Music as Motivation

I know that I have told some of you that I went to college "before there were iPods." I remember many afternoons in college running on the Isle of Que, on the "farm run," with my clunky portable CD player. I had mix CDs with Moby, Maroon Five, Britney Spears, Pink, Sum 41, LIT, and more. I remember many practices in the Green Room* with our stereo blasting, being educated in heavy metal, old school rock, blue grass, German techno, and the worst idea ever -- School House Rock Conjunction Junction. Thanks to Greg Giuntini and Brian Card, I got pretty schooled on Pantera, Coal Chamber, Soulfly, and other really angry metal songs. The upside to said songs are that the anger really does channel well into an erg piece. Thankfully Pete Haberkost was always able to lighten the mood with a little OAR, Jack Johnson, and always knew what was going to be popular way before it became mainstream.

My favorite song to play during erg tests was this crazy German techno song of Coach's that counted down in German. I also remember erging to Bill Joel's "Pressure" remix at Erg Armageddon one year. It seemed like an appropriate song at the time. Music has always and still does have a huge impact on me when I exercise.

Music is an awesome training tool that can help us more sharply tune our ability to focus, help us transcend pain, and push us further than we thought we could go. At the end of a long run, I always have go-to songs that I know will help me pick up the pace and finish strong. Equally, when I take an aerobics class at the gym, the instructor puts on a slower more mellow song at the end to help our heart rates slow down and to help us focus our breathing. These are some of my favorite erging songs (with enough energy to keep you moving!):

• Body in Motion - Wise Guys
  
• Just Gotta Get Through This - Daniel Bedingfield
  
• Jump (For My Love) - The Pointer Sisters

I'd like to make an SU Crew Spring 2010 mix CD for the erg room. What songs would you like to add? Comment below!!


*The Green Room was comprised of where the ergs currently are and the section of the weight room next door. That section had fake green grass outdoor carpeting, which smelled pretty badly and pieces always got stuck on the back of your shirt -- thus the term Green Room.