Music is the language of the soul. I have a sticker from the Musical Instrument Museum on my laptop that proudly displays this quote. Recently though, music has been moving my legs as well as my soul as I’ve trained for the Holy Half Marathon taking place this Saturday. Given the amount of time that I knew I would spend running in preparation for the race, I decided to catalog various albums as I listened to them to see if there were any general trends on what made good running music. Here is what I’ve found.
Music and memory go hand in hand. I’ve listened to twenty-three different albums while running over the past few months, and in looking over the list, each album jogs the memory of each run better than I otherwise could. For example, “An Evening with Silk Sonic” reminds me of a tough running day that was ultimately very successful while “Everything’s Archie” reminds me of a nice weather day when I ran a new route. If you run long enough at Notre Dame, you will find routes that you keep coming back to, and listening to different albums has been a good way for me to keep track of my runs.
Running helps to lock in. Our generation has been exposed to more media than any of our forebears, and this has dramatically changed our daily lives. While there are certainly negatives to this constant stimulation, the added stimulant of music while running makes my runs both faster and more enjoyable. I have found this is true for myself, as constant music provides energy and motivation while running. If the music is going strong, then so am I. There is, of course, something to be said for listening to the world around us and stopping to “smell the roses,” but that is difficult to do while running for speed. Running transports you from one place to another, and if you’re trying to go fast, you lose things that you see and hear when you go slow.
Running requires energy. Not all albums are suited to be soundtracks for runs. I like listening to music that gives me energy and keeps my spirits high during a run. I think listening to an album straight through is a great way to listen to music while running, as hearing the energy of the album as the artist intended is very powerful. I have found albums with fast tempos or strong instrumentation are well-suited for running. In addition, the percussion and bass are extremely important because they constitute the rhythm section of a song. Although this doesn’t happen often, whenever music provides me with a strong beat that I can run to, I am able to lock in with the music and push myself at its pace. Songs that give more than they take are fundamental to running, as running takes enough already.
Music for the Holy Half. I will be listening to music during the Holy Half on Saturday. I believe that doing so will both improve the speed and quality of my run, and if I want, I can always stop the music for a change of pace. The soundtrack for the Holy Half will most likely be “Please Please Me” by the Beatles, “Kiss” by Carly Rae Jepsen and “Teatro d‘Ira - Vol I” by Måneskin, although this is highly subject to change even during the run. Overall, when I run, I will be listening to music that moves both my soul and my legs, and I hope that my time will be as low as my spirits will be high.
