Running music?

[mousme]

Okay, flist, I need your help.

I know that some of you are runners and/or work out regularly. I am going to cave and get myself an iPod (a Shuffle), because running on the treadmill is so excruciatingly boring that I often contemplate committing hara kiri with my water bottle in an effort to end the agony.

That being said, I have very little by way of digital music, at least not in mp3 format, because I have up until now listened almost exclusively to CDs (ever since I had to give up my beloved cassettes and vinyl records). I also have very little that would serve as good work-out music. The stuff I listen to is either too mellow, or doesn't have the right kind of beat to it.

In short, I need recommendations for mp3s that I can load onto my iPod so as to make my workouts less mind-numbingly boring.

Suggestions? Please?

Comments

[palmir.livejournal.com]

The key is upbeat and what you like. Going down my iTunes playlists; my Trainer mix (for cycling indoors) includes:

Matchbox Twenty - Push
Bad Religion - Inner Logic
Better Than Ezra - Juicy
Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get it Started
Bush - Little Things and Everything Zen
Cake - Short Skirt, Long Jacket
Ataris - Boys of Summer
Rob Thomas - This is How a Heart Breaks
Shakira - Hips Don't Lie
Toto - Melanie

And... I guess my other playlists were on my iBook before I killed it. From memory of another list (don't remember if it was for treadmill or interval cycling):

Soggy Bottomed Boys - Man of Constant Sorrow
Bruce Willis - Tenth Avenue Tango
two versions of Flight of the Bumblebee
Devil Went Down to Georgia
Johnny B. Goode
Bachman Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet


Guess it's been a while since I've done indoor-type workouts; can't remember the other songs off hand. The key is generally upbeat, up-tempo songs, ideally ones that you like so you won't be too tempted to skip them. Also don't forget a couple slower songs for the warmup and cooldown, in my experience best to be songs you can sing along to so that you can make sure you're working not so hard that you can't sing/mouth along.

[meallanmouse.livejournal.com]

I listen to a lot of the soundtracks from movies I like - instrumental is fine to work out, so the livelier classical pieces you like will be perfect too.

[griffen.livejournal.com]

80s music is pretty much the best music I've ever had to work out to, but anything with a peppy beat of more than 132 beats per minute will probably do you.

[bodhifox.livejournal.com]

My suggestion? DON'T RUN. Good heavens woman, don't you have a bike? Running tears the hell out of your body. Running is probably what's been beating up our lawyer friend. A bicycle can be ridden year round, and gives you as good or better excercise without the pounding stress on your bones, discs, joints, brain...

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Except that in order to pass my RCMP test, I have to be able to run. So I'm starting slowly (unlike our lawyer friend, in whose vocabulary the word "reasonable" doesn't exist), and building up strength and endurance. :)

[sparrowinsky.livejournal.com]

This is a good comm for picking up MP3s, tagged by artist. I don't have workout music, since I bellydance and it kind of comes with it's own music, but if you like instrumental stuff, I would recommend E. S. Posthumous. They're pretty awesome (and produced my favorite piece of music to date-- <3 Nara <3)

[irishyogini.livejournal.com]

I have one word for you: PodRunner. Go to www.podrunner.com. It's the only thing that keeps (or rather kept) me running. Lots of good mixes there.

[quietlyurban.livejournal.com]

You Got the Love - The Source feat Candi Staton

although the new Florence and the Machine cover is Very Good as well.

Quite a lot of Robbie Williams stuff is quite good for exercise because of the good steady pace - the recent Bodies is a nice steady run, so is Supreme.

Whatever list you end up with, don't be afraid to weed it. Only keep the songs that work together and that you like, else you'll lose the flow if it switches to a song you're less fond of.

[wererogue.livejournal.com]

Rip your CDs! It is the best way to start - you will for sure have music you like.

