Superbowl, and a different kind of pregaming...

Superbowl Sunday means a few things. First and foremost, it means football. Secondly, commercials. And third, but not necessarily last, it means food. I do not count the half time show. It is a contrived act, used by musicians to promote themselves, the NFL to make more cash, and most importantly it usually has nothing to do with football. I think who sings the national anthem and how it's done are more important, and generally more impressive. Three halftime shows stand out...ever. First was Superbowl XXXV, when the Ravens beat the Giants. The halftime show included Aerosmith, NSync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and was produced by MTV (around the same time MTV stopped being relevant). The show was great, and it ended with all of them collaborating on a version of Walk this Way on par with the Aerosmith/Run DMC version from the 80s.

Then, the following year, U2 did halftime. I'm not really sure how the band from Dublin worked its way into a tribute to America following 9/11. But you know what? It worked. That halftime show took on its own significance in American culture, as the name of every person that lost their life that day was run over the scrim behind them. Very moving.
The last of the three, came two years later. That's the one with Janet Jackson. If you don't know what happened, call the FCC.

Back to the food, though. Food is important. You have to plan for the Superbowl like you would for Thanksgiving. There are sacrifices to be made. Plus, in my case, it doesn't hurt to get a good run in before, as well. Today, that's exactly what I did. With over 6 hours of pregame festivities, interviews, and other media lead up to the kickoff, I decided it was best to hit the gym.

A run was all I needed, and even though it was around 40 degrees out, I decided inside was better. It was a great choice. My runs lately have been great, and even though they're on the treadmill, these runs haven't been deceiving. Using the random button, or simply setting the incline really makes a difference, because it helps translate the workout to the road.

Today, I ran for 40 minutes, with 5 more walking. The first 35 minutes were done at speeds between 6.3 and 8.5 mph (minutes 32-35 were done at 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, and 8.5 mph respectively). I changed speeds when the song changed on the iPod. In the 45 minutes on the treadmill, i had gone 4.7 miles, and burned 869 calories. Right now, I feel great, and there's about 2 hours to kick off. Plus, the music during this run was mostly things I hadn't heard in a while.

Workout playlist:

1. Handlebars-Flobots (Doesn't this remind you of Eminem? Interesting video, too)
2. Of All the Gin Joints in All the World-Fall Out Boy (Probably my favorite Fall Out Boy song. In the words of Altieri "Great Tune!")
3. I'm Not Over-Carolina Liar (The best discovery of 2008)
4. You're the Reason I'm Leaving-Franz Ferdinand (Great song, bad fan video...I'm not into House. I think he's rude. Then again, I used to think that Michael Scott was just painful to watch. Things change, so this might)
5. Send Me on My Way-Rusted Root
6. Welcome to the Black Parade-My Chemical Romance (Great with the key change)
7. Denise-Fountains of Wayne
8. The Fallen-Franz Ferdinand
9. Teenagers-My Chemical Romance (Flippin scary)
10. Beat It-Michael Jackson (Eddie Van Halen's solo is still awesome, and the video is still pretty great, despite the dancing gangs)
11. God Gave Rock & Roll to You-KISS (Really, I prefer the Wyld Stallyns version, check out Keanu's sweet beard...oh and they didn't even bother to cover the fact that it was still the KISS version in the movie)
12. Shake It-Metro Station
13. Eleanor Rigby-David Cook cover