With Eyes Half Open

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Here is the running mix I promised earlier.

There’s a certain kind of song I like when I’m running. The music sets my pace, not in a strict sense, I don’t run to the beat — though when a song does sync up I love it. But it sets the tone. I want a song with moderate to low intensity or I end up sprinting and worn out before I’ve even started. But I don’t want anything too slow or I focus soley on my pain. It want to tilt my head back, with my eyes half open and settle in to a rhythm that feels like the pace of my body, like, I could run all day, comfortable but invigorated. These are songs that make me feel that way.

I’ve selected some of my favorites out of my iTunes running playlist and pared it down to a one hour mix. If you run that long, I’m impressed. I hope it works well as a mix if you listen straight through, with some good highs and lows to help keep you motivated. But if you shuffle it up, I think you’ll get a nice even tone that should help you along.

Track Listing:

1. “Miracle Drug” by A.C. Newman. Listening to this track made me think his latest album might not measure up. Here’s some energy to get you started.

2. “Brainy” by The National. This has the vocals and melody to help me settle into my running groove, and a drum line to keep me going.

3. “Keep the Car Running” by Arcade Fire. More rolling, on-the-move rhythm work with a melody to keep things mellow.

4. “Conjugate the Verbs” by Enon. A roaring chours here should help you kick off mile two.

5. “Heavy Heart” by Ghostland Observatory. At this point I need some intensity to keep me over that first hump.

6. “Good Man” by Archer Prewitt. This mellow song with the repetative guitar part really helps me settle into a solid rhythm after a couple of miles. This is the eyes-half-open mood I’m going for, feeling like I can run forever.

7. “The Devil Never Sleeps” by Iron and Wine. More of the perfect percussion/melody::driving/mellow vibe I’m going for.

8. “Forget Remember When” by Built to Spill. Dough Martsch’s soaring, roaring guitars could carry me for a couple miles. Plus, the strange background vocals make me think this song has some sympathy for my running struggle.

9. “Turn it On” by Sleater Kinney. Two words: hand claps. Here’s a punch to kick it back into full gear.

10. “Sunrise” by Yeasayer. Like “The Devil Never Sleeps,” it’s the perfect percussion/melody combo I’m looking for. World music for the indie-rock set.

11. “The Skin of my Yellow Country Teeth” by Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah. A bassline that pushes, and guitar hooks that lift. The miracle bra of running.

12. “Miss Me” by The Wrens. Here’s some snarling intensity to push things at the end. Given this band’s once-every-seven-years release rate, we should be seeing a new record from them next year.

13. “I Need Your Love” by The Rapture. Here’s dance beat that should help you power into the last mile. Mellow’s just not going to cut it anymore.

14. “Ear Nose and Throat” by Troubled Hubble. A thumping beat and pounding guitars won’t let you slow down.

15. “Icky Thump” by The White Stripes. The nastiest track from a band known for nasty tracks. This is the devil taunting you. Run!

16. “Today my Heart Desires” by Sukhwinder Singh. This song is the black sheep of the mix. I have a soft spot for this Indian pop music. The heavy beats and soaring/chanting vocals always get my heart pumping. If you’ve made it this far on your run, hopefully the surprise of this energetic song will carry you to the end.

Download: With Eyes Half Open: a Running Mix by Tigers Walk Behind Me