How do you craft the perfect half marathon play list?
Good News! I survived my ten mile run on Saturday. Not only that, I did it in a fairly good time and could almost convince myself that I enjoyed it. With this in mind, I have come to the perhaps mistaken conclusion that I may indeed survive the Worksop Half Marathon on the 28th October. Don't get me wrong, as I finished my ten miles I was tired, but if you had told me that I had another three miles to go, I would not have wept (if you had told me that I had another 16.2, like I would have done in the marathon I would have had a breakdown, but lets worry about that another day) So now I have to plan for my half marathon, covering race tactics, what kit I am going to wear, and most importantly, the play list. How do you select the music that will help the miles fly by? In my peak running days I would have needed around two hours of music, however now, realistically, I am looking at around two hours twenty ish. There is a whole industry based around finding the perfect music for you to run to. Websites will use your average km/mile split times or those that you aspire to to tell you what bpm (beat per minute) music you need. I am a much more simple creature though, for me running music falls into three categories, Get Moving, Keep Moving and Inspirational.
Depressingly, my current race pace gives me a bpm of 156
Get moving music is what I use at the beginning of races. These songs bring catchy beats and dance and rock feature heavily. I always start my play list with Fatboy Slims Right Here, Right Now. After all, all the training has been building up to this moment. Other common songs for the early sections are Muse's Supermassive Black Hole, Voodoo People by the Prodigy, and Lets Get it Started by the Black Eyed Peas.
Keep Moving songs are key for two sections of the race, coming through halfway, and the second to last mile/km. By halfway your just starting to feel the faster pace, but you still have as much road in front of you as you have left behind. You need up-beat music with lyrics that spur you on, a musical kick up the backside if you will. Black Eyed Peas Pump It, LMFAO's Sexy and I Know It and Florence and the Machine's Spectrum, are all songs I am using at the moment, but other songs that grace the mid section are Chemical Brothers Galvanise, and the slightly cheesy but highly obvious choices of Run by Gnarls Barkley and Moving by Supergrass. As you come towards the end of the run but still await that first glimpse of the finish line, your legs are really feeling it, as often you've not pushed this hard for this long before. What you need is a good beat to lift you towards the end. Two firm favourites I have used in the past are Marilyn Manson's Personal Jesus (the only reason I made it up Snig Hill without tears) and Madonna's Four Minutes.
So now we come to Inspirational. These are songs with lyrics that speak to me, or more often than not, they are songs that just happened to be playing during a perfect running moment. For example, Speed of Sound by Coldplay, which was playing as I ran over the Tyne Bridge with the Red Arrows flying overhead during the 2005 Great North Run, or Robert Miles Children, which I listened to during a run round Rother Valley, enjoying probably one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. These songs evoke good running memories and give a little shot of endorphins, and I like to dot them around the play list.
A picture taken by my father in law as he waited for me at the 2005 finish line
Before I tell you how I end my play list, I have to admit to being a bit OCD about the whole thing. No, seriously, my husband had his head in his hands the whole time I compiled my last list. I work out my pace for each mile, then I write the songs out and how long they are, before compiling the final list so the right songs come on at the right time. Then I have the same two songs at the end. Vangelis, Chariots of Fire is always playing as I should be crossing the finish line. Cheesy, Moi? Guilty as charged, but it makes me smile and I love coming through the last 200m to the sound of the orchestra. But that's not the last song on my play list, that honour goes to Proud, by Heather Small. I play that to remind myself that although I didn't make my time, I should still be proud of my achievement. So if its Heather and not Vangelis serenading me over the line on October 28th, I will not lose heart, because 13.1 miles is a long long way, and I will definitely have done something that day to make me feel proud.
If you have any suggestions for my play list..please feel free to post them on the comments or on the Little Legs Facebook page. I am always on the hunt for new music and for another one of those block rockin beats!
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