Welcome to Not Another Running Podcast. I am
your host, Line 6, and today's episode is called
To Music or Not To Music? A question that pretty
much divides runners into two very passionate
camps. Are you the type of runner that can't
start your run without your favorite tunes? Are
you the runner that can go out on your run with
nothing but nature, your breath, footsteps, and
your thoughts? In this episode, I will be breaking
down the pros and cons of running with music,
when it can help, when it might actually hold
you back, how it affects your mindset, patient
in connection with the run itself. Lastly, I
will break down exactly how I set up my music
playlist for each stage of the marathon from
upbeat to smooth and controlled to slightly unhinged,
pretty much whatever it takes to get me across
that finish line. This is a conversation that
every runner has had to music or not to music.
A study conducted by a group of sports scientists
was published back in 2020. They looked at what
happens when runners listen to their own preferred
music. versus running with nothing but their
thoughts. They took 20 fit young guys and had
them do a six -minute self -paced run. Same effort
and same rules. One run with music and the other
without music. With music, they ran about 10
% further with a faster average speed. Same time,
no extra suffering. Now before you say, they
probably went out too hot. Nope, their relative
effort remained the same. Music didn't make them
reckless, it made them more confident. All of
the collected data showed that heart rate and
perceived effort remained the same. However,
afterwards, lactate levels were lower. There
was less metabolic damage, meaning the body handled
the effort a little bit easier. Translation.
Music didn't change how they ran, it changed
how they felt. And this is why the right song
at the right mile can carry you when your legs
are begging you to stop. As I promised for the
non -music camp, here are some cons to running
with music. Number one is safety. You may not
hear cars or other hazards. You may become dependent
on headphones and if you forget them during a
race or have technical difficulties, it may derail
your whole race. Lastly, Even though the study
showed that pacing stayed the same, it is possible
for some runners to hear their favorite song
and then go out way too hot and push the effort.
So the science is clear. The right song can make
you run further and faster without changing how
you actually pace yourself. Hold on. Now let's
just let this marinate for a second. If a six
minute run can get you that type of boost, Imagine
what it can do for you over the course of a marathon.
I'm just saying, man, you're not hearing me here.
Imagine what that could do for you over the course
of a marathon. Now that we have went over the
pros and cons to running with music, I'm going
to break down how I set up my playlist for race
day and use music to my advantage. Now, caution.
The first part of my playlist is so fire, you
might feel the urge to bust a twerk. All right,
so now that I have warned you about the twerk
factor, let's get serious. The first section
of my playlist is designed to get you amped up,
locked in, and motivated. In this section of
my playlist, I like up -tempo songs, a little
rap, a little pop, and some rock and roll. Here's
a list of the first five songs in my racing playlist.
Number one, Drop by Timberlaine and Magoo. This
song gets you amped up. Number two, Pass the
Cavassier by Busta Rhymes. Number three, If You
Seek Amy, Britney Spears. Number four, Ooh Ooh
Baby, Britney Spears. Number five, Let It Whip,
Daz Band. During this portion of the playlist,
I am trying to get my pace locked in and under
control. My mantra during this phase is snap,
snap, get it, sis. Once I'm warmed up and locked
in, I transition into my flow state. The goal
is to keep the heart rate and effort under control.
Here I turn to some slow gems, and you can't
have slow gems without a little bit of R. Kelly.
Starting off with Like a Freak by R. Kelly, Cookie
by R. Kelly, Hello Love by T. Rome, My All, Mariah
Carey, and Sensational Chris Brown. At this point
in the marathon, I'm in cruise control, feeling
myself. I'm talking Baywatch on the beach, slow
motion running. Aha, David Hasselhoff. My mantra
here is, that boy good. When in the flow stage,
I accept the fact that I'm on borrowed time because
that marathon monster always comes to collect.
Now we are in the, it's either him or me phase.
Typically, I reach this phase around mile 16.
Now it's time to drill and in steps King Von.
I'm gonna need y 'all to listen to me. Von is
nice See y 'all hear me, but y 'all not listening
to me Von is nice See I'm getting pumped up just
talking about Von Anyway, the first song in this
section is go and get him by King Von When that
beat drops and that bass hits I go into full
drill mode My mind state is either you eat or
you food the marathon monster wants a fight and
I'm here to give it to him During this phase,
I cycled through two mantras. The first, I then
gave runners whole head starts and still I'll
hock them down. Next, I'll chant, this that Vaughn,
this that Vaughn, this that Vaughn. Up until
now, I've only mentioned one song in this phase.
So here's a few more. Mad by King Vaughn, Act
Up by King Vaughn, BM Junior by Lil Wayne. The
fact of the matter is this. It doesn't matter
who you are. The Marathon Monster comes for everyone.
And you just gotta weather the storm, swim without
getting wet. Once I reach mile 21, the fight
with the Marathon Monster has ended. And now
it's a battle of me versus the voices in my head
and the pain in my body telling me to surrender.
I call this the how bad do you want it phase.
Songs I play during this phase are motivational,
inspirational. For instance, Grindin' All My
Life by Nipsey Hussle, Battle Cry by Jossie Smollett,
Livin' in America by James Brown, Eye of the
Tiger by Survivor, 2000 Watts by Michael Jackson.
Not only am I drawn inspiration from the music,
but I'm thinkin' of moments when my favorite
athletes overcame adversity and pain. Safan Hassan,
2023 London Marathon. She stopped twice to stretch
and still came back to win. Kobe Bryant, April
2013, tears his Achilles tendon versus the Golden
State Warriors. He got up on his own, walked
to the free throw line on his own, and made both
free throws, clinching the win for his team.
It's not about winning the race or making the
free throws. It's about not quitting the race
and having the courage to attempt the free throws.
During this time, I repeat to myself, Safan kept
going. Kobe kept going. You keep going. To music
or not to music? That is the question. The research
backs music's performance enhancing qualities.
Imagine if the world's best runners could listen
to their choice of music during their races.
What kind of records will we see broken then?
Before I wrap it up, we would love to hear your
running stories. It doesn't matter. what it is,
because whether you believe it or not, your story
can inspire others. Send an email or an audio,
both are welcome, but I will say this, if you
share your story via audio, it gives the community
insight to the raw emotions behind your story.
I will be sharing these stories on the podcast.
Please submit these to the email address in the
podcast description. Thanks for listening. Music
or silence is still your grind hit the streets
and keep it pushing