Tuesday Top Ten: Favorite Running Songs

In a week in which I will be going to Fogo de Chão twice and ingesting several thousand wonderful calories of succulent, delicious Brazilian beef, pork, chicken, and bacon, it's probably a good idea to counteract that with some exercise so that I don't put back on every single pound I've lost so far this year.

Whether you're running inside on a treadmill listening to a boombox (or possibly a CD player, or possibly an iPod) or you're outside with a walkman (or possibly an iPod) strapped to your arm (or possibly clipped to your shirt or dangling from a cord around your neck), music is the perfect complement to a good run. Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm one of those people who loves to run. Sometimes I enjoy it, and sometimes I don't. But no matter the case, I must have music to keep me going.

Good running songs sometimes overlap with, but are not always the same as, good songs for lifting weights, psyching yourself up before a football game, or competing in a World's Strongest Man competition. For me, a good running song should have some combination of the following: (1) it must have a steady, driving tempo; (2) it shouldn't be too long; (3) its subject matter should be somewhat intense. So, with that, here are my ten favorite:

10. "All Nightmare Long" by Metallica.
While this song is longer than I would prefer, it's still a good running song with driving beat and heavy guitars (as you might expect). I prefer to use it at the beginning of my workout to get me in the mood to run. "'Cause we hunt down without mercy / Hunt you down all nightmare long." That's badass.

9. "Search and Destroy" by The Stooges.
A classic proto-punk anthem, with a hearty message about cheetahs with hearts full of napalm, as well as searching and destroying.

8. "Alternative Ulster" by Stiff Little Fingers.
This is a recent addition to the playlist, and it has not disappointed. It's a straight-up punk song with a fast beat and fast lyrics.

7. "Hybrid Moments" by The Misfits.
It's short, sweet, fast-paced, and sung by Glenn Danzig.

6. "In Your Eyes" (live) by Runner & The Thermodynamics.
This is not the cheesy Peter Gabriel song, but rather a energetic rocker with a great drum beat (that is predictably not available on Playlist.com).

5. "B.O.B." by Outkast.
This song is almost too fast, but perfect for intervals or finishing strong with a monster kick (such as that of Chris Stanley of Lyons Township's 1995 and 1996 state champion 4x800m relay team).

4. "Heroin" by Velvet Underground.
Yes, I realize this is a long song and that it starts out slow, but it is a great one for longer runs or when you're warming up. If nothing else, it satisfies my third criterion, and although it has some slower parts, it becomes quite frenzied at many stages.

3. "I Get Wet" by Andrew W.K.
He has several good running songs, but this one is my favorite. All of his songs have a massive, Wall-of-Sound-esque sound to them, which helps complement the driving beat and frenetic lyrics.

2. "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne.
The mental picture of Ozzy with a frizzed out perm in this video is enough to keep anyone running, and Randy Rhoads's guitar work doesn't hurt either.

1. "Breed" by Nirvana.
I started to listen to this one on runs at some point in college, and it has been on every running mix tape or subsequent digital playlist since then.

Honorable mention: "Holla If Ya Hear Me" by 2Pac; "Minus" by Beck; "Mother" by Danzig; "Get Your Hands Off of My Woman" by The Darkness; "Monkey Wrench" by Foo Fighters; "Everlong" by Foo Fighters; "New Way Home" by Foo Fighters; "The Pretender" by Foo Fighters; "Good Grief" by Foo Fighters; "All My Life" by Foo Fighters; "Iron Maiden" by Iron Maiden; "Murders in The Rue Morgue" by Iron Maiden; "Run To The Hills" by Iron Maiden; "Communication Breakdown" by Led Zeppelin; "Live Wire" by Mötley Crüe; "Ace of Spades" by Motörhead; "MFC" by Pearl Jam; "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine; pretty much any Ramones song; "Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones; "Right Now" by SR-71; "Romeo Delight" by Van Halen; "Fell In Love With a Girl" by The White Stripes; "Dragula" by Rob Zombie

I'd love to hear what your favorite running songs are, as I'm always open to adding songs to my running playlist.