Music Monday: Women Who Rock my Runs

OK, I’m a day late with the Mother’s Day greetings, but hope all the moms out there had a happy day yesterday!

Today, while I was thinking about writing a post I went back to thinking about my mix for the More/Shape Half, which I put a lot of women musicians on. It’s a real mix too, not just club beats and not just Beyoncé, but Janet Jackson’s “Escapade” and Irene Cara’s “What a Feeling” and even the Spice Girls “Wannabe.” I don’t think that these songs are on the top of most people’s Most Played running mix list.

When I pick songs for my mixes, sure I look for beats and uptempos, but I also like a fun song, a song that makes me think of a time, a place or a person. I enjoy the distraction of singing along to my music at some points, and at others a song that is so familiar can sometimes be the background noise in my head to let me clear my mind, not thinking of anything specific, or sometimes the opposite as white noise to think on a problem or plan. My running music can be all these things to me.

So, here’s a list of some of my favorite women songs that may not be your typical running songs:

Katy Perry “Waking Up in Vegas”
Cyndi Lauper “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough”
Pink “Raise Your Glass”
Janet Jackson “Escapade”
Lady Antebellum “Bartender”
Annie Lenox “Walking on Broken Glass”

How about you? What are some of your favorite female artist songs on your running mix that might not seem like a “traditional” pick?