The Importance of Feeling Epic

I've got a few new songs added to my running playlist.  I usually pick songs because of their tempo or their bass or strong, definitive beat.  These songs have a lot of that, but they also have another quality.  They evoke the kind of feeling I need sometimes when I run.  That feeling?  Epic. I don't if most people see the word "epic" as being a feeling or emotion, but I do. 

So why do I need to feel epic?  Lots of reasons, I guess.
-  My day to day life is rather un-epic.  I love my life, don't get me wrong.  But for the most part it's get up, feed kids, clean up after kids, make food, go to bed.  Sometimes, a gal needs something epic to happen.  Sometimes I get my wish.  Sometimes I get to go rock climbing.  Other times, I even get to travel.  Sometimes something else exciting happens. 
-  Running can be hard.  Running can be a great battle of wills at times.  Getting a feeling that what you're doing is epic goes a long way when the running gets hard. 
-  I need to feel that what I'm doing is important and worthwhile.  Period.

Music can make one feel epic.  A good movie score will do that trick.  A song that speaks to you on some level can do it too.  Try this.....go running on a day when most would think you're crazy for doing so, say, during a blizzard, and pump your epic music loud and pick up the pace.  You'll feel epic and it is such a rush when you do. 

Here are some songs that make me feel epic or make running seem epic:

"Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons

"The Cave" by Mumford and Sons  (If you don't start running faster when those banjos kick in, then there is something wrong with you.)

"Bleeding Out"  by Imagine Dragons  (I love these guys)

"Test Drive" from How to Train Your Dragon  (There is a part at the end where you simply must sprint.)

 "Promontory" from Last of the Mohicans  (Beautiful film, gorgeous score and there is a whole lot of running throughout.  I use this one on a long up hill run.)

Some of these songs have a fast tempo or a good beat, but all have a great feeling to them.  I never skip over them during a run and I sometimes listen to them twice.

Why is it important to feel epic?  I don't know.  I guess when I'm running, working what seems to be every muscle I have, I need the emotion to go with it.  That's the addictive part about running.  It's not the muscles you attain or the races you win, it's the emotion you get from it.  I've described it before as a euphoria or a giddy happy feeling.  That is true.  But for me, at least, it's the emotion you get from feeling momentarily epic.


Happy Running!