Running from Zombies

A bit of an old debate when it comes to running. I’ve never really had the discussion with anyone else because I don’t know anyone else that runs on a regular basis, so I’m going to skip the ‘to music or not to music’ bit and just move on to what I listen to.

You probably already know I listen to music because I have the Nike + sports kit for my iPod. I have a 2nd generation Nano (in shiny blue) and Sennheiser MX75 headphones. Having gone through a myriad of headphones in the past I’ve found that these are the only ones that will actually stay in.

As far as music goes, I tend to listen to something with a good beat. Over 50% of my running playlist is by The Prodigy. As it happens I usually have a moment of guilt at a certain point of my run down the canal path. If I’m running south then I get to the edge of the city after 3kms and am suddenly in the quiet, away from roads and people, though all I can hear is Keith reverberating around in my head. As if it’s somehow disrespectful to the quiet of nature to still be listening to my electronic punk rock :-)

I can run without music, there was a time when the sounds of my laboured breathing would put me off my pace, but I find it much easier now. I think it’s more a case of having something to listen to, to keep me occupied and motivated. The Nike+ system has a ‘power song’ which you can start by pressing the big centre button on the iPod. Mine is currently set to Voodoo People (Pendulum Mix) by The Prodigy, and I used to find that just having it play would make me run that bit faster, though I’ve had it for a while and it isn’t giving me the motivation that it used to. I’m finding that Run With The Wolves, from the new Prodigy album is giving me that extra push now (which I usually save the last km).

So, my playlist as it stands:

No Good (Start the Dance) – Prodigy
Skylight – Overseer
Omen (Extended) – Prodigy
Hard Wax – Manchild
Invaders Must Die – Prodigy
Leave You Far Behind – Lunatic Calm
Weapons of Mad Distortion – The Crystal Method
Thunder – Prodigy
Ready, Steady, Go – Oakenfold
Breathe – Prodigy
Keep Hope Alive – The Crystal Method
Run With The Wolves – Prodigy
Spybreak! (Short One) – Propellerheads
Firestarter – Prodigy
Voodoo People (Pendulum Mix) – Prodigy

This will get me through about 65 minutes, but I don’t really like starting again from the beginning. I’ve had ‘No Good’ as the first song on my playlist for so long it’s quite intrinsicly linked with the start of my run and hearing it after 65 minutes would just make me think I have to do it all over again. Weird? Yeah, a little bit.

Another favourite is Drive by The Crystal Method. It’s one of the mixes in the Nike+ Original Run series and I like it for a slightly more relaxed run. However, it’s only 45 minutes long and so I tend to keep it for the runs I know won’t take longer than that. There are about 4 or 5 of these ‘continuous mixes’ that Nike have released so if you want something that’ll keep you going, I suggest checking them out on itunes.

So what about you guys? What music do you listen to when you work out?