Many people prefer running or working out without the encumbrance of music. Perhaps it is the tangled mess of headphones, what to do with the music playing device (hold it? Get a strap for it?), or how the beat of the music messes up ones pace or cadence.
I love running with music. I need it, to be honest. Does that make me less of a runner? So be it. Music motivates me. Each bass beat urges my feet to press on and hit the pavement over and over. Music gets me through rough parts of my run. I also like the distraction. Because if I'm running for 30+ minutes, my mind gets antsy without a distraction. It starts wondering how far into the run I am, whining, "are we there yet?" The
This makes for a very long, insufferable run.
I also like that listening to music while running is kind of like my Me Time. I can listen to whatever I want without fear of small beings (or husbands) complaining about my choice in music or how loud the sound is. I do some of my best thinking while I'm running with my tunes. Something about the mixture of endorphins and melody puts my creativity in overdrive. I come up with new fodder for posts, new ideas for work, answers to life's pressing issues.
I need to keep my music fresh, though.
When I listen to the same songs over and over, they become ineffective. No longer do they push me through tedious sections of my run, they stop tapping into my creativity. So every once in a while I have to shake things up. I choose songs based on the cadence of the music, the bass beat, and in general how much I enjoy it. Sometimes this involves Broadway Showtunes. So my mixes are usually quite eclectic!
I recently remade my 5k Mix, so I thought I'd share in case you need some new motivating music for your workouts. Here is this month's:
1. Applause
- Lady Gaga2. California Gurls
- Katy Perry (feat. Snoop Dogg)3. Accidentally In Love
- Counting Crows4. We Both Reached For The Gun
- Chicago5. When I Come Around
- Greenday (<---- a="" all="" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000002MP2/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000002MP2&linkCode=am2&tag=confofastayat-20" nbsp="" on="" songs="">Dookie
are so great for running) 6. Take On Me
- A-Ha7. Beat It
- Michael Jackson8. Shame On You
- Indigo Girls9. Pompeii
- Bastille10. Mr. Brightside
- The Killers11. Vindicated
- Dashboard Confessional12. A Praise Chorus
- Jimmy Eat World13. Burn
- Ellie Goulding14. Still Into You
- Paramore15. The Monster
- Eminem (feat. Rihanna)So now it's your turn:
What's on YOUR Motivating Workout Playlist?
