words and playlist by Michael Todd | artist comments gathered by the Lincoln Journal Star's Cory Matteson

They're like Jell-O. Two lumbering blocks of Jell-O poorly supporting the sweaty mass atop them.

Out in western Nebraska, where the weather is just as temperamental, with less humidity but more wind, I'm trudging along the winding, rising and falling roads of Chadron State Park: my least-favorite place to run. I'm beardless — in my teens as an eighth grader — but more importantly, I'm headphone-less.

As a cross country runner for a few years in my hometown of Alliance, the hell that was the first mile or two was offset only by the endorphins that would sometimes kick in later on. In the days before I could enjoy reliable portable music, I didn't have songs to get me through.

Since then, runners have gradually gained the power of digital music, websites and apps that stream music to their cell phones and to their ears. With my formerly beating heart in mind, I put together the playlist below to motivate those running in this year's Lincoln Marathon, which takes place on May 5.

Meant to ease the 10,000 runners — or more specifically, the half-marathon runners — in to the race, we open with Butler and the Gentlemen, a piano-driven tune with a few vibrant melodies. With a nearly equal balance of Lincoln and Omaha artists, the playlist picks up further on. It travels back through time a bit with selections such as Opium Taylor and The Monroes. We hear new songs from Funk Trek and Noah's Ark Was A Spaceship, newer favorites from Lloyd McCarter and The Mezcal Brothers and many more to fill the close-to two hours it takes to run a half marathon.

This is the first step in Hear Nebraska's partnership with the Lincoln Journal Star. We're looking forward to working more to further cultivate and disseminate the Nebraska music scene:

Michael Todd is Hear Nebraska's managing editor. He once ran across Alliance, over the overpass, to the stop sign and back. Reach Michael at michaeltodd@hearnebraska.org.