Running with Music

Sound v Silence

One of those mildly controversial subjects that has arisen in recent times is around the use of mp3 players and IPOD's whilst running especially during road races. There are some strongly polarised views for and against the use of IPOD's during running and whatever your views this page aims to act as a resource for those wanting to listen to sound on the training run.

So this post considers

the case for silence

Who once said " silence is golden" . I immeadiately think of the song by the band the Tremeloes - Silence is Golden . However obviously the origins of the saying date back a lot longer!

'Speech is silver, silence is golden ' The value placed upon saying less, rather than more, as reflected in this proverb can be traced as far back as the early Egyptians, who recorded one such saying: 'Silence is more profitable than abundance of speech.' The current proverb was rendered for the first time in the Judaic Biblical commentaries called the 'Midrash' (c. 600), which gave the proverb as 'If speech is silvern, then silence is golden.'

Then there's William Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet." "How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, Like softest music to attending ears!". Perhaps more familiar in the shortened version 'Silence is golden,' the saying has been quoted in print frequently during the twentieth century. One witty adaptation in Brian Aldiss's 'The Primal Urge' (1961) seems particularly appropriate to modern times: "Speech is silver; silence is golden; print is dynamite.'." From "Wise Words and Wives' Tales: The Origins, Meanings and Time-Honored Wisdom of Proverbs and Folk Sayings Olde and New" by Stuart Flexner and Doris Flexner (Avon Books, New York, 1993).

Let's face it as runners we never really have silence when we are out on a training run. If you live in a built up area in the centre of Bury St Edmunds when you go on a training run you are going to hear traffic, building work as you pass the ARC or at times be shouted at by a passing stranger "Run Forest Run" or "Hup 2,3,4"!

Mixed with perhaps unwanted sounds, as runners we are used to stepping out of doors at all hours often in the early morning when the rest of the world appears to be sound asleep. It is often then when you can get out in to the country that you can hear the sound of wildlife which would be missed when wearing an IPOD. The sound of birdsong or deer charing through a forest.

There is also the thinking time. How often do you go for a run and manage to solve a problem by thinking it through?This is quality time where the mind disassociates itself from the run and concentrates perhaps on a creative solution to a problem, what to buy for a present. Again by wearing an IPOD you are less able to use your senses.

The use of an IPOD by blocking out all of the sounds around you can heighten your risk of an accident by not hearing traffic or other people around you. We are beginning to hear of some race events banning the use of IPOD's during road races. A recent article in the Timesonline explains how the the sports governing body in the USA have banned the use of IPOD's during competition.for health and safety reasons resulting from potential collisions. Stiff opposition from many runners led to some ignoring the new ruling and resulted in a logistical nightmare for race organisers needing to search and confiscate IPOD's before the start of events.

It would appear that the USA Track & Field have now amended the ruling to allow the use at the discretion of a race director but not by athletes competing in a championship for awards,medals or prize money.

the case for sound.

If you read Runners World then you may have seen in December 2008 issue an article on how you can perform up to 20% better with music. According to Dr Costa Karageorghis at Brunel University, who has spent 20 years studting the correlation between music and athletic output that for the non elite athlete listening to the right music before and during exercise will reduce the feelings of tiredness and increase performance levels by up to 20%. However the impact on elite athletes is less as there focus is inwards on there bodies regulating their efficency whilst for the majority of us mere mortals a distraction is a big plus.

Music before a race can calm your nerves and help you focus.fast tempo music can help get you pumped up and ready for a race. There are increasingly a lot of podcasts you can download with music at a certain beat per minute. By matching the beat of the music to the tempo of the exercise you can regulate your movement and reduce your oxygen requirement by up to 6 %

What IPOD or MP3 player should I buy?

A suitable music player needs to be light and compact. A number of players are best not used for running. These tend to be those with a large hard disc with moving parts which are apt to skip and be easily damaged if and when dropped.

One option is to use an IPOD Nano or IPOD touch with a pair of NIKE shoes and an IPOD sports sensor. The sensor is placed in the insole of the shoe and sends data on your run to your IPOD including distance pace and calories.

The new IPOD Nano's 8mb and 16mb are very light weight and not noticable when running. These can be hand held or beter still strapped to the arm with a a velcro arm band. You only then have to be careful of selecting some earphones for sport. The standad earphones provided with any MP 3 or IPOD are no good for running and will fall out. A suggestion would be to buy a pair of Sennheiser PMX 70 In-Ear Sports Headphones which come from many stockists and clip around the ears.

An alternative product is the Ultimate Sports MP 3 Player which has the advantage of no trailing wires and everything is integrated into the headphone.

There is a huge range of MP 3 players and IPOD devices and again there are fans of various make such as Sony Walkman and I River you will have a preference!



