Happy St.Patrick's Day!

Yes, it is finally here. After weeks of anticipation, it is time to celebrate all things Irish. Put on that one green shirt you own and get ready to drink a beer, and eat some fatty meat and stinky vegetables. Now, I think I have license to comment on the tradition of St. Patrick's since I am actually Irish. My middle name is Cooney, which is my mother's maiden name, which is very Irish. So besides a big helping of Swedish and Welsh, I can identify at least a little with the Irish. Growing up, my mother always made home-baked Irish soda bread, and of course St. Patrick's would not be complete without corned beef and cabbage for dinner. Now to me, there are little other meals on earth that I would rather NOT eat. I mean boiled meat, with boiled cabbage? I remember how disgusting the house smelled when it was being cooked. Yuck. You had to put so much mustard or ketchup on it to make it remotely palatable, I never understood it.

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day in class, I have been playing my Irish playlist. I came up with it last year and tweaked it a bit this time around. It's pretty good, lots of speed. All the songs are either by Irish artists or is "Irish" music. One song is from the soundtrack of the movie "Titanic". Guess who built the Titanic? I don't think they were driving though :) Anyway, it is a good workout, more based on fast cadence than heavy resistance, although there are some hills. And TWO songs of jumps for a special treat!

I have done my Irish duty so far. I have one of my few green shirts on, my least favorite color next to purple, I have shamrocks on the table and in the window, soda bread is being consumed, and for dinner it will be my interpretation of corned beef and cabbage in the form of Reuben sandwiches for everyone. Much more tasty and the house doesn't stink like old shoes.

Hope you are having a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. That pot of gold is probably right in front of you...I know I have rainbows dancing around so it must be close :)

Irish Music (53 minutes)

1.Where the Streets Have No Name- U2 (warm up)
2.One Last Drink- Enter the Haggis (run)
3.Come On Eileen- Dexy's Midnight Runners (run, heavy resistance at end)
4.Irish Washerwoman- Pa's Fiddle Band (jumps)
5.Vertigo- U2 (run)
6.Lancaster Castle- Enter the Haggis (climb 2 min standing, 2 min seated)
7.I'm Shipping Up to Boston- Dropkick Murphys (run)
8.Breathless- The Corrs (recovery run)
9.An Irish Party Third Class- Gaelic Storm/Titanic soundtrack (run)
10.Jump Around- House of Pain (jumps)
11.Sunday Bloody Sunday- U2 (climb)
12.Nancy Whiskey- Gaelic Storm (run)
13.Bagpipe Medley/Dear Old Donegal- The Irish Guards (cool down)

Saliante'!

Portia