In the interest of Everyone knows the benefits of running to regular music - it reduces the perception of effort, blocks negative messages, enhances mood- all good and important things.
But what I want to know is if it can make me run faster.
That's why I didn't just listen to any old music, but Hella Sound - running music specifically designed to match your stride rate. (Ooooh!!...Ahhhh! Tell me more!!).According to Hella Sound, most mass-market music clocks in at between 86 and 120 beats per minute (BPM), while stride rates come in between about 135 and 175 strides per minute (SPM). So finding a song that matches your pace is difficult. But Hella Sound offers each song in preset rates (BPM) that will match your running stride per minute. All of their songs are 30 minutes long and contain rhythmic and harmonic structure to help you stay focused during your run.
My translation: Running to music that helps you stay focused on your ideal stride rate can (possibly) make you run faster.
One niggling question; will it work for me?
The Workout:
5 x 2 miles at MP (9:10) with a steady 1/2 mile (9:45) recovery in between. With warm up and cool down, that's 14 miles with 10 of it at MP (average pace of 9:27).
The Music:
I downloaded 2 different songs: What Are You Made Of...? (175 BPM) and As You Wish (180 BPM)
Findings:
175 BPM seems to be my stride rate. Like a lot of runners, I've timed my stride by counting the times my right foot hits the ground in 1 minute. I often get 90 (180 SPM). I also think I get 90 because I'm aware I'm timing it. That was confirmed by trying to run to 180 BPM. It felt rushed- I was far more comfortable at 175.
I liked the music. Luckily, my favorite song was What Are You Made Of...? Here how this segment is billed: "Sometimes you gotta put it all on the line. What Are You Made Of?!? is 30 minutes of thrash, rock, military cadence, ska and a healthy dose of diabolus in musica. Make no mistake: this is face-punching music. Get out there and show 'em what you're made of."
Most inspirational? 15 minutes in there's a cadence section. It's like Johnny Cash meets Running To Cadence:
Did you think this was gonna be easy?
You are here because this is hard.
If it were easy, everyone could do it.
And you are not like everyone.
The day may come when you can no longer run.
Today is not that day.
You gotta earn your wings.
You gotta, gotta earn your wings.
You ask yourself, "Can I give more?"
Tell me if that answer isn't "Yes".
This right here is what puts the tiger in the cage.
And all it takes is all you've got.
Get hungry now.
What are you made of...?
Faster? Inconclusive. This was a hard workout. There were times I felt the music was forcing me faster, but it was a bad thing. I would suddenly feel too tired, which was discouraging. What I needed was to pay attention to my perceived effort to keep things under control. In the end, I thought I could use the music's motivation at certain times, but overall, paying attention to my body would probably yield a better result.
Conclusion:
