A Runner’s Rhythm of Resilience

Tune Up Tuesday with Alexandra Sizemore on her Evolution of Sound and Self

Tune-Up Tuesday is a weekly series of The Monday Morning Coach, helping all of us to stay motivated past the Monday morning motivational and into Tuesday, when the reality of persistence is more difficult to carry out than the concept itself. The objective is to interview and profile artists, athletes, former athletes, and coaches to offer varying perspectives on how music influences the way we compete, workout, and stay motivated when it’s sometimes difficult.

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Our next Tune-Up Tuesday guest is a phenomenal writer, disciplined runner, and open book, sharing parts of her life that help us remember to live. 

Her name is

Alexandra Sizemore

. She’s been married nine years and works as a Business Intelligence Solutions Manager at a sports sponsorship valuation company.

But if you subscribe to Alexandra’s newsletter,

Overdistance

(you should really subscribe to it—like, right now), you’ll learn there’s much more to her and life. I’ve benefitted from reading her work, remembering I can be many things besides “just” a coach, husband, or citizen. I have unique desires, tastes, likes, dislikes, and passions. It’s what makes us all human. The following Q&A with Alexandra will hopefully help you remember the same as she shares her tastes in music, tastes in life, and what makes her tick. Enjoy!

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The Monday Morning Coach: Okay Alexandra, Spotify or Apple Music? Or something else?

Alexandra Sizemore: Spotify, but I’ve also started going back to using my iPod lately

TMMC: What’s on your “Recently Played” section of your streaming service?

AS: Always my “Liked Songs” playlist. We got a nice little coldfront here last week, so I was playing my Autumn playlist that I've been adding to for about 12 years now. “Black Love” by The Afghan Whigs.

TMMC: What’s a genre of music the people you know might be surprised you’re into?

AS: Probably just general pop music. I was an emo kid in high school and I went to school in Mississippi, where I got into alt-country, but I also really love Kesha. If I vibe with a song, I don't really care what the genre is. I'm going to keep listening to it.

TMMC: Playlists or albums? And why?

AS: I think there's a place for both. I have a ton of playlists on my Spotify (and many of them were ported over from iTunes before that), but when I really get to know a band, I tend to listen to them through full albums. I don't tend to make as many playlists now, but my “Liked Songs” playlist spans the entire time I've been on Spotify, so different sections of that playlist are their own little playlists that relate to a certain time in my life.

TMMC: When preparing for a big meeting or event, what’s your go-to song, playlist, album, or genre? And why?

AS: I have a particular playlist that I listen to before big events that I want to get in the right mindset for. I created it in college originally, and it only contains songs that get me hyped up. One special song on there came from a professor of mine in college, who turned on U2's “Sunday Bloody Sunday” for us before a final exam and told us that he used to listen to that song to get hyped up for wrestling meets. I've listened to this playlist before every marathon I've run and most other races as well, but I also listened to it before my exams in college..

TMMC: How has your taste in music evolved over the years, and what does that say about your personal growth?

AS: It's absolutely broadened. I've never really been a music snob, but in high school, I mostly listened to emo and rock and metal music. As I've grown up, I've been introduced to more genres and bands by the people I've gotten to know in life. My music tastes are in large part a reflection of the people I've known in my life, which is pretty neat. It feels like just another way that my little thread is woven into the tapestry of humanity.

“I didn't feel like I ever had or needed an excuse for not being great at something; I just needed to work harder.” —Alexandra Sizemore

TMMC: Do you prefer listening to music solo or sharing it with friends? Why?

AS: Solo. The idea of inflicting my music on others who aren't interested is mortifying. A lot of the music I listen to isn't going to be to most people's tastes, and I'd rather not have to worry about whether or not they're enjoying it as much as I am.

TMMC: What’s an album or song, or who’s an artist, that’s helped you get through a difficult stretch of a season (of life, work, or a sport’s season)?

