Five ways music can help

No one should run with music if they don’t enjoy it or if it compromises their safety. 

But runners at all fitness levels are performing better with music that has been composed to make you run faster.

Research shows how music increases performance and enjoyment. Read on to find out how to select music and make playlists to give your running a boost.

Run to the Beat

At a functional level, a clear beat at the right tempo is an effective way to control your pace. Selecting the right tempo beat can make you run faster during interval training, or run slower in specific kinds of training such as the important aerobic base training. 

The findings reported by the BBC from research conducted by Professor Costas Karageorghis discovered that in some cases performance benefits of about 15% were achieved when the beat is synchronised with work output. 

Research conducted at John Moores University in Liverpool with cyclists on turbo trainers found a faster beat increased work output and increased enjoyment. 

Use the BPM column in iTunes to help make playlists with a tempo in the 155 BPM to 170 BPM range to run to the beat.

In addition to the functional benefits of the beat, there are other ways music can make you perform better.

Select Motivating Arrangements

If you pick tracks with the right kind of uplifting, energetic vibe you’ll put yourself into a positive emotional state for running. 

For example dance and pop generally bounce you up; thrashing rock can inject some positive aggression, soaring choral work in the classical genre inspires some. 

Because AudioFuel is written specifically for running we arrange the music to have the right vibe to power you though a walk, enjoy a gentle training jog, right up to powering you through a two hour marathon training long run.

Use Big Sounds to Run Fast

Intensity is a factor too. The ‘bigger’ the sound, the more powered up you’ll feel. 

A track that demonstrates this perfectly is ‘Thru the Gears’, a 15 minute soundtrack custom composed by AudioFuel for the audio brand Sennheiser.

When you get to the sprint section there are, to use composer Howie Saunders’ words “slabs of thrash guitar & juggernaut bass, using over ninety separate channels of audio” all of which elevates your energy levels and sustains you throughout the sprint 

Download it free courtesy of Sennheiser.

Add a Your Classic to Your Playlist

Memory is also a powerful tool; a song that you associate with a happy period in your life can also prompt the right emotions to positively affect the way you feel when you run which will in turn improve your performance.

Take a Coach With You 

Most runners do not run with a coach, yet elite runners all have coaches.

Another way our running music helps people run better and faster is by having optional coaching to give you running tips and advice. For instance with interval training, the coach counts you on to the beat, tells you how long each faster run is, and helps you stay focused and motivated to complete each harder section.

For instance, UK Athletic coach Martin Yelling pushes you hard with beat driven running music through three different intensity levels, from 160 BPM, all the way to 185 BPM in the hardest workout.

Make Your Own Playlist, or Try AudioFuel

Use these ideas to make your own running playlist. Fast tempo, motivating arrangements, big sounds and classics that trigger memories from the good times of your life.

Or if you are new to AudioFuel, you can try free samples to experience the AudioFuel effect for yourself, or buy from our store with a money back guarantee if it does not work out for you.

Finally...What's Your Experience of Running with Music? 

Use the comments section below to let us know what makes you move, or what kind of music, coaching or run session you'd like us to make next.

Plus a Story from a Cynic...

For those who want to read on, here's an email that came in today from Vicki... who did not like the idea of running with music, it's a great read of almost Biblical running conditions...

Hi Tom and Martin,

This is the first time I've written in [to Marathon Talk] I felt compelled to write after listening yesterday whilst on a run. I'm a bit behind with the episodes so was listening to the long run episode 62. 

It was a grim day and my motivation has been at an all time low for the last 6 months or so - I suffered burnout last August (my own fault pushing through instead of listening to my body) 

Anyway, I digress...

I listened to the start of episode 62 to hear Martin explaining that during the podcast there were going to be some 15 min intervals of music by AudioFuel. 

Argghhh... as I said the weather was grim, my mood wasn't great, motivation was low and now I learn that the podcast was going to be interrupted by music. 

I started ranting silently to myself - 'if I wanted to listen to music, I wouldn't be listening to a podcast'...grumble, mumble, grumble. I guess your ears at Marathon Talk must've been burning too - sorry! 

I decided that when the music parts came around, I'd just skip them...simple!

Well, the music did come around just as a massive hailstorm started, the wind picked up and I decided it would be easier to carry on than to stop and faff around trying to fast forward the podcast. 

