Rock My Run!!

This is an endless Runner debate. Run with or without music? Most have a definite opinion and either love it or hate it. There is research that supports the benefit of using music, and there are purists who believe running "naked" - without any gadgets is the way to go.

When I first started running I didn't listen to music. But the sound of my gasping and grunting started getting to me, so I turned to tunes. And found I loved running with music in my ears.

But I usually run early in the morning - in the dark, with a headlamp on my forehead and a flashing light attached to the back of my shirt. I want to make sure I am seen by drivers. I want to hear cars, and feel I need to be especially watchful. And I have my dog with me too - so I have to kind of keep an eye on him. I can't take too many distractions - so no music on early mornings.

I started with music during races. It helped me with pace, and kept my mind off the fact that I had to keep running and breathing until the end. Most songs were inspirational in lyrics. "Titanium" by Rihanna has gotten me up many a hill - sometimes in my ears, sometimes in my chant.


Lately, I haven't been running to music at all. Weekdays, I've been running early. And on Saturdays I've been running with a group - it's much more fun to talk and chit/chat. 
But I will run with music again, hopefully soon, because it's a nice escape once in a while. I recently discovered Rock my Run. It's a really neat website that offers running mixes. And they are mixed together so that they transition smoothly from one song to the next.  DJ's upload their offerings, and each mix "costs" between 1 and 3 credits.  But, check this out, you get one credit just for signing up (and you can sign up with your Facebook account), and you get one credit each month after. So if you're not in a hurry for music, you could get one every month or two. And you can always buy credits as well. 
From their website - "Rock My Run is a product of Rock My World, Inc., a business focused on providing GREAT workout music for active people. Specifically, Rock My Run provides running mixes, designed by popular, professional DJ’s that will increase the enjoyment and performance of a person’s workout or race.

People interested in a more enjoyable running experience come to Rock My Run and are able to find mixes that have music they love, in a variety of lengths, genres and (eventually) paces. Plus, all of the mixes have a listing of the songs that are in the mix so runners always know what they're getting!"
I downloaded my first mix last week, and I LOVE it. It's fabulous 80's music - the title of the mix is (and I love this!!) Miles & Mullets!! How awesome is that? And unless you are an 80's graduate, you may not get  the whole mullet thing.
Description for "Miles & Mullets" - Dust off that leather Guns & Roses jacket and lace up your high tops! DJ Rock Right has 30 minutes of hair and testosterone from the finest rock bands of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. It is straight up mullet madness as you look back at all the classics that gave the middle finger to pop music and banged their heads in rebellion. This mix is about 30 minutes.

This past Saturday, I had a 5K race - so I downloaded my second mix Grrl Power 2!  This mix was created by world-famous DJ Mike Czech, and 100% lyrically powerful, 100% clean and (nearly) 100% powered by female vocals. The BPM in this mix does vary a bit over the course of the mix and rather than finishing with a high BPM thrust at the end, drops down into some lower tempo, but equally motivating tracks, before finishing with a brief cool down. This one is about 45 minutes long.

They have at least 100 different mixes, and when searching for your perfect one, they can be filtered by genre, BPM,  length, DJ, and clean or explicit lyrics. I really like the fact that I can search for only clean lyrics. 

I've tried creating my own mixes, with Itunes, and other software that supposedly groups songs together with the same/similar BPM. But it's tedious and there's always a song or two that I skip over during the run because it doesn't fit. I love the fact that these mixes are seamless, and I can preview all the songs included before I decide to download. I'm looking forward to more awesome mixes to add to my shuffle for those days I do run with music.

Check them out for yourself! And remember, you will get your first credit just for signing up!

What say you? Run/exercise with or without music? What's your go-to song?

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