I’ve always loved music, all kinds of music. OK, not ALL kinds. I have a clear preference for classic rock, pop rock, and surf music.

Music has been part of the most important moments of my life. I was that guy who carried a walkman (I’m really getting old!) or CD player everywhere. So when the portable players came along it was like a dream came true.

Truth is, without a good playlist I don’t know if I could run 15 minutes. I think I’ve never even tried. A good playlist is like “emotional caffeine” when I’m running.

My playlists are part of the reason I started running and why I keep running. After all, it’s my time off. It’s my way to blow steam. Release the stress. Recharge the batteries.

This is my favorite playlist for 5K races. Total time is a little over 27 minutes and the order is important for me. I love to finish with Read My Mind from The Killers. They have great songs for running. Sometimes I skip Alright in order to finish with my favorite song. My performance also gets a boost with Move Along, Take Me Out and Thanks for the Memory. I don’t know why. It’s not rational. It’s the “emotional caffeine” at its best. Enjoy!

• Amazing / Seal (3:02)
• Mr. Brightside / The Killers (3:42)
• Move Along / The All-American Rejects (3:58)
• Thanks For The Memories / Fall Out Boy (3:26)
• Somebody Told Me / The Killers (3:17)
• Take Me Out / Franz Ferdinand (3:13)
• Alright / Supergrass (3:03)
• Read My Mind / The Killers (4:07)

If you have a chance to try this playlist out, tell me what you think. If you have your own playlist for 5K races let me know... I'd love to know what you listen to while you run.

Cheers,

Marcelo.

My dear friends,

It’s really interesting how some decisions are made.

Last night, I was playing couch potato with Maira (my wife) and watching the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games when I reached out to book called “Marathon: You can do it!” that I borrowed from my friend Juliano Tubino. I had no intention to run a marathon or even read the book – seriously – but Juliano sold me on the idea of taking it and I didn’t want to be impolite.

Motivated by a surprisingly good result in the Covey Run 10K in Woodinville two weeks ago (I know 54min is not great but it was enough to make me happy… after all it was my first 10K) I started reading the book around 10PM. After 3 hours I finished it and I couldn’t sleep… the adrenalin was running through my veins. Would it be possible to prepare for a marathon in just a few months? I’ve never thought about it and suddenly the idea seemed real.

When I got to work this morning I went to talk to Juliano and in less than 1 hour we had all figured out: training plan, race schedule, online resources, etc. We also enlisted Alex Pombo, another Brazilian friend who alos likes to run. Apparently, if you have a group of people running with you, the job is easier and the whole thing seems less crazy that it really is!

And that’s why I decided to write about this adventure in my personal blog. Maira does such a great keeping our “family blog” updated that I wouldn’t dare touch it. My professional blog is not the place for this sort of thing either.

So, in the upcoming months, I hope to tell you some interesting stories about the trainings, the playlists, the trips and the people that will be part of this journey…

… 1st stop: Nike Human Race Portland 10K, Aug 31st 2008

… 2nd stop: Seattle Half-Marathon, Nov 20th 2008

… 3rd stop: Vancouver Marathon, May 3rd 2009

In my (pipe) dreams: New York, Honolulu and Boston… (yes, Boston… you can laugh now if you want).