Running with music

Everyone knows that going for a run is good for you, but most of us do not run for various reasons. The most common reason for people not running is that they find it boring. After the first 15 minutes of an hour long run, boredom really starts to set in and you wonder why you are making yourself do this.

Overcoming boredom

If you get bored running, you really should try running with music. One runner I met raved about how great it was to be able to listen to music and that he would not be out running if he had no music. On his website he stated:

My biggest problem running is becoming bored as I run. To solve this, I listed to music while running. I use a Sony MiniDisc recorder/player to store my music in MP3 format.

Benefits of running with music

It is becoming very common to see runners using iPods and other music players to play music while they run. 90% of runners find that running with music not only helps prevent boredom, but also help them keep up the pace.

There are many benefits for running with music:

Help overcome boredom
The beat of the music can help set the pace of your run
Music can be inspirational to you
Takes your mind off running
Help people get away from reality and calm themselves as they run
Calm down after a stressful day.

In saying that there are a few disadvantages to running with music:

Some people like to run and listen to the sounds around them more than music.
Loud music can make you oblivious to another runner coming up behind you.
It has also been determined that criminals look for people who aren't paying attention to their surroundings, for example people talking on cellphones or people listening to music.

MP3 player revolution

Until recently, personal music players like the CD player have been to big and heavy to carry on a run. When the small, light weight MP3 player were released, they could be strapped out of the way on your arm and do not move around when you run.

Beats per minute

When it comes to recommending music for running or the best number of beats per minute (BPM), it varies from person to person. As some of us run faster than others and some have a shorter stride, different music tempos suit us.

One person recommended music that was around 170 BPM to 180 BPM, or music that was 85 BPM to 95 BPM. The difference is that you can take one step on each beat of the faster music, where as you can take 2 steps for each beat of the slower music.

Recommended music

One of the most common songs to run to is Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger", which was a theme from the Rocky series. In saying this, everyone has different music tastes. Below are recommendations from different users that might give you some ideas:

Rob