Sunday, April 04, 2010
I'm finally building up fitness at age 44. Although always sport-phobic - by the way I'm typing this against the noise of today's grand-prix, my husband watches them religiously - I know that I need to keep in shape. I may be only 5ft 2in, but I don't see why I should allow my body to look like all the female lumps of lard I see lumbering around town. My figure is pretty good, so I'm off to a good start.
Last December, I started jogging. I go out every other day, walking and jogging, armed with my MP3 and a water-bottle. I am feeling considerably stronger and my stamina is increasing. Just as well, because I've signed up to participate in the Adidas 5K run in September. I'm hoping that this will be the first of many runs; it's good to have something to work towards. To be honest I've often thought that if it wasn't for my MP3 I probably wouldn't go out jogging!
I have started to make a list of perfect tracks to jog to. They are mainly rock tracks, but I do like a variety and I couldn't bear to have nothing but relentless drum'n'bass; leave that stuff to boy-racers in the doomed vehicles that their daddies have paid for, fitted with absurdly noisy sound-systems. What's with that? Whenever I'm subjected to someone's car sound-system, it's always the same stuff!
It's damned hard to keep one's ears open to appreciate different music these days, because we're all expected to crave the marketing-campaign-pushed 'hits' booted at us by Simon You-know-who. Well, I'm having none of it. So far, my MP3 jogging list includes:
The Allman Brothers - 'Jessica' and 'One Way Out'
Terry Garthwaite - 'Rock and Roller'
Jack Bruce - 'Never Tell Your Mother She's Out of Tune'
Quincy Jones - 'Soul Bossa Nova'
DJ Spiller & Sophie Ellis-Bexter - 'Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)'
CCS - 'Tap Turns on the Water' and 'Whole Lotta Love'
Louis Prima - 'Angelina/Zooma Zooma'
Scouting for Girls - 'She's So Lovely'
Lou Reed - 'Sick Of You'
Iggy Pop - 'Real Wild Child'
The Who - 'Long Live Rock' and 'Won't Get Fooled Again'
Bernard Cribbens - 'Right Said Fred'
Duffy - 'Mercy'
KT Tunstall - 'Suddenly I See'
Johnny Dankworth - 'Tomorrow's World'
Velvet Underground - 'Foggy Notion' and 'Temptation Inside Your Heart'
Mike Flowers Pops - 'Velvet Underground Medley'
Sky - 'Westway'
Chas & Dave - 'Gertcha' and 'Rabbit'
The Band - 'Don't Do It' and 'Chest Fever' (both from the 'Rock of Ages' album)
Adam & The Ants - 'Goody Two Shoes'
Julie Brown - 'The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun'
Wham - 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go'
Janis Ian - 'Fly Too High' and 'Ride Me Like a Wave (wet mix)'
Frank Zappa - 'You Are What You Is'
I'm sure there will be more to add at frequent intervals - I'm doing what's known as Interval Training, after all! - but that's for starters. Unfortunately I can't get my husband to join me on the pavements and greens, he's an armchair sportsman. Anyway, were I to check his MP3 (he's yet to buy one actually) it's sure to contain dozens of Genesis, Marillion and Shins tracks - I don't mind admitting I'm a snob, because that selection is not my idea of enjoyable stimulation!
I've downloaded a few mixes - twenty-minute groupings of disco or rock tracks - and have to agree that the choice of records is pretty good, a constant pace etc. Occasionally I have to endure the Bee Gees, Bryan Adams or Phil Collins, but as they say, 'No Pain, No Gain'!
More Who and Band needed, then.
Last December, I started jogging. I go out every other day, walking and jogging, armed with my MP3 and a water-bottle. I am feeling considerably stronger and my stamina is increasing. Just as well, because I've signed up to participate in the Adidas 5K run in September. I'm hoping that this will be the first of many runs; it's good to have something to work towards. To be honest I've often thought that if it wasn't for my MP3 I probably wouldn't go out jogging!
I have started to make a list of perfect tracks to jog to. They are mainly rock tracks, but I do like a variety and I couldn't bear to have nothing but relentless drum'n'bass; leave that stuff to boy-racers in the doomed vehicles that their daddies have paid for, fitted with absurdly noisy sound-systems. What's with that? Whenever I'm subjected to someone's car sound-system, it's always the same stuff!
It's damned hard to keep one's ears open to appreciate different music these days, because we're all expected to crave the marketing-campaign-pushed 'hits' booted at us by Simon You-know-who. Well, I'm having none of it. So far, my MP3 jogging list includes:
The Allman Brothers - 'Jessica' and 'One Way Out'
Terry Garthwaite - 'Rock and Roller'
Jack Bruce - 'Never Tell Your Mother She's Out of Tune'
Quincy Jones - 'Soul Bossa Nova'
DJ Spiller & Sophie Ellis-Bexter - 'Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)'
CCS - 'Tap Turns on the Water' and 'Whole Lotta Love'
Louis Prima - 'Angelina/Zooma Zooma'
Scouting for Girls - 'She's So Lovely'
Lou Reed - 'Sick Of You'
Iggy Pop - 'Real Wild Child'
The Who - 'Long Live Rock' and 'Won't Get Fooled Again'
Bernard Cribbens - 'Right Said Fred'
Duffy - 'Mercy'
KT Tunstall - 'Suddenly I See'
Johnny Dankworth - 'Tomorrow's World'
Velvet Underground - 'Foggy Notion' and 'Temptation Inside Your Heart'
Mike Flowers Pops - 'Velvet Underground Medley'
Sky - 'Westway'
Chas & Dave - 'Gertcha' and 'Rabbit'
The Band - 'Don't Do It' and 'Chest Fever' (both from the 'Rock of Ages' album)
Adam & The Ants - 'Goody Two Shoes'
Julie Brown - 'The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun'
Wham - 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go'
Janis Ian - 'Fly Too High' and 'Ride Me Like a Wave (wet mix)'
Frank Zappa - 'You Are What You Is'
I'm sure there will be more to add at frequent intervals - I'm doing what's known as Interval Training, after all! - but that's for starters. Unfortunately I can't get my husband to join me on the pavements and greens, he's an armchair sportsman. Anyway, were I to check his MP3 (he's yet to buy one actually) it's sure to contain dozens of Genesis, Marillion and Shins tracks - I don't mind admitting I'm a snob, because that selection is not my idea of enjoyable stimulation!
I've downloaded a few mixes - twenty-minute groupings of disco or rock tracks - and have to agree that the choice of records is pretty good, a constant pace etc. Occasionally I have to endure the Bee Gees, Bryan Adams or Phil Collins, but as they say, 'No Pain, No Gain'!
More Who and Band needed, then.
Labels: Jogging, MP3, music, playlist
