to really plan for the future. things end up getting done at the last minute, are always rushed, & i'm constantly complaining that there isn't enough time. however, with some simple foresight & planning i think my life would run much smoother.

which leads me to my final thought. as much as i want to, i can't skip this whole "process" & immediately become bathing suit ready. i'm sad to say if that were possible, i would have no real appreciation of it, because i didn't have to work for it. a saying i often hear is "life's short eat dessert first." think about it. on the most literal of levels, is this really a good idea? if you were to constantly be eating dessert first (which really does sound divine), you would be filling yourself with sugar, chocolate & cream. although, i must admit, this is quite delicious sounding, it's not exactly the makings of a strong nutritional base. & if i was always eating dessert, i don't think i would really appreciate how good it really is. life works the same way. there are things i want to accomplish, places i want to travel, & i'd like to eventually be "at a certain place in life." i'm the first to admit, i'm totally impatient. i want it all, & i want it now! but just like learning to appreciate my "bathing suit ready" body, or a yummy dessert, if i could have it all & have it now, i wouldn't really appreciate it. instead, i need to better understand what life is truly all about - learning & preparing, so that one day, when have all that i want, i will be able to truly appreciate it & not take it for granted.

so with that, i'll step off my soap box & go snack of THIS (just don't tell jeffy, after all my hard work he'll be disappointed. but let me tell you... after working so hard & eating so well, i'll definitely appreciate a bite or two.) but before i say adieu, i'll once again reiterate the lessons big red has taught me:
1. slow & steady wins the race.
2. remain forward looking, keep your eye on the prize.
3. if you eat dessert first, you'll never gain a real appreciation for it.

it's all about the baby steps.

& when i say baby, i really mean baby. no, no, i'm not announcing... well that's not completely true. i am announcing, but not that kind of announcement. but i am pleased to tell the world that i'm taking the first step to checking of one of my goals. yep, thanks to prodding of a certain friend i have recently signed up for THIS. for most tri-athletes, THIS baby tri would be a walk in the park. but, let's not forget, i'm not too fond of swimming, & that's saying it nicely. but seriously, it's only a 250 yard swim (& it's in a pool), how hard can it be? nevertheless, i guess i better "suit" up & hit the pool. wish me luck! & i'm totally open to any & all advice, so give away!

by the way, just a little update.

i finally made it to the 5:30 am spin class. broken water pipe & all... & it was totally worth it. i can't wait to go back on friday.

maybe it's not meant to be.

awhile back, i posted about the frustrations of waking up for an early morning (5:30 am) spin class, only to be denied because the class was already full. i don't know why it took me so long to get the courage needed to try again... maybe because i am scared of rejection? perhaps because i was embarrassed because last time i turned around & walked straight out of the gym (tail between my legs)? or maybe it's just because i'm lazy. whatever the reason, & it may have taken a couple of months, but last night i finally decided to give it a go again. so, taking after the big guy in the fluffy red suit, i made a list & checked it twice.

• name already on the list (so i don't have to worry about being denied), CHECK
• shoes out & ready at the door, CHECK
• towel, CHECK
• clothes ready, CHECK
• alarm set for 4:45 am, CHECK
• alarm turned ON... opps!
  

yep! i set the alarm & forgot to actually turn in ON. duh, blonde one! now i'll probably be banned from putting my name on the "list" ever again. is this ever going to work out? on the plus side... i did get to enjoy an early morning run sans children. the sun peaking out above the mountains, the cool, crisp air against my cheek & the opportunity to bundle up & really RUN, almost made up for my mistake.

back in the saddle again.

i've posted before about my recent affair. with all of our traveling this summer i thought that the attraction would maybe fade. but actually the opposite occured... i came back almost craving to ride. little O is finally big enough to ride in a trailer, so now the kids can come along. this means i get to actually ride OUTSIDE on the pavement, instead of inside on a trainer! can't wait!

just me & my nano

usually i run with a friend, but lately the craziness of summer has been getting in the way of our plans. that leaves me running all by myself... that is if you don't count the two crazy boys & one wild pup i drag along with me! not a big deal though, it just means i get to spend a little quality time my little friend nano. (maybe i'll even figure out how to work the nikeplus gizmo i bought ages ago.) anyway, today i realized i'm totally bored with my playlist & i definitely need to change it up a bit. here are a couple of songs that get me moving:


Madonna, "Hung Up"
Franz Ferdinand, "Take Me Out"
Justin Timberlake, "Sexy Back"
Hot Rod Circuit, "Sorry About Tomorrow"
Michael Jackson, "Beat It"
OutKast, "The Way You Move"
Fall Out Boy, "Dance, Dance"
Christina Aguilera, "Fighter"
Queens of the Stone Age, "No One Knows"
Ashlee Simpson, "La La"
Flogging Molly, "Drunken Lullabies"
Gwen Stefani, "Hollaback Girl"
Hot Hot Heat, "No, Not Now"
Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone"
The Postal Service, "Such Great Heights"

what's your favorite playlist? what songs get your blood pumping?