Aside from music, one of my passions is running. I’m relatively new to running, and I started it last summer mainly because I wanted to get past a weight loss plateau and get down to my goal. It’s also an added bonus that I can eat more and not feel so guilty.

Since I’ve started running, I gained a lot of friends who are also into running, and several of them ran in the NYC Marathon this morning. I love cranking the tunes when I run, so in honor of my marathoner friends, here are some of my favorite songs to run to…

“Don’t Stop Me Now” – Queen I decided to start with an easily-explainable one, with lyrics like, “I’m traveling at the speed of light / I want to make a supersonic woman of you…” ‘Nuff said. I hear it and immediately I shave a good ten – twenty seconds off my mile pace.

“Knights of Cydonia” – Muse There are several Muse songs that get me pumped. I used to listen to them on the way to my broomball games as psych-up music. But “Knights of Cydonia” is particularly good to get me going, I think because it makes me feel like galloping.

“The Distance” – Cake Another easily explained one. It’s about racing. Duh…

“Get It Together” – Beastie Boys This one’s a little more personal to me. This song always makes me happy because it reminds me of my friends from Adelphi and our Friday happy hours at Croxley’s. I get happy, and so I run faster.

“Starry Eyed Surprise” – Oakenfeld This one might border on a guilty pleasure song, but I love it, and it makes me want to go clubbing. Since I hate clubbing on Long Island, I run instead of dance. “Human” by the Killers makes me feel like a dancer when I run too.

“Mr. Jones” – Counting Crows I can’t explain this one AT ALL. I just know I love running to this song. I get a good rhythm with it.

“Dragula” – Rob Zombie More psych-up music for me. I normally don’t choose to listen to Rob Zombie, but he’s awesome to run to.

“Rebellion (Lies)” – Arcade Fire “Sleeping is giving in.”

“Mess Of Me” – Switchfoot Aside from the the happy vibe to it, the lyrics also motivate me. This song specifically is kind of the theme to my weightloss and healthier lifestyle. “I made a mess of me and I want to live the rest of my life alive” pretty much sums up my reasons for my lifestyle change.

“Mondo ’77” – Looper I have to move to this song. In fact as I’m lying in bed listening to it now, I’m bouncing. I get into a groove and just run with it. Quite literally. And I grin like an idiot when it comes on my iPod.

“Open Wide” – Future of Forestry This one is another of my personally inspiring songs. It’s all about embracing new experiences and change, because “you’re too alive to just stand still”.

I’m sure on my next run, I’ll come up with 5 more songs I could add to this list. In fact there are already a few I’m debating, but if I went through the 300-ish songs on my iPod, we’d be here all night.