I got my first iPod in the summer of 2007. I got the small nano model that would be easy for carrying with me on a run. I had just started running and needed all the noise possible to drown out my huffing and puffing. Among that noise was the gentle sounds of Ben Gibbard’s voice. Gibbard is the lead singer for Death Cab for Cutie. I was thrilled to learn that as I began my painful path to becoming a runner, listening to him through my headphones, he was beginning his own running journey, too.

Ben was recently highlighted in the “I’m a Runner” feature of Runner’s World Magazine’s February 2012 issue. He explained how he began an unexpected quest to becoming a runner in 2007. Just like many young adults, the unhealthy lifestyle Gibbard could get away with in his 20s began to catch up to him. He also explained how he used running as a good habit to replace some of his bad habits, such as heavy drinking.

Gibbard’s description of the pains and struggles he felt just getting his body to run those first few miles was entertaining. “I had to wage a war of attrition with my own body. One day, my knee would hurt. The next day, my ankles would hurt, then my shins would hurt. That went on for months.”

Even a rockstar can’t escape the humble, dirty side of running that all beginners must go through.
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While I somehow managed to not gorge myself this past Thanksgiving, I know that most people can’t say the same. I say this not in judgment, since I’m usually just as guilty of being in a turkey and gravy coma by mid-afternoon. If you managed to ingest a few thousand extra calories, it’s time to start working them off.

Since it will take you about a week’s worth of exercise just to get back to where you started, let’s make this cardio workout playlist a wee bit longer.
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As I get older, I find myself more and more entrenched in my musical ways. I love exploring new music, but I think I love discovering older music even more. It’s either intense nostalgia for a perceived superior past or a slow approaching midlife crisis. Either way, as long as I use that passion for good, who cares, right?

To show that I’m not just turning into an old(ish) fogy, I’d like to put forth a workout mix that blends some of the great music out now and some from yesterday.
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By Tish Merritt for FitBottomedGirls.com

I love me some Halloween! There’s nothing more fun than a night of mischief. But there’s also nothing like a Halloween workout! So I say grab a jump rope and a treadmill or a short trail and try the following: Jump rope for an entire song, then run/walk for the next song. Keep switching between the two different cardio workouts until you reach the end of this 45-minute playlist. It’ll be scary how much your cardio endurance improves…Terrifying how strong your calves and legs will become.

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Fall is at our doorstep. Soon, the leaves will be changing, and of course, falling. That doesn’t mean you have to fall off your exercise routine.

Don’t let the cooler weather and less sun get your cardio in a rut. If you’re bored with your workout routine, now is the perfect time to shake things up and make sure the inclement weather doesn’t get you down. It’s especially important for guys like me to step it up a notch, because football season means more beer and snacks on the weekend.

Here’s a peppy playlist from some of my favorite new indie rock artists, mostly fresh finds for me, and a few that have been around for a while:
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