It is believed that we are all hardwired to respond to rhythm. Have you’ve ever reflexively tapped your toes, drummed your fingers, or bobbed your head to a catchy tune!
When it comes to running it can help you run longer, faster, and easier. By matching your stride to a particular beat it can help you better regulate your pace.
A 2015 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning showed that music can improve performance and accelerate recovery during and after a 5K.
Other research has suggested that listening to fast music while running can increase your pace by up to 15%. By compiling that perfect playlist of fast, motivating songs, you could potentially beat your PB and run faster than you would without music.
Music can also help calm your nerves before a race and overall, make running a more pleasant experience
Going for a long run and hoping to extend your distance? Choose music that you genuinely like. The main objective should be to find music that distracts you from the monotony of training!
It is thought that the external stimulus of music is actually able to block your internal stimuli like fatigue, which is trying to tell your brain how tired you are starting to get in the middle of a run. When a runner’s perception of how hard they are running is reduced, they feel like they can run faster for longer.
If you are going for a shorter run where speed is the top priority, go for upbeat music with a driving beat.
When you’re going for speed, tempo isn’t the only important aspect of a song—lyrics can play a powerful role as well.
Having said that running with music can lose its effect over time. So during a long run, it can be helpful to either mix up the type of tracks you’re listening to or turn off the music entirely for dedicated stretches of your workout. Or use the shufle function! Then, turn it back on when you really need an extra boost.
Be smart with the use of music: upbeat, fast-paced music can turbo-charge your run; slow, calming music can kickstart your recovery process.
Always remember to keep safe whilst running with music. Not too loud. Perhaps just one ear pligged in. Or if you are lucky you may have the bone conducting head sets which conduct music from the front of the ear, delivering sound through your cheekbone and inner ear!
More on this subject in the coming days.