How many times have you put your iPod on shuffle and ended up listening to a power ballad while trying to pump yourself up? Then you have to attempt to flip through eight gigs of music to find the song you want, only to end up losing your pace, or worse, face plant onto the sidewalk?
The right music can both force you to pace yourself and give you an
extra ounce of adrenaline to help push through the last mile. Plus, creating the perfect soundtrack to your run can make waking up at 5am just a little more exciting.
Make things easy on yourself by creating workout specific playlists with songs you love. Update them regularly, too. Your favorite tunes can quickly lose their uplifting power when you've listened to them every other day for weeks on end.
As interval running is a key piece of many workouts, we put together three interval playlists. Each is designed to include roughly 30 to 35 minutes of music. More importantly, each list includes varying degrees of fast paced tunes and built in pace-slowing jams. The fast ones will keep your motivation up and the slower ones won't kill your running buzz. Lace up your tennis shoes, hit the road and enjoy!
(If you've already got Spotify, you're good to go to listen to these. Otherwise, you'll have to sign up for an account through Facebook.)
Interval Playlist 1 - Click to Listen
Middle Class Rut - Busy Bein' Born
The Strokes - Someday
Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Beck - E-Pro
Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
Jack White - Sixteen Saltines
Smashing Pumpkins - Zero
Muse - Supermassive Black Hole
The Roots, Cody Chestnutt - The Seed (2.0)
Interval Playlist 2 - Click to Listen
Jay Z, Kanye West - No Church In The Wild
Justin Timberlake - Rock Your Body
Lil Kim - The Jump Off
N.E.R.D. - She Wants to Move
OutKast - B.O.B.
Missy Elliot - Lose Control
Trick Daddy - I'm A Thug
Flo Rida - Whistle
Interval Playlist 3 - Click to Listen
The xx - Crystalised
Peter Bjorn and John - Second Chance
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Rich
The Vines - Get Free
Hot Hot Heat - Ladies and Gentleman
Weezer - Buddy Holly
The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes
The Black Keys - Howlin' For You
Pretty Lights - Finally Moving
Rachel Betsch has emerged herself in functional fitness and effective training methods as a lifeguard, a sergeant in the US Army, and a hiking and biking guide at Canyon Ranch. Currently, as an outdoor sports enthusiast and while in training to become a wildland firefighter, fitness remains ever relevant. Rachel is in constant search of new and exciting fitness trends and loves assisting others in pursuit of their own health and fitness goals. She can be reached at [email protected].