There are lots of free songs from bands online, for example:
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/
http://www.freezepop.net/
http://www.deathboy.co.uk/

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I have a couple of suggestions for this! I just saw that you're familiar with the C to 5K program, so it all depends how picky you are about your music genres (and if you are, there's a solution for that too.) This guy seems to be the gold standard for c25k podcasts (and he's got the runs available as mp3s as well.) He does each of the prompts in a podcast for each week of the program, with music included.) There's another one that I've tried, a girl who does the same prompts but with hip hop. And here's some other guy I haven't checked out yet but keep meaning to.

If you have any music editing ability, I remember seeing a site out there where they just had the intervals and you could use your own music (alternately, you could record your own voice at the proper intervals) but that's back to your original question about what sort of music to use!

I have no idea where your musical likes (or phobias) might lay, but there's tons of stuff with high 'energy' out there. Some pop/hip-hop/top 40 stuff is really bouncy, and really anything that makes you want to dance or move is good (I remember using a lot of disco when I wanted to get cleaning and housework done.)

Tangentially related: if you do go the iphone route, there also seems to be tons of different apps out there for the running program! Example

[catsarah.livejournal.com]

Would you like me to burn you a CD and send it to you? I have a stockpile of stuff that would be perfect?

Do you like trance? Techno? Living in Montreal (though you may be a bit young for this) do you know Trans X? Good stuff...

Let me know :)

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Oh, that would be great!

I have no idea what you mean by trance, other than the accepted dictionary definition of the term. I'm assuming it's a type of music?

Thank you!

[thinkingoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I like kickass metal myself. I run a lot to Linkin Park, Saliva (Let the bodies hit the floor), Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit, Rob Zombie. :) I look sweet, but I'm not. I envision myself taking out bad guys. Too many movies, I suspect. :)

[thinkingoutlaw.livejournal.com]

Good thing about Linkin Park is that it lends itself well to interval running.... jogging, followed by all out run for about 15 sec or less, and then more jogging. all about it. :) It's what helped me with my asthma.

[vureoelt.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I can't help you there at all. I loathe the wires bouncing around when I run so I would much rather run in contemplative silence and enjoy the scenery. Then again, I don't do treadmills either...

The only thing even resembling that which I do is listen to the radio.

[heartofawarrior.livejournal.com]

When I was hitting the stationary bike for awhile, I tended to gravitate towards heavier metal and rock, like Stratovarius, Nightwish, and Deep Purple. The Who's "Eminence Front" was a favorite, too - I STILL find that on the iPod for impromptu sprints across campus to make it to class on time, 'cause it's good motivation. :-) Golden Earring's "Radar Love" is pretty awesome as well.

These days, I'd likely throw in Brother Firetribe (many an embarrassing moment in house cleaning has been caused by these guys - I can't help it if it makes me want to dance around like an idiot while I vaccum! :-P), Leverage, "Steve McQueen" by The Automatic, Dropkick Murphys, and Powderfinger. If you're interested in any of this stuff, just let me know, and I can zip up a folder of music for you :-)

OH! And the soundtracks from the HALO video games. Can't forget the awesomeness of those! *snicker*

[joane.livejournal.com]

Classic rock does it for me - if this helps at all, my Benson playlist is the one with all the good running songs on it. ;) Anything with a good, strong guitar line is awesome. Pat Benatar, a lot of Melissa Etheridge, Bryan Adams - hell, even Meatloaf has some tunes that work quite well. Indigo Girls tend to be too slow. I'll pull a playlist together for you.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Aww, that's awesome of you. Thank you!

I'm using a couple of songs from the Alyssa playlist you sent me, too. :)

[le-maistre-e.livejournal.com]

I always get a faster spring in my step to the Animatrix soundtrack, and the Matrix one. My tastes are varied and eclectic, running from pure 70s classic gold rock to 80s techno to 00s hip hop..... Very little from the 90s in there.

Actually, depending on how hard you want to push yourself, the two soundtracks may have to wait. They're pretty hardcore.

[prolixfootle.livejournal.com]

Check your email for a (massive) download. Wide variety, mostly moderately fast tempo. Some profanity. Hope you like them.