Music Designed for Running

High-intensity, cadence-based music designed specifically for running.

I’ve Been Tagged.

in the category: Hella Sound

The wonderful @itsamarython has been kind enough to blog tag me. Who am I to object?

Slow runner and Girl Scout Cookie fan (coincidence...?) John Frenette is the Founder of Hella Sound Running Music. Tweet him silly at @HellaSound.

The Rules

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you've tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section like "you are tagged if you are reading this". You (the blogger) legitimately have to tag 11 (or so) people.

11 Random Things About Me

1. I can't dance for shit. I have a great sense of rhythm, I feel music deeply, I'm coordinated... I just cannot dance well. It kills me. I can follow salsa/merengue steps, or pick up ballroom stuff, but social club/wedding dancing is the death of me.
2. I smoked for 10 years and loved it. Yes, it's horrible; it's destructive, expensive, and will kill you to death. What can I say? I had my first cigarette at the 1987 Chicago Jazz Festival, and it was love at first puff. I will never, ever, ever have another cigarette (I quit years and years ago), but it was a lot of fun while it lasted.
3. I look forward to being a dad. We don't have kids on the way yet or anything, but I've thought A LOT about the relationship and mentoring process I would have with my child for a long, long time. Like since I was a kid. I used to make mental notes, like "I gotta remember to explain x in such-and-such way to my child when they're my age—it'll help them understand what's going on." Someday we hope to have kids, and I know all your planning goes WHOOOSH! out the window, but still... It's a complex world out there, and sharing what I've learned (and learning with them) would be an amazing adventure.
4. Never in a million years did I think I'd be a runner. I was broad as a kid—never fat, but thick. I was a bit of a gym rat. I loved weight lifting and hated cardio. I did shotput and discus in highschool track. I'm not built like a "runner". And, ironically, my knees were always a mess UNTIL I started running. Figure that one out.
5. Sharks terrify me. Damn you, Peter Benchley.
6. I don't really like bugs, either. But killing them, when need be, is my duty at home, so you gotta do what you gotta do.
7. I guess I'm kind of a nancy, when it comes down to it. But people don't scare me so much, so you're welcome to call me a nancy to my face. :)
8. I'm ambidextrous. Mostly. I could switch-hit in baseball, can box orthodox and southpaw, and with some practice could probably write passably with my left, even though I'm a righty.
9. I'm an obsessive meeting doodler. I try not to, but it just happens.
10. The internet saved me. The question "what do you want to be when you grew up?" really sucked; funnily, what I wanted to be didn't exist yet when I was pondering this question. I considered a gajillion career paths in high school and college; ad copywriter, fashion design, commercial artist... the list goes on and on. By an incredibly stroke of luck, and the help of a great friend, I ended up in Web Development. I learned code, design, application architecture, and eventually moved my way up the chain in the corporate world. Lucky, lucky me to come of age in a time when so many jobs were available for emerging technology. Lucky, lucky, lucky.
11. I have faith in science. I believe humans have used various methods to make sense of their world since, well... since they've been trying to make sense of their world. Since time immemorial. Stories served to explain the not-easily-explainable for thousands of years. Science has emerged as a method to quantifiably explain the world in a rational, contestable, measurable way. We now have testable proof and knowledge at our disposal. And it is constantly evolving. It's beautiful, because—while we don't have all the answers—we have a rational approach, and a method to know the unknowable.

Here are @itsamarython's questions for me

1. Other sports you've played in your life, whether in high school, middle school, or college. I played like 11 years of baseball (little league, usually made the all-star team), soccer, football, pond hockey with buddies—pretty much every sport someone could do. I was always pretty rotten at basketball but played pick-up games in my youth.
2. Best race ever. 2009 Las Vegas RockNRoll Half Marathon. I went in with a jacked-up ankle, but PR'd with a 2:29:42, and was elated. I had 3 of my 30-minute songs (particularly "What Are You Made Of?!?") at 175BPM on continuous loop, and just busted my ass. 2:29 ain't fast for some, but it was fast for me.
3. How many times have you been in love? 4. Which may seem like a lot, but I think your concept of "love" evolves over time. Well, I'd think it would. Mine did.
4. Pen or pencil. And why? Pen. Darker, bolder, more consistent lines, more permanent. Perfect for meeting doodling.
5. Dream job. Doing Hella Sound Running Music, really. Composing, recording and producing music for running is a dream come true. It addresses my creative side, my entrepreneurial itch, and involves sports and athletics. Tough to beat.
6. Complete this sentence: "I feel most comfortable while..." ...let's keep this PG, kids. I have a little red wine buzz, and am talking with smart people about ideas. Politics, music, culture, religion... it's all fascinating to me, and that's my happy place.
7. Fav food. If I know you well enough, I may or may not make it for you, because I'm a decent cook/baker. Wow. I'd have to say seared foie gras. But I like food in its many wonderful forms.
8. Guilty pleasure. I was raised Catholic, so all pleasures are guilty. And I'm a bit of a hedonist, so mark me down as "yes".
9. Biggest pet peeve. Or you can have multiple. Pet peeves. To me, the root of all enmity is lack of courtesy, and awareness of other people; all sorts of peeves fall neatly under this umbrella. Mouth noises (lip-smack gum chewing, bubble popping, eating loudly). Discourteous driving. Gluing yourself to your smart phone in the midst of an otherwise social situation. Being rude to service people (bartenders, servers, checkout people, etc). Wake up people. Be aware of your surroundings. Wake the f**k up.
10. If you could change ONE thing about yourself or your life, what would it be and why? Greater understanding/compassion. I think knowing what people are going through, and being aware of how they feel can inform a lot of behavior and interaction; the deeper your compassion and understanding, the better your appreciation for others' facets, foibles and whatnot.
11. Pre-race ritual. I try to get good sleep 2 nights before, and try to eat a bagel about an hour before race time. Plus the whole hydrate-and-pee-a-lot cycle. Gotta be hydrated, but you don't want to have to run with a full bladder, right?

My questions for you

These are the ones YOU answer (in addition to the 11 random things).

1. Would you rather be constantly itchy, or constantly sticky? I'm talking, like, 24-7, round-the-clock, itchy or sticky. Choose. And why?
2. Where do you see your fitness in 10 years?
3. For $1 million, would you eat only liquid foods for 6 months? Everything in liquid form; you want steak? Put it in a blender. Liquid. No solids whatsoever.
4. What is your ultimate psych-up song?
5. Can music make you cry? If so, which song?
6. If you had to choose just one superpower, what would it be? Why?
7. Would you rather be 8 feet tall or 4 feet tall? Don't underestimate the difficulties of being very tall—finding clothing, driving compact cars, etc.
8. Camping or luxury hotel?
9. For $1 million, would you grow out a full-on Billy Ray Cyrus mullet and wear it proudly for 3 months?
10. If you were banned from wearing shoes (of any kind) ever again, would you keep running?
11. If your TV would only play episodes of Gilligan's Island over and over, back-to-back, and nothing else, would you still periodically turn it on and watch?

Taggin' Time

Now I get to tag 11 people and have 'em answer up my 11 questions. If you're tagged, you'll know it! I look forward to reading your responses to my questions.

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