One of my best friends drove us to the beach this weekend and mentioned to me that not only was she reading my blog, but she was waiting for me to do an entry on music. Needless to say, I was thrilled to learn that someone is actually following my blog and honored that she would ask me for advice. At times, I happen to think that this is a rather unfortunate blog, full of my musings and not much advice or running tips. But I'm trying to develop it, so naturally I am looking for what people want to hear, and I will do my best to follow up on requests.
There are two different schools on thought on running with music - you either do it or you don't. There is actually very little gray area in this subject - people either seem to love to run with music or they seem to hate it and view it as a form of weakness. Some people think that running with music detracts from the run, distracts you from paying attention to your body, and takes your mind off of your focal point: running. To these people running is all that matters in a work out. But to me, a work out is more than just a motion, more than just a series of motions. Running is an experience, it's a ride, and I'm in it for all I've got. Music motivates me, it pushes me to go harder - it does distract me, but only when I need to be distracted. Running with or without music is a great escape from the world - you feel like nothing can touch you because you're in motion, you're dashing off away from everything else. When I go on my long runs, it's like a hiatus from the real world. People talk about a runner's "high" - well, I'm here to tell you that it's real and it's attainable. And music can help you get there.
Anyway...I've found a few simple tricks that keep me motivated during my runs. One of the most important things is to keep your music current. I know that sounds really basic, but it's so important. Find new songs, new artists, new beats, new styles of music, but don't forget that not every song is made for running. Some songs will lull you into a dull jog and you don't want this. You want songs that will bring you to your peak, that will force you to go another 5 minutes, another mile, another 5 miles. You have to be aware of the rhythm and the beat and how it corresponds to your personal tempo. I listen to different songs when I do sprints (like I did today!) then when I do my endurance runs.
I recommend having at least one playlist dedicated to your workouts. I have one that I maintain and add new tracks to as I find them. I keep most of them in there, building up a long set of songs, but I rotate them within the play list. I do not listen to all my songs on shuffle because I like having certain songs in order. Songs with similar ideas within the lyrics (I'm big on lyrics), songs with similar beats and harmonies stick together in my playlists. That way even if I shift their position, I still have some sort of stability. Once I've heard two songs in a row a few times, I have the expectation that they will be together. For example, I keep Red Jumpsuit Apparatus's "Face Down" always in front of Eric James and the New Century's "Trust," which is immediately followed by June's "Swallowed." Having these songs grouped together motivates me because I know what's coming up next. Once I find "Face Down," whether it's at the top of my tracks or buried within my playlist, I know the sequence that's ahead. "Face Down" is a very quick-paced, angry song..."Trust" takes the tempo down a little bit and is a little sadder and "Swallowed" picks the tempo right back up. It's really important not to block all your fast tempos together - you'll have that block of adrenaline built up by those songs and then you'll fall down as soon as it ends. Also important is to start with something a little slower paced - I read an article today about music and running and I quote, "You don't want your music to kick ass before you do." In other words, remember, and this is what I tend to forget, that you have all the time in the world to run. Start off with something energizing but not totally pumped up. I found a new group, The Hush Sound, that has 2 good warm up songs - "Don't Wake Me Up" and "Wine Red." They have a steady beat, good for finding your rhythm, but it won't make you want to sprint.
When I do sprints, I try to find songs with really good refrains - really high tempo, steady length, and really energizing. Some songs that I sprint to are: Gavin DeGraw's "In love with a girl" (my new song for now), Flyleaf's "All Around Me," The Veronicas' "4Ever," Cute is What We Aim For's "The Curse of Curves," MatchBox 20's "How Far We've Come" (careful with that one though, the refrain comes really quickly in it), Finger Eleven's "Paralyzer," Paramore's "Misery Business"...I think if you listen to those songs, you'll get the idea. These are just what work for me - I need something that has a really intense refrain and that will last me longer than 5 seconds. I love the song "Numb/Encore" but when I tried to sprint to it, I found that the refrain's tempo is not a lot faster than the rest of the song, which did not motivate me at all.
Endurance runs mean that you have to space out those fast paced songs. This is why you have to keep your music current and keep your playlist current - do not stick with the same order of songs for more than 5 or 6 runs. Even if you keep certain songs grouped together, you should not keep the same old playlist. Move it around, mix it up, add a new song.
A few songs that have reached hall of fame status in my workout playlist (in no particular order):
All Around Me
Bring Me to Life
Face Down
Trust
Swallowed
Shut Up and Drive
How Far We've Come
Girlfriend (yes the one by Avril Lavigne...I refused to listen to it for a long time and now I can ONLY listen to it when I'm running because it makes me want to speed up)
Don't Matter
Makes Me Wonder
Numb/Encore
Paralyzer
MakeDamnSure
Little Razorblade
Calling You
In Love With a Girl
Every Time We Touch
We Used to Be Friends
I Don't Want to Fall in Love
Would You Go With Me
Look At Us Now
Fidelity (good only for cool downs)
Of course there are some safety issues with running with headphones - it becomes more important to pay attention to traffic signals and lights...and looking for cars. You have to be more aware and more alert to those darn people on bicycles and stray children. But all in all, having the right music can enhance your run and make you go that extra mile...or eight.
NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW
SARAH'S UNPAID ENDORSEMENT: http://www.roadid.com/common/id.aspx?/hash=wrist
I endorse this product because it is important to be safe on your runs. This ID bracelet is more durable than a piece of paper in your fuel belt or your shoe wallet (or your shoe - do you know how much feet sweat?) with your emergency info. It looks pretty (it comes in pink!) while maintaining that hardcore image that you've been working so hard to create. I plan on getting one as soon as the small pink ones are back in stock...don't you think you should get one?
No comments:
Post a Comment