God Bless the iPod...and Christina Aguilera

I always enjoy running with music, and I love my little metallic green iPod Shuffle that is 1 square inch in size and clips conveniently on to Hank's leash. Today, my appreciation for my iPod...and Christina Aguilera... went to an entirely new level. Hank and I were 9 miles into an 11-mile run. I was getting tired...it was hot...I was hungry...I just wanted to get home. Then, I had a major burst of energy...thanks to Christina Aguilera's "Fighter". I changed up the words a little to make it more appropriate for running:

Makes me that much stronger,
Makes me work a little bit harder,
Makes me that much wiser,
Thanks for making me a fighter.
Made me run a little faster,
Made my skin a little bit thicker,
Makes me that much smarter,
Thanks for making me a fighter.

I listened to it 5 times in a row, and finished the run in record time and I even ran a negative split. I've always enjoyed the song, which is why is it on my playlist to begin with, and I've heard it many, many times. But isn't it interesting how sometimes a song will hit you with a certain something and you hear it in a completely different way? Same thing happed to me during the Los Angeles marathon when my iPod began playing "The Hard Way" by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Both are great songs to pick you up when you're in a training slump. Run on...