DR COSTAS KARAGEORGHIS IS HEAD OF THE WORLD-RENOWNED MUSIC IN SPORT RESEARCH GROUP AT BRUNEL UNIVERSITY IN WEST LONDON. HE HAS SPENT THE LAST 20 YEARS STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN SPORT AND EXERCISE.

Music is the spark that ignites your running flame

WHAT THE RESEARCH HAS SHOWN

Science has revealed four main ways in which music can influence your preparation and running performance:

• Music lowers your perception of effort. It can trick your mind into feeling less fatigued during a workout and also encourage positive thoughts. So you feel less pain and/or happier about the pain you are in!!
• Music with a fast tempo can also be used to pump you up prior to competition or slower music can be used to calm your nerves and focus. It is considered by some athletes to be a legal drug with no unwanted side effects!
• Matching the beat of the music to the tempo of the exercise can also regulate your movement and even reduce the oxygen required during running by up to six percent.
• The rhythmical qualities of music emulate the pattern of some physical skills. Therefore, music can enhance your technique and make you a more efficient athlete.

Music and Run to the Beat

The run will deliver motivational tunes at certain points on the course, both live and recorded. Based on research carried out with Run to the Beat entrants in 2008, we have a special focus on the four most popular genres (pop, rock, urban, and dance) which will be interwoven throughout the course. Click here to see examples of genres and the beats per minute.

Selecting music for training

What should you bear in mind when picking music for running? Here are some essential guidelines:

• To find out the beats per minute of your favourite tracks put the title of the song and 'beats per minute' into an internet search engine and it will tell you.   This will help you build your playlists
• Marry the music to the activity you are undertaking and the psychological effect you want to experience. For example, loud, fast, rhythmical, percussive, bass-driven music is great for psyching yourself up before interval training.
• Consider the tempo - is the speed of the music and its rhythm (pattern of beats over time) ideal for your running cadence?
• How intense is the activity: generally speaking you will need faster music if you are running at a faster pace (music of 130-150 bpm is ideal for high-intensities).
• Does the tempo of the music contour your expected heart rate during your run?
• Has the music got a rhythm (beat) that makes you want to run?
• Do the lyrics contain positive affirmations of running such as "keep on running", "born to run" or "run to the beat"?Other positive statements such as "moving on up" or "I believe" also lead to positive motivational consequences.
• Does the music create imagery in your mind that is motivational; maybe through associations the piece has within popular culture (e.g. the "Rocky" film series soundtrack) or through personal memories?
• Does the music remind you of your adolescence, early adulthood or another passage in your life that evokes positive feelings for you?
• Does the music possess a pleasing melody and harmony (combination of notes played at the same time that shapes the emotional "colour" of the music) which improves your mood? Generally speaking, major (happy) harmony is more appropriate for exercise than minor (sad) harmony.
• Does the music emanate from the genre (e.g., 'pop', 'rock', 'urban', or 'dance' etc.) which you grew up with and identify with?
• Does the music make you feel excited or 'psyched-up'?
• Does the music evoke a positive state of mind?
• Does the music make you feel confident and does it promote motivational thoughts?
• Are you familiar with the music without finding it tiresome owing to overexposure to it?

Case Study: Julia the Marathon Runner

Julia Clarke is a marathon runner who runs several hundred miles in training each month. This is often a very solitary and punishing task with little variety. Julia's coach, a former Australian marathon record-holder, aims to make her a more efficient athlete. In order to do this, he tells her to relax and not waste energy through unwanted muscular tension. She focuses on letting the tension in her jaw, neck, and fingers drain into the tarmac with every new stride. To help her achieve these aims, Julia uses an mp3 player during her longer training runs. She listens to soulful ballads and soft, relaxing music. The acapella vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo performs her favourite music. She associates the timeless African harmonies she hears with the fine tradition of distance running in East Africa, and this is a source of huge inspiration to her: The choral tones create a positive mood while the lilting rhythms and slower tempi help her to relax and maintain an efficient and steady running rhythm; accordingly she is able to conserve energy more effectively in the early stages of a run. The music also becomes a distinct focus in the latter stages of a run and distracts her from negative bodily sensations such as the aching of her calves and the burning feeling in her lungs. In fact, the effects of the music can be quite hypnotic for Julia, and, after a while, she feels as though she is just floating along.

FOR A FULL VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE PLEASE CLICK HERE