I’m a music lover. I like to have music on while I do everything from driving to showering so it’s no surprise that I need music when I run.

There’s probably a good reason why I like music when I run, there are some studies that show listing to music while running can boost performance as much as 15%. Music does a great job tricking the brain into blocking those feelings of fatigue. There’s even some studies that go as far as to give an optimal BPM for running.

I’m not to concerned with the studies though. I like to do everything to music.

Sometimes I don’t really even hear the song playing in my ear because I’ve got my mind on other things, be it speed, distance, direction, weather, or something entirely unrelated to running. Other times I find myself singing along or smiling at a favorite song.  Music is all just part of the freeing running experience for me. It’s part of the “me time” that running provides, that escape from my everyday life.

Before I share my playlist with you I want to let you know that just because a song is on my playlist it doesn’t necessarily mean I like that particular artist. I picked these songs based on the songs themselves, not the people who created them. Not all the songs are super fast but they all have their own little way of motivating me to continue on.

My Running Playlist is over three hours long and always plays on shuffle so I have a good variety of music with every run. By listening on shuffle it takes a lot longer for me to get tired of a song and kick it off the list.

Many of these songs were on my original Running Playlist. I’ve added more to that original list and unfortunately some songs have been given the boot. It’s important to keep it fresh so you can enjoy your time running and not have to keep skipping songs you no longer want to listen to.

There you have it, this is what keeps me going for all those miles. Sure, I need my music to keep me going but I always make sure that it is never too loud and that I can be aware of my surroundings. For more ways to keep yourself safe while you run, check out my Tips For Running Safety.

What’s on YOUR playlist?

I don’t know why I do this to myself. I have a good thing going and then I ruin it all by being a slug. Well, this summer I did it again, I stopped running. It was’t like last summer when I had a good excuse either.

It got too hot. The kids finished school. The routine went out the window. I have a million excuses for not running.

Lack of consistency is a common theme in my life that touches everything I do. For now, that’s neither here nor there.

I guess the important thing is that I’ve started back at it again. I’m running. Not far and certainly not fast but it’ll take time to rebuilt everything I lost in those months of doing little to nothing.

Every time I go out there I wonder why I stopped. I love to run. I love to be out there, just me, my music and the road. Dodging the occasional car, truck or cob of corn.

An actual cob of corn that came flying at me on a run.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about why I don’t run and what I can do to make sure I don’t take these long breaks from something that I enjoy so much. Trying to come up with a solution to keep me out there even if it’s just for short little three mile runs.

The only thing I can come up with is to keep racing. I run all winter long, no matter the temperature or the frozen ice falling from the sky. Why? Because I’m training for my spring half marathon. Maybe if I always have something to be woking towards it will give me the drive I need to stay out there.

I participated in a few virtual races and they’re a fun way to keep me out there and increase my bling collection.

After my first virtual race, 10K.

I’m getting ready for my next virtual race next week then I’m thinking about doing a Thanksgiving virtual race since I’ll be out of town and not near any real races.

It’s not that I don’t love running, I truly do, I struggle with time and (sometimes) motivation. I’ve never regretted going out for a run but I really regret not getting out and hitting the road.

Are you a runner too? Do you ever struggle to get out there and log those miles?