Don’t run to the wrong beat
Did you know that listening to the wrong music when you run can actually slow you down or burn you out to early.
Some people may just want entertainment while they are running, and that is fine. But if you are training for an event and you want to train in order to run faster, you should choose your music strategically depending on the activity.
For example; if you want to increase your average running cadence (that is the speed you move your legs), you should select music with a beat that is around 5% faster than your current running cadence.
Once you are comfortable with the additional 5% increase in speed, you can up it by another 5% and so on until you get to your desired speed.
How can I run faster?
If you don’t know your cadence, go for a run and get into a rhythm you can maintain. When you reach your comfortable running speed, count how many times one foot hits the ground in 30 seconds of running, then double it to get your step count for a minute.
If you use an app like I use on my iPhone, it will express cadence based on one foot strike over a minute. You will sometimes see running cadence expressed as the number of foot strikes with one foot and sometimes with two feet. For example, your cadence may be written as 70 or 140.
The following links are to music that has been specifically recorded with a beat for you to pick to match your desired cadence.
So if you are running at a pace of 140 steps per minute (cadence expressed as 70 or 140), you should look for tracks that are 5% faster. In this case, you would pick music that is 147 BPM.
Mix it up
Below are a links to music resources that show you the number of beats per minute (BPM) so you can just get the tracks you want or you can get the whole album and then create your own mixes for different activities.
These guys make a great range of music specifically for your chosen cadence, such as:
100 songs with BPM – choose your cadence
Running 100 All Hits (Full-Length Workout Remixes Ideal for Running, Jogging, Fitness, Step, Cycling and Gym)
2012-13 running remixes
Running Remixes 2012-2013 (Full-Length Mixes Ideal for Fitness, Step, Running, Jogging, Cycling, Cardio and Gym)
Running All Hits (147-155 BPM) [20 Full Tracks – More Than 60 Minute] – Running & Jogging Crew
2012
Running 2012 Top Hot Hits Ultimate Summer (20 tracks unmixed best dj remix) (feat. Running & Jogging Crew) – Running & Jogging Crew
This one is called Running Songs
Running Songs Workout Minimal House Music – Running Songs Workout Music Club
Rock
Running Rock Hits – Running & Jogging Crew
There is a lot of music to choose from that is ideal to run to. There are a lot of mixes to choose from by Running & Jogging Crew