Oh my word....what a stroke of genius. I absolutely loved the music - what a fantastic idea. The hailstones were bouncing off my face and legs, stinging them red raw and I was so cold I couldn't feel my extremities but I had a massive grin - I also ran further than I have in 6 months. 

The music definitely got me through one of the toughest runs I've done for ages and I was buzzing when i got home. I was so impressed that immediately on arriving home (wet and bedraggled), I bought one of AudioFuel's long run albums. I now can't wait until I feel well enough to do another run so that I can listen to it.

Thanks Tom, Martin, and AudioFuel for giving me back my mojo.

Vicki

• Interval Training
• Martin Yelling
• Run Faster
• Run to the Beat
• Running Music
• Sennheiser

In the last 6 months AudioFuel founder Sean has taken 8 minutes off his half marathon personal best (PB) in Reading finishing in 1:40:08 and 5 minutes off his 10k PB in Newham finishing in 44:50, here he explains how to run faster.

I'm a data freak and my records show I'm running faster than ever before. 

Three years ago 1 km took 5:41 at 154 heart beats per minute (HBPM), now 1 km takes 4:55 seconds at the same heart rate.

I've become a more efficient runner and a faster runner. It takes time and work to run faster, but if you follow the advice here, over a period of about 6 months, you will run faster.

1. Build a Strong Aerobic Base - or to put it another way 'Run slow to run fast'

Aerobic exercise is where you undertake a moderate work level for a longer period. In heart rate terms this means exercising at less than 70% of your maximum heart rate. 

In base training you are teaching your body to learn to break down and use fat as an energy source, this has the added bonus of boosting your metabolism. Long distance runners especially need to be able to teach their bodies to burn fat. 

If you invest a couple of months running more slowly a strong aerobic base will:

• Strengthen your lung muscles that facilitate air movement in and out of lungs
• Strengthen and enlarge your heart muscles to improve its efficiency in pumping blood throughout your body
• Develop your endurance muscles
• Improve the recovery rate of your muscles
• Decrease your blood pressure
• Decrease your resting heart rate
• Increase your red blood cell count and improve the transport of oxygen around your body

Ok that's enough theory. What this means in practice is spend two or three months running slowly, I'd advocate using a heart rate monitor (HRM) as your 'speedometer' and running at a fixed, low heart rate. 

The hard part - actually running slowly

I'll admit I hate being over taken by people twice my age and weight. My ego is an issue. The PAINFUL part of aerobic base training is running slowly, so if you are a speed freak like me, you can use a HRM and slower fixed tempo long run music to regulate your pace, and make it OK to run slower.

What will happen? - Here from my notes of a few years ago:

On the first outing my average distance pace was 6mins and 2 seconds running at 144 Heart Beats per Minute (HBPM). 4 weeks and 12 outings later, my average distance pace had improved to 5 minutes and 45 seconds again at 144 HBPM.

2. Push hard in Interval Training 

Base training will already have you running faster, doing laps quicker at the same heart rate. Now is the time to teach your body to run at faster paces. 

Interval training is periods of higher intensity running interspersed with recovery periods. It is effective because it increases your capacity to work harder as well as improving your cardiovascular fitness. 

Being a lighter runner also helps you run fast, and interval training burns more fat in a shorter time period. After you have stopped running your body used more calories and oxygen to return to a steady state than it does after aerobic exercise.

There are many models of interval training for instance 20 seconds sprinting 60 seconds recovery, or sprinting between lamposts!

AudioFuel interval training programmes take care of all the timing and all the thinking, you've just got to run in time to the beat for as long as the music goes. 

Pyramid 180 MAX delivers a the meat of a good intervals workout in just 12 minutes. The shortest sprint is 30 seconds, the longest is 75 seconds, each sprint gets a 60 second recovery.

UK Athletics coach Dr Martin Yelling has made a 43 minute 3 Step Intervals session. He says:

“Running at different paces is a highly effective way to build your aerobic capacity and your running economy to make you a stronger, fitter, faster runner. 

The AudioFuel beat helps you run to the rhythm and in doing so experience some distinct changes in pace. 

This session combines motivational music and personal coaching to help you perform better."

Interval training is a vital part of of the 'how to run faster' question. 

3. Improve your Running Technique 

Having run my first half marathon 25+ years ago, it was pretty eye opening to have my running technique looked at by the experts. I've been back to school, the London Running School to be precise, you can read more about that here. 

The big changes in my running style are an improved arm movement, that delivers more power, and decreased wasted energy in side to side swinging movements. Also improved is my use of the hamstrings and glutes, sharing the work load more fully in my leg muscles.