Songs for Runners

A miscellaneous top ten of songs with the word run in the title, some you will know but perhaps not all? Click on the link to see a video in youtube . Can you do better? Let me have your top ten songs for running

1 Roadrunner Jonathon Richman
2 Runaway Del Shannon
3 Run Snow Patrol
4 Where you Goona Run Peter Tosh
5 Nowhere to Run Martha & The Vandellas
6 Run New Order
7 Running on the Spot The Jam
8 Let him Run Wild Beach Boys
9 Walk Don't Run The Ventures
10 Keep on Running Spencer Davis Group



40 songs submitted by another runner at Saint Edmund Pacers

Hit An Run -Whitesnake
The Running Man -WASP
Running Wild in the Streets - WASP
Runnin with Devil - Van Halen
Runaround - Van Halen
Night Run - UFO
No Place to Run - UFO
Running up the Highway - UFO
Amy's On The Run - Thunder
'Til The River Runs Dry - Thunder
Running Back - Thin Lizzy
Run Away Train - Soul Asylum
Love On The Run - Scorpions
Bad Boys Running Wild - Scorpions
Runnin - Santana
Run With The Wolf - Rainbow
On The Run - Pink Floyd
Run Like Hell - Pink Floyd
Running Out of Time - Ozzy Osbourne
Long May You Run - Neil Young
You Better Run - Motorhead
The Running Free - Coheed and Cambria
Run Riot - Def Leppard
Running Wild - Judas Priest
Who Will You Run To - Glenn Hughes
Running Free - Iron Maiden
These Colours Don't Run - Iron Maiden
Run To The Hills - Iron Maiden
Run Silent Run Deep - Iron Maiden
The Loneliness of The Long Distance Runner - Iron Maiden
Run For Cover - Gary Moore
The Long Run - Eagles
Run Down The Devil - Alice Cooper
Runaway - Bon Jovi
She's a Runner - Billy Squier
Duck And Run - 3 Doors Down
Fuel To Run - Love Hate
Time To Run - Phantom Blue
Runaway - Dare
Hit and Run - Vain


Podcasts for Runners

What is a podcast ? It is a series of audio or video files which are distributed over the internet by web feeds to IPOD's or to stream and listen to on your computer. If you find a podcast you like you can then subscribe to this podcast and all future episodes can be downloaded to your computer by way of software the popular being ITUNES, though there are alternatives such as Juice, Zune and Zencast to name a few.

The internet has thousands of free podcasts many aimed at runners. The thing is to try these and see what is to your personal taste as the quality is variable. You certainly don't have to listen to music you can listen to talk based podcasts on any subject going including a number of free audio books.

A good place to start is Running Podcasts a website with 40-50 odd podcasts for runners. These are podcasts from runners all over the world but are mainly American though a few are British and one I would particularly recommend is A Mile with Me from Steve Chopper based in the Bournemouth area. The mile with me podcast is mainly talk based with insights during 2008 on the London Marathon, the 4 minute mile and the storey behind Tommy Smith the winner of the 1968 200 metres and remembered for his human rights stand on the winners podium by the wearing of a black glove.

Another British site is Running from the Reaper .

Taking part in the London Marathon? Then why not download the many podcasts provided by the Virgin London Marathon on marathon training.

Concerned about injuries then the Running Injury Free Podcasts will be of interest to you. With podcasts on avoiding injury,low stress marathon plans and the benefits of stretching.

Training with Music

There are many training podcasts aimed at different levels of runners. Here are some examples:-

Couch to 5k this would be good for someone beginning to run or perhaps returning from injury.The aim being to get someone running 5k or for 30 minutes in 9 weeks.

Podrunner intervals by djsteveboy another 9 week programme to get you running 5k , also 10 weeks for 8k and a 10 week programme for 10k.

The Mission of the JogTunes Group is to promote the unique blend of music and exercise that involves matching the tempo of music to the pace of the workout. They call this activity music-paced exercise. Many people have independently found that working out exactly to the beat is inspiring, motivating, and fun. You will see music of all types but a lot of indie music. You can use the beats per minute calculator on the site and this will select a programme of music for you.

Racing with Music

Run to the Beat - Here is an event which far from banning IPOD's actually encourages racing to music. With 17 live bands the Half marathon takes place on September 27th 2009 from the O2 arena in London. If you enter you will be able to pick up a training program, Run to the Beat Album and a Limited Edition T-Shirt. The music has been programmed by Dr Costa Karageorghis of Brunel University.

The first event in 2008 sold out very quickly with 12,500 runners though the price at £30 is not cheap.

Note I first included this article on the Saint Edmund Pacers Website

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