Help Me Create My Marathon Training Playlist, Please and Thanks

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Not a majestic lion or even a badass eagle chomping on a snake, but a tiny, flittery thing weighing two-tenths of an ounce. Traced back to this beautiful essay , we learned hummingbirds must beat their wings almost always. They can rest but only momentarily, lest their huge hearts stop altogether. They have voracious appetites and visit a thousand flowers a day to get their sustenance. My wife doesn't see me as a walking midlife crisis or a FOMO-stricken weirdo. She just sees a hummingbird happily enjoying the sweet nectar of the good people in our lives and flapping madly toward the next adventure. And the next one will be run, not flown, in January. Some people believe distance running is a lonely endeavor. After all, there's a famous short story titled "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner." But, to me, running is communal. Since I began running as a teen someone has either literally or figuratively been by my side. This will be my first marathon and I expect family and friends to be part of the experience, not just to celebrate with me following the race but throughout my training and even during the marathon. As always, music will be with me every step of the way. I've asked family and friends and am asking you to help me build a training/race day playlist that will assure I'm not out there alone when I get to the tough parts of the run. If I've buzzed near you a bit, you may know my musical tastes. For everyone else, here are some songs I've already added to my training playlist. I have a solid hour for race day, but running 11- or 12-minute miles means I'll need more – a lot more - so please send recommendations, songs that get you excited about exercise and, moreover, about life. Here's what I got, including the mile markers they're set to roll at for maximum effect: "These Are the Days," Jamie Cullum, mile 4"These are the days of endless dreaming, troubles of life are floating away like a bird in flight." Cullum's song is about how to bounce back from a failed relationship, having a clear-eyed view that what once proved good, if not permanent, can still be appreciated, especially by moving on and enjoying the people and time we still have. It's on the playlist because it's about taking positive steps into new phases of life and always reminds me how blessed I am to have my family and friends, even those who've moved out of my immediate circle. It's also a nice reminder that some of those people might take a fellow my age running his first marathon as a bit inspirational. If you ever believe it's too late to try, dial up this song and remember that these are the days of endless dreaming. "Lightning Bolt," Jake Bugg, mile 7"Met her, as the angels parted for her,..." This is actually my second time training for the Houston Marathon, the first back in the year 2000 with my wife. Back then, her dad had a stroke and she took up running, one of my favorite pastimes, as a way to handle caregiver stress. We ran the 30K warm-up, 18.6 miles, but were set back by a torn plantar fascia and that kept us from running the actual marathon. My wife loves this song and it reminds me how she powers everything in my life. I'm supercharged by her electricity and running again is a means to get into better shape and maybe enjoy lots more time with her as we get older. "Gift Horse," IDLES, mile 9"Watch my steed go far – look at him go!" IDLES was maybe the best live show I've seen this year . Their manic energy and passion is infectious and will be a fresh battery come mile nine. The lyrics are perfect for runners, with lines like "'cause he moves like a generator, he puts the foot down and see you later" and "see my steed go far." Nothing sentimental or sappy about this one, it's just pure horsepower. "On My Mama," Victoria Monet; "Play It Cool," Norman Sann; "Yeah Glo!" GloRilla, mile 10"I'm so deep in my bag like a grandma with a peppermint." Lemme just say, I have a lot of Victoria Monet on another playlist for a different type of exercise. But this one works here because it's about embracing one's self-confidence. On "Play It Cool" a new favorite, Norman Sann, raps "They say being your biggest fan ain't good for your health – well, I don't care about being healthy no mo'." And that "Get 'em, Glo!" hook gets me hype every time. These songs remind me it's okay to feel good about ourselves when we're doing something good for ourselves. "Mira La Vida," Julieta Venegas, mile 12"Es el futuro, todo es futuro, todo lo que quiero apenas va a llegar." I've always loved the MTV Unplugged version of this song, it just hums. The drum cadence matches my stride when I'm in a groove, which I hope to be at mile 12. The lyrics, about saying yes to life and looking forward to all that lies ahead, are so motivational. And then there's Venegas's strong, assuring voice, which will surely carry me into the midway point of the race. "Warriors," Too Many Zooz, mile 14 When I was 14, my friend Shawn called to say he'd seen my then-girlfriend Maria kissing another guy at the middle school dance. Shawn rode his bike while I took my hurt feelings for a six-mile jaunt through the 'hood. I felt better afterwards and knew then I was hooked on running. Before we left, I played "Gonna Fly Now," the theme from the Rocky movies, to get juiced. Too Many Zooz 's "Warriors" is a good, horn-heavy modern-day substitute for "Gonna Fly Now." It's called "Warriors," so you know the vibe is right for facing down difficulty, like the pain of a broken heart or the back half of a marathon. "Learnin' Curve," Escape From the Zoo; "Boss Fight," Doom Scroll, mile 15"You ain't no weakling, dig your heels in, block the blows,..."/"just march on, move forward, hold onto the ones that mean most to you." My kids are in these bands and they've had some pretty cool moments recently. My son was one of 40 guitarists onstage for "The Decline," the very last song NOFX will ever play live anywhere, according to NOFX's Fat Mike. Marissa recently played Riot Fest with their band, Doom Scroll, alongside Beck, Fall Out Boy, The Offspring and more. They both have always been true inspirations to me. They've taught me if you want something go get it, even if it's just two sore feet from running too many miles. These songs are about not letting setbacks keep you from a goal, learning as we go along and leaning on loved ones to help "fight the boss." They'll keep me rolling. "I's Wide Shut," Gotdamn Jack Jones, mile 16 More Houston in the mix. Even though the chorus says "you can't run no more," this one's about taking chances and betting on yourself. We featured Jones' inspirational story and his fight against anxiety earlier this year and this track speaks perfectly to facing challenges, especially if doing so benefits us and others. As a music fan, I'm glad Jones stepped out on faith and can't wait to see where his soulful, honest music takes him. "The Walker," Fitz and the Tantrums, mile 19ause 99 miles per hour, baby, is how fast that I like to go." It's okay to walk some of the steps of the marathon - the actual one and the figurative one. I keep telling myself it's fine to take things down a notch when necessary. It's hard to do when you're a hummingbird listening to a buoyant song about feeling it in your soul. Fitz and the Tantrums are reminding me sometimes to make yourself happy or have success, you have to make adjustments. "Burning Desire," Lana Del Ray, The Wall"I drive fast, wind in my hair, I push it to the limit 'cause I just don't care, I've got a burning desire for you, baby." Saving the all-time perfect marathon song for "the wall," the part of the race past mile 20 which is allegedly most brutal. Del Ray's torch song is about longing, that aching, toss-and-turn desire for someone seemingly out of reach. It seeps into your skin because she sings it with such conviction. On a tough stretch of a run, it hits a different way, of course, but also the same. Passion. Longing. Desire. Running towards something seemingly out of reach. I see you finish line and damn, you fine. "El Baile y El Salon," Café Tacvba, mile 26"No quiero que dejemos de bailar así" This jubilant song is the one that'll bring me home, set near mile 26 when I hope to start seeing family and friends who've said they'll be there – not just in the playlist, but physically there - at the finish. It equates life to a dance hall and all of us dancers, but a race and all of us racers works, too. It always reminds me how grateful I am for this experience, how amazing it is to keep trying new things and, most of all, how blessed I am to have people in my life who make it all worth it. This song was introduced to me by the same friends who wondered if I was going to run the marathon, so full circle, I guess. I'll listen to it on the drive home too, my lightning bolt steering us back safely following an epic, nectar-rich, post-race party, wings barely beating but resting, just momentarily, 'til we fly to the next big adventure.