Tunesday: "A Day at the Races," Jurassic 5

Here we are: Dallas Marathon race week. On Sunday, I'll race my third 26.2. A year ago — Dec. 4, 2011 — I ran my first marathon, the White Rock Marathon (for those not in Dallas-Fort Worth, it's the same race, just a different name and course).

I don't plan to heel-click this year; I
want to finish sprinting and cross that
line with nothing in the tank.

I had little idea what to expect last year. I had trained for months and logged a couple 20-plus long runs; but nothing could prepare me for what it felt like to actually race that distance and actually finish a marathon. It was tough (cold and wet). It hurt (stiff legs needed stretching after 20 miles), and my ancient iPod died right around 20 miles, too (the last song I heard: the "Grey Album" version of "99 Problems").

Leading up to this Sunday, I've trained smarter and I have a well-charged Shuffle that will last much longer than I'll need. And I have an extraordinary playlist that includes one of my favorite hip-hop groups — Jurassic 5, who rank just below the Beastie Boys in my world. I didn't grow up with J5 like I did the B-Boys, but I picked up on the group when I first heard "What's Golden," probably their best-known track (DMB fans better not say "What about 'Work It Out'?" ... though, I confess, the video has its moments).

But "A Day at the Races" is my all-time fave J5 track. That beat, that bass line, the BPM are all perfect. And each rapper's section, including a guest spot by Big Daddy Kane, is tight as can be. I could probably run half of the marathon solely listening to this track. I won't, but I could.