Running With Music: Good or Bad?

Listening to music while running, exercising, biking, or whatever physical activity you do has been something that has been debated for years. Does it just come down to personal preference, or is there actual science behind this debate?
A recent study done at the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise had 12 subjects ride a stationary bicycle at a pace that they could sustain for 30 minutes while listening to a song of the subject's choice. In successive trials, they rode the bikes again, with the tempo of the music variously increased or decreased by 10%, without the subject's knowledge. The researchers found that the riders heart rate and mileage decreased when the tempo was slowed, while they rode a greater distance, increased their heart rate and enjoyed the music more at the faster tempo. (Hudson, 2010).
However, A 2004 found that runners performing at a pace where they were at 90% of their peak oxygen uptake enjoyed listening to music, but that the music had no effect on their heart rate or running pace, regardless of the music's tempo. (Tennebaum, 2010).
Here is a video that I found on the effects of music on athletes from BBC News

Dr. Karageorghis is a professor at Brunel Univeristy who organized a series of tests to study the effects of different kinds of music on athletes and runners. According to Dr. Karageorghis there are 4 different factors of music that effects athletic performance. These four things are:

1. Rythmic Response: Your bodies response to the beat of a song
2. Musicality: combinations of cords and instruments that effect our moods while listening to a certain song.
3. Cultural Impact: Your personal response to a certain song based on social upbringing.
4. Association Factor: How we relate to a certain song based on past experiences and life associations.

According to this, the science is behind choosing the right song for you that meets all of the 4 criteria for the perfect song to get you pumped up. So a song that you may love to run to, another person may not get anything at all from it.
Some runners find that listening to music motivates them to get up and go, while others value quiet while running so that they are more in tune with their bodies.
Really when it comes down to it, staying "plugged in" while running is a personal choice. I personally think that it is best to experiment with both "natural" running, and running with devices such as watches, ipods, etc.
There is definitely something to be said for just getting out there and having nothing else between you and the road. But something a little upbeat music can get you out the door and going, and there is nothing wrong with that!
Now that you have heard all the boring scincetific facts, I am going to bless you with some of my favorite songs to run to. Please don't judge :) And remember, according to good ol Dr. Karageorghis every song has different effects on different people!
Some of my ALL TIME FAVORITE SONGS include:

• The Blackeyed Peas - Just Can't Get Enough
• Pussycat Dolls - Don't Cha
• Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
• Jennifer Lopez - I'm Into You
• Shakira - Did it Again
• Wiz Khalifa - Mezmorized
• Kayne West - Im Your Pusha
• Destiny's Child - Solider
• Glee Soundtrack - Open Your Heart/Boderline
• Paramore - Feeling Sorry
• Eminem and Lil Wayne - No Love
• The whole Girl Talk Album
• Maria Carey - Side Effects and Cruise Control
• Outkast - The Way You Move

All pretty random huh?! I change it up depending on my mood so my music changes alot. This is just a small sample of what gets my butt in gear during runs!
So what do you think, music or no music?
What are some of your go-to "pump up" songs?

Favorite Running Gear

Yesterday I  got a request from Miss Erosion to do a post on my favorite running gear. I LOVE requests and I love talking about running gear, so I thought it would be the perfect post!
Here we go!
Shoes:
Currently I have two pairs that are on rotation, or used for different purposes.

• For everyday runs and training I wear the Brooks Trance 10.

• For races and longer runs (because they are lighter) I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Mizuno Wave Elixir 5:

These shoes have been loved so much that they are about to retire. I have been looking into buying the newest version of them which is the Mizuno Wave Elixir 6:

Clothing:
Here is where I am the weirdo of the bunch. I like the Nike Tempo shorts, but they are not my favorite. I feel like they fit me weird and I have found ones that I like better. These include:

• Asics Favorite Short: For some reason these just fit me the best. They are very similar to the Nike Tempos, but I like that the pocket is on the back, they fit a little better, and they are super comfortable.

• Nike Dri-Fit Tanks: I will give Nike some props for their Dri-Fit tanks, because they are my all time favorite. I like the tanks better than the t-shirts and I usually buy mine one size up so they fit a little looser. My favorite one that I own is this one, mainly because its awesome:

Other:

• Garmin Forerunner 205: Yes, I have the old old version of the forerunner. I got it a couple of years ago and newer versions have come out since, but this one has been my little running buddy for so long I just can't bear to part with her!

 

• Ipod Nano: The boy got me this for Christmas last year and I love it. Its perfect for running because it has a built in clip that you can just clip to your shorts and you don't have to buy anything extra to hold it on runs. I may do a post on my favorite running songs too, if anyone is interested!

 

• GU gels: These things are like MAGIC! I take them on all of my long runs and they really do make all the difference. So far my favorite flavor is expresso love (I prefer the chocolate or vanilla flavors over the fruit flavors)

 
These are some of the favorites that I am loving right now. I could probably make a whole other post with more, but these are the essentials right now. If anyone else has suggestions, requests, or questions about anything involving my training leave me a comment or email me. I love hearing from you guys! :)
Speaking of training, yesterday was my day off for the week, so I decided to get my long run in. I did 15 miles at an easy pace. Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 9:48
Mile 2: 9:44
Mile 3: 9:56
Mile 4: 9:39
Mile 5: 9:30
Mile 6: 9:33
Mile 7: 9:26
Mile 8: 9:23 (half way point, kicked it up just a little after this)
Mile 9: 9:19
Mile 10: 9:11
Mile 11: 9:10
Mile 12: 9:02
Mile 13: 8:43
Mile 14: 8:45
Mile 15: 8:39

Yay for negative splits! I have really been trying to make it a goal to run the second half of all of my runs faster than the first. And this run was great, I am happy with my times, for sure! I think I am getting more used to the longer distances too, because today I was barely sore at all. This is VERY encouraging for running that first marathon in a few months.
What is your favorite running gear at the moment?