Reach for the Sky

KFOG is playing songs in alphabetical order this week. They used to do it on long weekends and I thought that was such an interesting way for them to program music. I guess I still do. When I listen to my iPod Shuffle, though, I prefer it to do just that. So my setting is almost always set to:


When I'm running jogging, I like being surprised by Social Distortion's "Reach for the Sky." It's corny, but it really does motivate me no matter where I am in the run or what my level of energy. Its rhythm, pace, notes (?) and the singer's voice are what get me going, but yeah, I'll admit it, its lyrics also inspire. Depending on the run, "Reaching for the Sky" can mean:

• running faster/farther than usual


• keeping the current pace


• not stopping

In one of its non-run applications it brings to mind my friend who found in skydiving an incredible freedom, perhaps from those mysterious headaches. The first time I heard the song, I imagined R. hurtling from a plane, not even knowing, in those first seconds, whether the sky was up or down.

In another, the whistle that begins the song resounded through my earpieces, interrupting my contemplation through the bus window of the sun and landscape on the road between Ronda and Marbella a little over two years ago. I was recalling another trip along that same stretch of road more than ten years prior when it was raining and the road was wet. As we went into a skid, I looked out my window and saw, not pavement, but air, and below that air, earth on a steep incline. My brother got the car back in line with the road, but didn't drive again that trip. When the song ended, so did my Space Mountain-esque trip down Memory Highway. I pulled a folder from my briefcase and re-read the e-mails from my mentor in which he reiterated his recommendation that I "go beyond the MA". For the first time, I sort of agreed with his assessment of me as someone who might be capable of advanced studies. But more than that, realized that I very much wanted to continue studying and that I was ready for something new.
So, basically, I applied...

And, yeah, I think that if you need a musical motivation, especially the physical kind, crank up whatever song it is that gets your butt in gear. If it's cheesy and makes you feel like the protagonist who triumphs over adversity in a sports movie a la Rocky, all the better.

But...For the love of God, just don't let anyone catch you singing along with it in the grocery store. ;)

If anyone out there is commenting... What songs make you feel like going faster, longer, harder, or otherwise pushing your limits? (Sorry, but "That's what she said" is not a legitimate comment.)