What Makes Me High! (part 5 of 5)

When I first started running (inside, around the track, over and over; round and round), I ran to local radio station music. I noticed that some of the songs matched the rhythm of my foot placement. I wondered if running would be more fun if all the music matched my pace, so, I created a pace-matching music mix. Some music was at a slower pace; some medium; some faster.

My distance increased, my enjoyment increased and my speed increased. Try it - you'll like it!


How to do it

• Make a play list of your favorite songs
• Run a short distance to each song
  
• Note which songs best fit your pace
• Note your perceived pace speed (slow, med or fast)
  

Find Your Beats

• Count the downbeats for 10 or 15 seconds
• Use a free internet app or purchase a smart phone app for counting down beats
• Once you find the downbeat count for your paces you can discover appropriate running songs by counting their downbeats rather than test-running them
• Create play lists to match your running paces
  
• To build up your speed, order your songs so that the first couple are slow; then a medium; then a slow; then a fast; then a slow. It works!
• When you first start running to your pace music do it in this order: slow; slow; medium;slow; slow; medium;slow;slow.
• Start with your slowest perfect pace! Be careful on your first run - running to your perfect pace-tunes can make you run too fast which can cause injury.
  

Cherry On Top

For optimal enjoyment: Quietly sing along or lip sync with your songs. Although, I sing along under my breath quietly, it feels like I'm singing out loud. You can't help but feel great when you run and sing-a-long. Really!

Never has anyone stared or even noticed my singing.

Partial List of My Running Pace Music

• A Thousand Miles / Vanessa Carlton
• Big Yellow Taxi / Counting Crows
• Californication /Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Come Back to Me / David Cook
• Dance, Dance /Fall Out Boy
• Dilemma / Nelly
• Everything You Want / Vertical Horizon
• Fireflies /Owl City
• From Where You Are/ Lifehouse
• Gives You Hell / The All-American Rejects
• Hanging by a Moment / Lifehouse
• Heres to tonight 4:11 Eve six
• I Gotta Feeling / Black Eyed Peas
• I'm with You /Avril Lavigne
• It's Been Awhile / Staind
• Just Dance / Lady GaGa & Colby O'Donis
• Kryptonite / Three Doors Down
• Lullaby 5:32 Soul's Core Shawn Mullins
• Major Tom /Shiny Toy Guns
• My Life Would Suck Without You / Kelly Clarkson
• Pinch Me / Barenaked Ladies
• Right Here / Staind
• Save Tonight / Eagle-Eye Cherry
• Say It Right / Nelly Furtado
• Scar Tissue /Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Shadow of the Day/Linkin Park
• Speed of Sound / Coldplay
• Stop and Stare /OneRepublic
• Such Great Heights / The Postal Service
• The Heart Remains A Child /Everything But The Girl
• The Last Resort /The Eagles
• The Reason / Hoobastank
• Today Was a Fairytale / Taylor Swift
• Unwritten / Natasha Bedingfield
• What Goes Around Comes Around /Justin Timberlake
• What I've Done / Linkin Park
• You Belong With Me / Taylor Swift