100 Miles of Music: Mile 1.04

Photo: Thomas Beck

Over the past few weeks I've been working with my doctor to get my blood sugar down. He adjusted a few prescriptions and it is helping quite a bit. I've also been walking and that helps drive it down too.

I track the walks I take on a smartphone app called Endomondo (it's free). It uses the GPS in your smartphone to track the mileage, calories burned, etc. I just started a challenge for the casual walker on Endomondo. The challenge is to walk 100 miles by the end of the year. With 145 or so days left in 2012, that leaves quite a few "free" days. I would love for you to join the challenge.

It's 100 degrees out this afternoon, so I drove to a mall to do my walking and was met with the scent of perfume and cologne the second I entered. That made me think of the '80s. Not a day passed in which I didn't squirt a little Drakkar on before going anywhere.

As I started four laps around the mall, I took advantage of my iPod's shuffle feature and that led to one of the strangest mixtures of songs anybody has probably ever listened to. Thought it might be fun to list the songs periodically in a series called "100 Miles of Music."

The Good Life by Casey James. It's ironic to begin my walking challenge with a song title that is also the motto of the state I live in. And, I suspect, if I keep up with the challenge, I'll be walking toward the good life, metaphorically speaking.

Believe by Stryper. Hey, there's nothing wrong with a little Stryper. Yellow and black attack baby. You have to be at least 40 to even know what I'm talking about.

5150 by Van Halen. Van Hagar rules.

I Will Celebrate by Various Artists. Nothing like a good worship song to provide motivation.

Northern Sky by Nick Drake. This is from the Notting Hill soundtrack. It's the song that is playing as Jonathan sprawls out on the ice at the end of the movie. Sara hurls a glove from across the pond and it lands perfectly on Jonathan. No making fun of this scene or this movie. It's one of my all-time favorites.

Gonna Come Down by Zwarte'. Not one of their better songs.

Workin' On It by Casey James. A song about doing our part to make improvements, which makes it a perfect walking song.

Don't Let Me Down by No Doubt. Forgot I even owned this song.

The Nightingale by Trisha Yearwood. Don't think I have ever even listened to this one. Probably won't listen to it again any time soon.

It's Never Easy to Say Goodbye by Wynonna Judd. No it's not.

Distance walked: 1.04 miles
Total distance since August 7: 1.04 miles
Goal = 100 miles by December 31