AS: This is such a hard question to answer, because I've had multiple artists who have filled this role in my life, but I think it would be Greg Dulli and all of his associated acts (The Afghan Whigs, The Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins). I like a lot of music, but there are some artists that feel like they're out here writing music that's tailor-made for you, and Dulli's music always hits those notes for me.

TMMC: If you could collaborate with any musician, living or dead, who would it be and why?

AS: Musically? I'm self-aware enough to know that I don't add anything to that collaboration. I love music, but I don't know the first thing about how to create it. With photography, though, The Drive-By Truckers had an album a while back called “Southern Rock Opera” that was originally supposed to be the musical accompaniment to a film created by those same guys. I think it would be extremely cool to try and create the images I see in my head when I listen to that album as a consolation project for that film never getting made.

TMMC: Okay let’s change gears: What does competition mean to you and how has it influenced your outlook on life today?

AS: I've always been an extremely competitive person. Maybe it's a millennial cliche, but I did grow up believing that I could be competitive at whatever I set my mind to. I didn't feel like I ever had or needed an excuse for not being great at something; I just needed to work harder. As I've gotten older, I've realized that perhaps I can't be good at everything, but that if I'm going to commit to doing something, I want to execute it as well as I can, which certainly means I'm competitive with myself, but I'm not going to pretend that I'm not always trying to be better than someone else too.

TMMC: What sport(s) did you compete in growing up?

AS: I played basketball when I was younger, but marching band counted as my high school athletics credit, so I never competed in sports as a teenager.

TMMC: What sport(s) do you compete in today and how does that contribute to your daily mindset?

AS: I'm a runner now, focusing mostly on 5ks and half marathons with an occasional venture into the marathon. I've written about this a lot, but running is a sport that requires a lot of extra time outside of just the time you spend out there actually running, so I'm always thinking a little bit about whether the choices I'm making are in support of making me as prepared as I can be to be the best runner I can be. The discipline I have to enforce on myself to get out the door and run when I'm not feeling it helps build up that muscle so that I can be more disciplined in the rest of my life as well.

TMMC: What or who is your biggest motivation to give your 100% everyday (doesn’t just have to be music-related)?

AS: The feeling of knowing that I've accomplished something and done it well is something I chase every day. There's nothing like that feeling, to me.

TMMC: What role does music play in your creative process or daily routine?

AS: It's so much easier for me to knock out work when I've got music playing in the background. Being able to put on some noise-cancelling headphones and turn on some songs I know like the back of my hand helps me get in the groove like nothing else.

TMMC: Do you use music to help amp you up, or calm you down before a big event? How about during a workout (if you workout)?

AS: Listening to that playlist is part of my routine before a big event or race at this point. It's just part of the ritual, almost. I almost never listen to music during races or even just in training (I'm a podcast person on the run), so listening to that playlist is usually the last thing I do before I have to put my headphones up and give my bag to the race staff for safekeeping.

TMMC: If you had to create a soundtrack for your life, which three songs would definitely be on it?

AS: “Cute Without The 'E'” by Taking Back Sunday, “Faded” by The Afghan Whigs, and “Dynamite Steps” by The Twilight Singers.

TMMC: Lastly, how do you “tune-up” your Tuesdays when work, life, or workouts feel monotonous or difficult?

AS: Having a list of things I need to get done helps me get focused, especially when things get monotonous. It's hard for me to tackle anything without a roadmap, so figuring out what needs to be done is the first step to actually doing it. Just like in a race or a workout, breaking difficult things up into more manageable chunks in the rest of my life helps spur me to get started. Once I've gotten started, it's easier to keep rolling.

TMMC: Alexandra, sharing your life and routines was incredibly generous of you. I think everyone who reads this will be better people for it. Thank you so much!

If you’re interested in learning more about Alexandra, her routines, desires, and insights please subscribe to her Substack or head over to hear website at alexandrasizemore.com!