From analysis video - shows left leg stays low, not using glutes or hamstrings.

AudioFuel and the London Running School are making a 'Run Better" coached session that will be available later in 2011. For now consider getting on a treadmill and having a pro look in detail at your running style. The Running School offer free taster sessions.

4. Also think about...

In addition to a good diet, sleep and rest days you might consider...

• Hydrate well. Electrolyte drinks like Nuun (not sugary glucose based drinks like Lucozade), help ensure you are not just sloshing full of water, but are actually well hydrated with balanced levels of sodium and potassium. Studies show being 2% dehydrated can yield a 10% decrease in performance.
• Improve your Core Strength. Running needs a strong core. It's time to start crunching. 
• Light shoes. It kind of makes sense, if you're running at 170 BPM for 100 minutes in a half marathon, you're about to do 17,000 steps. Lighter shoes are going to be less work and easier to move.

5. That's it, well almost...

Well getting out there and just doing it is pretty important, which might be easier if you can keep your training fresh. 

When people we meet ask what makes a balanced running diet, we suggest each week do a slower, fixed tempo long run, an intervals session, and a varied tempo timed session. 

For those who like running with music and coaching, and are serious about wanting to run fast we've made this special race pack. It sells like hotcakes and we've never ever been asked for a refund, even though we offer that. 

Train well and stay injury free.

• Base Training
• Core Strength
• Efficient Running
• London Running School
• Run Faster
• Running Technique
• Strong Aerobic Base

AudioFuel have teamed up with leading audio brand, Sennheiser to compose a 15 minute sound track called Thru the Gears. And because they are a top team they are letting you download it free of charge.

The Run Profile

Thru the Gears begins with a minute of stretching to warm up followed by a minute at a walking pace.  Then the pace builds up to a jogging pace, gradually revving right up to a 170 beat per minute sprint.  The last minute gives you a recovery period to walk and stretch out

Composing Thru The Gears

Howie Saunders, AudioFuel’s Music Director, best known for his high energy soundtracks played in films such as The Matrix, found it a particularly exciting and challenging soundtrack to compose and produce.

“To give the track broad appeal, the ambition was for the music to crossover between different genres. So as the tempo ramps up the music morphs seamlessly from pop and electronica into techno and breakbeat and, finally, kicks into balls-out sledgehammer metal. In fact, with the two minute 'stretch 'n' walk' section framing the main piece front & back, you could say that 6 different compositions make up the whole 15 minute track. And the incredible diversity of instruments, ranging from delicate piano & staccato orchestral strings to slabs of thrash guitar & juggernaut bass, meant that over ninety separate channels of audio were required for the stereo mixdown.

Another key element is the voiceover coaching (or the "personal trainer in your pocket", as they call it). AudioFuel called upon voiceover artist Irena Tyshyna to record basic vocal instructions, with certain phrases shadowed by a single word from a male counterpart. Seeing as Sennheiser HQ is based near Hanover, we felt it was appropriate to use German voiceover artist, Benjamin Wolf.

Sennheiser’s UK Marketing Communications Manager, Steve Dalton explains why they commissioned the soundtrack. “Based on growing evidence that music can increase performance, we wanted to go one better and create a track for our customers that is not only designed for running but is also produced to sound its very best through our headphones”.

Howie Saunders explains how this was achieved. “We asked BAFTA winning sound designer Nick Ryan to create a variety of dynamic sonic assets specifically designed to enhance the listening experience through Sennheiser's state of the art Sports Headphones. Revving motorbikes, Formula One cars and jet fly-by noises give an environmental dimension to the sound and add thrust to the "Thru The Gears" message.”

The soundtrack works equally well for all three of the Sennheiser sport ranges: Sennheiser/adidas MX680s, PMX680, OMX680 and CX680. All of these headphones are not only lightweight and sturdy, but also stay extremely secure in your ear while you run and are resistant to sweat and rain. Sound-wise their high output drivers deliver a powerful and energizing stereo sound.

But as Howie succinctly puts it, “Never mind the elaborate planning, slick production and technical finesse, people just want to know whether it kicks ass? Music is nothing if it doesn't have the right vibe. We think you’ll find it hard to disagree after trying out this winning combination of music, sound quality and fast paced running. Listen, run to the beat, enjoy!”

Why not give it a go, and let us know what you think?

• Headphones
• Run Faster
• Running Music
• Sennheiser