Marathon Music Motivation

Last weekend, Mike and I completed our longest training run—a whopping 20 miles! No matter how much I train, I'm always anxious about the 20-miler run because it truly informs how I'll do on marathon day. This year, especially, had me very nervous. With the pandemic and working remotely, we haven't been nearly as mobile as we used to, and with our hectic work schedules, we haven't been hitting every training run. And let's not forget my various injuries that have slowed down my training. No wonder I barely slept the night before our 20-miler! To make matters worse, I was nauseous at the start. 

I told myself: "Sera, you just need to get the miles in. Fast, slow, walking, crawling...20 miles is 20 miles!" 

Acting silly at mile 15! Love that my 
IllumiNITE Ponyband Headband helps secure my AirPod!

I also told myself I just had to get to the halfway mark because once I hit ten miles, I had no option but to get back to my car. This is why I LOVE running long miles on a bike path. It's mindless: out and back with minimal road crossings. Isn't that boring? You ask. Sure, it can be. Running on a straight path with minimal scenery change for hours on end can be mind-numbing. But I look at that as a positive. I don't have to worry about traffic lights or who gets the right of way or getting hit by a car or running around people milling about on the street. Though, I do have to follow the rules of the bike path. But those are simple. Stay in your lane, announce when you're passing others (always on the left!), and look before passing so you don't get run over by a bicyclist!

Running on the bike path helps me concentrate on my performance and fatigue level as well as zone out for long stretches of time. And to keep me motivated, I listen to music! It really helps me stay on track and keep my pace and cadence high. To make sure that I get continuous music for hours on end, I carry my AirPods charging case with me and listen to just one AirPod bud at a time—this also helps me hear my surroundings to keep me safe!

Mike wore my AirPods ONCE,
now they're named after him

My taste in music is really eclectic. I listen to songs from many different time periods and genres, individual singers and bands. 

Some of my favorite musicians to listen to while running are:

Aretha Franklin

R.E.M.

Beyoncé

Thirty Seconds to Mars

Elvis Crespo

Janet Jackson

Linkin Park (RIP Chester Bennington!)

Lenny Kravitz

Kenny Loggins (The majority of the Footloose movie soundtrack, actually!). 

But one thing all the songs I listen to have in common: they are all fast-paced, pump-me-up songs! My absolute favorites are the songs about running and empowerment! For example:

Mike is so fast! I don't know if I'll ever catch up to him!

"Run for Cover" by the Killers

"Run Loves Out" by One Republic

"Run the World (Girls) Beyoncé

"Point of No Return" by Nu Shooz

"Dog Days Are Over" Florence + the Machine 

"I'm Gonna Be (Walk 500 Miles) by the Proclaimers

"Run" Foo Fighters

"I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears

"Highway Unicorn" by Lady Gaga

"Formation" by Beyoncé

"Woman" by Ke$ha

"Whatever It Takes" Imagine Dragons

"Mr. Rager" by Kid Cudi

"Freedom" by George Michael

"Survivor" by Destiny's Child

"Work B**ch" by Britney Spears

"Too Legit to Quit" by MC Hammer

Mike got in twenty-two miles! So proud of him!

These songs just truly get me moving! Before I knew it, Mike and I had completed our 20 miles, and we made good time too. Well, I ran 20 miles. Mike ran 22 miles. He's so much faster than me; he often runs up ahead and then walks back to where I am just to stay with me. I keep telling him he doesn't need to do that, but he takes "training together" seriously. I'm so relieved that we made it. I can now rest easy a bit—mentally, that is! Gotta keep the body moving!

Now that the marathon is coming up in JUST 13 DAYS (Ahhhh!) I really want to switch up some of my music to keep me super motivated. I'll be running for about five hours, give or take! 

I could really use your suggestions. What are your absolute favorite songs that pump you up for hard workouts and/or long runs? Please leave a comment below!

Sera is wearing IllumiNITE's PonybandHeadband, Short-Sleeve Savannah Shirt in Flo Lime, and Jammer Mid-length Reflective Running Short in Magma.

Mike is wearing IllumiNITE's Reflective Unisex Multi-Wrap in Graphite and Reflective Endeavor Long Running Short in Black/White.

You can get these great looking more AND 15% your order with discount code Sera15 at IllumiNITE.com!