Running Music.

Go onto pretty much any running forum on the web and you will find a discussion topic about running with or without music. These discussion boards are not a place for the weak hearted, things can get rather heated fairly quickly.
In this blog I'll tell you when I run with and without music and why. You can also see what I listen to, this ranges from whatever is on my ipod to a specific running music playlist. Hope you enjoy my thoughts on this oft debated topic.

I'll start with my ipod playlist and go from there.
The playlist consists of 19 songs of various genres, some are in because of the beat, some for fun, some for lyrical motivation and others for the memories they invoke.

1. Ready to go- Republica
2. Boom!- System of A Down
3. All Sparks- Editors
4. Surfin' Bird- The Trashmen
5. My Doorbell- The White Stripes
6. Take Your Mama- Scissor Sisters
7. Throw away your Televison- Red Hot Chilli Peppers
8. The Bartender and the Thief- Stereophonics
9. What we do (for love)- De La Soul feat. Slick Rick
10. The New Style- Beastie Boys
11. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor- Arctic Monkeys
12. Living for the Weekend- Hard-Fi
13. Lollipop- Mika
14. Electric Feel- MGMT
15. In this City- Iglu and Hartly
16. Golden Touch- Razorlight
17. Sunday Shining- Finley Quaye
18. Love it when you call- The Feeling
19. Hard to Beat- Hard-Fi

"Ready to Go" sets just the right tempo for pulling up your socks and you step out the door and take those first few strides. "Hard to Beat" gives just the right boost as the legs begin to tire and you push the last half mile or so with a bit more effort.

I listen to music when I'm on the treadmill, when out running on my own and occasionally on the way to races.
For someone who finds it hard to get out and run on my own having the music as company really helps. On longer runs I will use my playlist as it lasts well over an hour, for shorter runs I turn on shuffle and see what I get. This has thrown up some treats such as Cliff Richard followed by Arrested Development. On one occasion my ipod seemed to know exactly what I was running past as David Gray sang about Swans swimming on dark waters (or something similar) just as I was avoiding the giant Swans that own the slipway on the riverside.

In the gym the music is also the same, usually summer euro-dance hits, this is ok for a tune or two but being able to choose from a variety helps relieve the tedium of the treadmill. Usually I'll choose and album and listen to a few songs before switching to another. Mostly I stick to Portishead, The Cranberries, Massive Attack or Morcheeba.

When I am at a club run or during a race I find that being plugged in means I miss out on chatter and atmosphere. I saw an excellent T-shirt slogan during the Loch Ness marathon, it said "run at the speed of chat."  This slogan could be the motto for our running club.

I've seen comments on the forums about people who blocked ambulances or missed out route directions because they couldn't hear what was going on around them. Unfortunately it seems that as in everyday life it is the few who spoil it for the majority. By all means listen to your music but be considerate. I don't wear my ipod in races but in training runs it is never at full volume so I have some awarness of my surroundings.

Apart from the Health and Safety issues of running on roads whilst plugged in (we're all grown ups here, let us get on with it) one of the main reasons I don't listen to music during races is because I'm a chicken.(The earphones just don't stay in my little ears!)

If I'm in a race and the rules say no personal music players then that is enough for me. I'm scared. Scared that I'll get caught after running a pb and disqualified. Now I'm never going to trouble the front of a field but the shame of having an official pull you out of a race in front of everyone, unbearable. I've never seen it happen, but the one time I plug in it will. And anyway, I'm hoping that when it does i'll be the one who gets promoted up the list for being a good boy!