Tuesday, January 8, 2013

New Tunes Tuesday - Running Playlist

It's that time of year where people are hitting the gym more often to fulfill those new year resolutions. And I'm among them. One of my goals this year is to improve my 5K time. So for me, that means it's time for a new playlist.

Do you run to music? I certainly do. It's the best motivational tool for me. When I think I just can't go any further, that pump-up song comes on and I get my second-wind. It's also a great distraction from fatigue. When the song matches perfectly to my pace and my feet are keeping time to the music, I feel like I'm not even exercising. Really!

But there is some work involved in finding that mathematically perfect playlist. First analyze your music by tapping and counting to find the beats per minute, or BPM. Then organize a few playlists and do a test run to see which list best matches your pace. I've done a LOT of the work here for you, and the result is the Spotify playlist that I am sharing with you today. 

You're welcome. 

My playlist is a good mix of different genres lasting for about an hour. I switch up the pace between 160 - 170 BPM, which is the pace that I prefer. Experts say the perfect pace is somewhere between 170 - 190 BPM, but your stride may vary. If this list is too slow for you, try increasing your incline on the treadmill.

Some of the songs on my list are half-time (2 steps per beat) like Wide Awake (80 BPM) and She's Country (86 BPM). I love running to these songs because it feels like I am gliding along.Other songs are right on the beat and keep you moving like Runnin' Down A Dream (170 BPM) or Hey Ya! (160 BPM). These songs will get you in a rhythm so that a single footfall strikes on each beat. And one more tip... I set the audio crossfade on my iPod Shuffle to "on" so the playlist is a continuous mix with one song fading into the next.

So grab your shoes and the songs you want or subscribe to the list on Spotify. Whether you fly away or breakaway, just lose yourself in the music 'till you collapse and start runnin' down a dream. Hey ya!



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