I ran a 10K! Way ahead of schedule!

Things feel bleak. Running helps. One of my goals for 2026 was to run a 10k by the end of the year. I hit that today. Maybe that just means I’m extra anxious right now, but mixed in with the anxiety is a little bit of pride that I managed this.

Also, here is the music that accompanied me on that run, and what it makes me think of.

• Something About You, Level 42: The smell of cigarette smoke outside Luckett
• Dream Gone By, Peter Murphy: Some of the most heartbreaking lyrics ever written
• Capital G, Nine Inch Nails: Timely. So many people have forgotten what they used to stand for
• Plenty, Sarah McLachlan: This one helped me through a dark place, long ago
• Only If For a Night, Florence and the Machine: Makes me think about the heart and the muse
• Mining for Gold, Cowboy Junkies: So sweet to listen to in the dark
• From the River, Elbow: Like a young Peter Gabriel
• Less Than, Nine Inch Nails: My current favorite; did it fix what was wrong with you?
• Life’s What You Make It, Talk Talk: Makes me want to drink a margarita in the rain
• Bad (Live), U2: One of the few songs where I prefer a live version to a studio version
• Silent All These Years, Tori Amos: Boy, you best pray that I bleed real soon. How’s that thought for you?
• Ruiner, Nine Inch Nails: We all know someone like this
• Persephone, Daisy the Great: Everyone has always been afraid of powerful women
• The Hand That Feeds, Nine Inch Nails: I hope that people want to change
• True Faith, New Order: I hated going to dance clubs but at least we got to listen to good music