On race day, I never listen to my music the whole time. I get a lot of energy from my surroundings--the cheering crowds, the sound of thousands of runners, the music blaring from someone else's speakers. However, a half marathon is a long distance, and by about mile 10, I'm ready to give myself a boost. That's how I came up with my "last 30" plan. I used it last year and loved it, so I brought it back for last Saturday's race.
Here's how the "last 30" plan works: As described, I spend the first 10 miles of my race enjoying the excitement you can only get on race day. Once I know I only have three miles left, I plug in my earphones and start my playlist. This playlist is a special one because it is made up of all the songs I couldn't get enough of during this year's training--the songs that I blasted at the gym again and again and again. Hearing them play me through the last minutes of my race is pretty awesome. I especially needed the music this year. After my long, emotional night, I was dragging. My playlist was like my training buddy, pushing me through just one more song... just one more song....
Best of all, a "last 30" playlist is super short (as implied, just about 30 minutes, or the last three miles), which is MUCH easier to set up the night before a race than a playlist of two hours. Actually, now that I look at it, my list is about an hour long because there were too many good songs I wanted to include. ;)
Without further ado (in case you're interested):
Dark Fantasy - Kanye West
Even Flow - Pearl Jam
Kids - MGMT
Uprising - Muse
Pardon Me - Incubus
Show Me the Way - Peter Frampton
Have a Cigar - Pink Floyd
Tight - INXS
Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim Remix) - Beastie Boys
Kings and Queens - 30 Seconds to Mars