Music to Run to

When participating in parkrun I saw many people listening to music as they ran, likewise runners in the street. At one point during my less than illustrious running career I thought I’d give it a go. It was completely hopeless, I just couldn’t do it. My legs wanted to operate at the tempo of the music, it literally threw me off my stride. 

So I did a little research and discovered there are playlists defined by the cadence at which you run. Unfortunately for me none of the suggested playlists were slow enough; I was off the bottom of the scale. So I abandoned that idea.

Now I rely on my mental jukebox which always goes at exactly the right speed. I have a small playlist depending on which part of my technique I am focusing on:

The Locomotion by Little Eva. Working the arms to keep them snugly by my side in counterpoint to the legs, working to keep a good rhythm going. 

Kylie's version of this song because Kylie!

Hold Your Head Up by Argent. When I spot that my posture is less than optimum I use this track to straighten my spine and open up the lungs.

Rubber Ball by Bobby Vee. When I want to focus on being less leaden footed, aiming to land on the balls of my feet and use the biomechanics to keep a spring in my step. Bouncy, bouncy!

Longer Boats by Cat Stevens. Tweaking the lyrics to “Longer *strides* are coming to win us, hold onto the shore.” Useful when trying to have a more loping gait on the flat or down slopes.

Keep On Running by the Spencer Davis Group. A general-purpose track when I just need something to fill the silence and cover the sound of my wheezing lungs.

Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush. Uphill, or any kind of a slope, I find hard, certainly not a case of "I'd be running up that road / Be running up that hill / With no problems".

Maybe I’ll try some podcasts instead.