Running and music are a match made in heaven

I love running and I love music. Both change my mood and improve my experience of life but when running and music combine it takes things to a different level. My workouts feel easier with music providing emotional encouragement and a higher state of motivation. I am able to push myself harder and feel amazing about doing so when listening to music.

Not all music is created equal.

But of course, it all depends on the music itself. Listening to slower tempo classical music is probably not going to provide the same motivational push to run harder or faster as an upbeat, high-energy dance remix. And it is not just a case of any music in that genre having the same effect. I find I have to not only ‘like’ but LOVE the music I have on my playlist to experience that emotional high. There is no room for any ‘filler’ tracks when in comes to running. Every track has to be spot on.

But this is where things get blurry because as humans we tend to have different tastes in many things, including our taste in music. What one person regards as a musical delight can easily be perceived by someone else as noise.

The world’s best running music – according to me!

The RUN A BETTER LIFE playlists are my personal, handpicked running songs. They are the world’s best running songs, at least in my opinion. If you agree, then you are in for a treat, especially if you enjoy music when running. Every song has been road, trail and track tested over many hours and has been proven to enhance my mood and physical performance. You have been warned.

A great running song for me has to have not only energy and melody, all set to a killer beat, but should also have some meaningful lyrics. Even if a song is about a completely different subject, there are often one or two lines that will standout and can have relevance and importance to my running. Sometime lyrics can connect with the miles with the RUN A BETTER LIFE book and/or my personal journey. I may occasionally highlight any such lyrics in my playlist commentary to bring you closer to my own personal experience.

Although I will share my playlists each quarter, the songs will not only be new releases from that season. Other people already do a much better job at that than I could. Instead the RUN A BETTER LIFE playlists will be made up of some fresh new releases mixed with older songs (perhaps newly discovered) or classics that have re-surfaced.

Will it work?

Who knows. As with many things in life this is an experiment. It may be that nobody likes my selections, or that music is too personal and subjective for the same emotional reactions in other people. But let’s give a go. I’m willing to share if you are willing to listen. Please let me know via Facebook what you think, especially if my playlists are inspiring you to RUN A BETTER LIFE.