India Today Conclave
India Today Conclave

How to Create the Perfect Running Playlist

No counting strides or beats per minute — it's much simpler than that.

21 March, 2018
How to Create the Perfect Running Playlist

Running isn't easy, but listening to good music while you do it can make the process less painful — and can motivate you to go a little longer than you otherwise might.

Tap into the strategies of running coach Hollis Lotharius, who teaches treadmill-running classes at Mile High Run Club in Manhattan (and miraculously keeps hoards of runners coming back for more).

"I select music with the intention of building tangible energy throughout the run," she says. But you don't have to count strides or beats for minute to get the tempo right. Just follow Hollis's tips:

  • Make your first two songs high energy. But hold the hard rock — there's no need to get super intense.
  • Choose songs with a hard-driving bass. "Foot strike will naturally match the beat — it feels good when it does and thus makes you want to keep going," she says.
  • Pick aggressive songs for the hardest parts of your run. If it makes you feel angry, those feelings will translate to extra power — which you'll need to get up a hill or through sprints.
  • Stick your favorite songs on the tail end. You might be inclined to start your playlist with those songs you can't stop singing. But saving them for the end of your run will rev you up to do the impossible: finish your run stronger than when you started. "That moment when your music, energy, and stride are in sync — it's pure magic," she says.

To make that magic happen, start with this playlist, curated by Hollis for Cosmopolitan.com:

1. "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NV6Rdv1a3I" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="">

2. "Chemicals" ​by Tiësto and Don Diablo, feat. Thomas Troelsen

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbvqv19Nf0E" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="">

3. "Sugar Remix 2015" by Robin Schultz, feat. Francesco Yates

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmaATD_PSLw" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="">

4. "Body Heat" by Selena Gomez

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqhDhHZ_O_4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="">

5. "Bitch Better Have My Money (R3hab Remix)" by Rihanna

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQKegpWuK7U" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="">

6. "Intoxicated" by Martin Solveig

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Rq2TX0wj4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="">

7. "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) — Marco Da Silva Remix" by Fergie

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej3wwdvEbn8" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="">

8. "Turn All the Lights On — Bakaboyz Remix" by T-Pain

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSYiUtF6sHk" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="">

9. "Breathe" by The Prodigy 

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_PAHbqq-o4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="">

 

Follow Elizabeth on Twitter and Instagram.

Credit: Cosmopolitan
Comment