26 Tracks for 26 Miles
Listen Up! MindHandle Mix Vol. 2: Sweat With Swagger just hit Spotify. This playlist turns up the volume, with high-energy tracks for pounding serious pavement. Here’s our interview with our senior copywriter and resident long-distance runner, Abi Morgan.
Abi, how would you describe this mix?
This mix is dedicated to my fellow female long-distance runners—and their lost toenails.
It’s a battle cry encompassing all the swagger you need to carry you over the finish line. It’s like a pep talk, dance party, and bar fight in your eardrums, all at once.
Ladies, pop your ear buds in, slather up with Bodyglide, and go for the gold like the boss you are.
What inspired you to choose the theme?
I’ve spent the last 16 weeks training for my third marathon.
Every training season is mental and physical a rollercoaster; some runs you feel on fire, others you get burned. The key to your success is to keep going, no matter what.
Race day, for me, is more of a celebration than a competition. It’s payday after putting hundreds of miles into my piggy bank. After countless band-aids, bruises, passed-up Saturday night plans, and late-night trips to Chipotle, I get to reap the rewards of my hard work.
This playlist is celebratory—not because I’m counting my bling before I’m medaled— but because the fact that I made it to the starting line means I already won.
What is your favorite song on this mix?
“Shake It Out” by Florence and the Machine.
When running a marathon, anything you take with you—food, fuel, tissues, headphones—will weigh you down. The trick to take just enough of what you need, and leave the rest behind. This song describes the emotional version of this phenomenon. You’ve gotta leave your baggage behind in the dust to become the best version of yourself.
If this mix was a brand, which brand would it be and why?
Nike. I know that’s the obvious choice, but… if the running shoe fits... Their ads have such a distinct, unapologetic voice. This playlist is just as fierce.
What’s the secret to creating a great running mix?
There’s a reason they call it “endurance” sports. Marathon training isn’t complete without literal blood, sweat, and tears. To cross the finish line, you must keep pushing through the pain: physical and mental.
At best, your body and drive are tested, daily. At worst, training can feel like full blown mental warfare. That’s why the secret to a great marathon mix is keeping the energy high at all times. A few seconds of silence and your confidence can slip through the cracks. Keep the pedal to the metal, and get what you came for: the gold, the glory, and the satisfaction you gave it all you got.
Do any of the songs bring up a specific memory?
I put my running mix on shuffle the morning of my first marathon in 2016. Like other runners in my corral, I was antsy, shaking my hands out, packed in tight with the other thousands of runners in my group. And there were thousands. I was floored by the sheer number of competitors. I had no idea there were so many people as crazy as me—people who, after learning the first guy to ever run a recorded marathon dropped dead immediately after, said “Yeah, I gotta try that.”
I hadn’t paid much attention to ‘Clearest Blue’ before, but as the buzzer sounded, and the horde of runners in my corral gained momentum, jogging into a run at the starting line, I was certain it was the most meaningful song in the world. It still gives me chills.
Happy trails and good luck to Abi on her third marathon in two weeks!
Follow Mindhandle on Spotify and stay tuned for MindHandle Mixtape Vol. 3 available next Friday.
