Running music?

[liv]

I am working on turning myself into a runner. It's hard going, running doesn't come naturally to me at all, and I'm still hovering around the "couch" part of the Couch To 5K programme. I've just been loaned an iPod, and I'm trying to follow the advice that running to music helps with performance.

So, any runners watching the community? What do you put on your player when you're running? Apparently the most helpful kind of music is "bpm", which is music with a prominent, steady beat. Probably not too fast, since I'm still a beginner at running, maybe 120 to 150-ish? At the moment my scratch playlist has a bunch of electrogoth type stuff, but I'm not sure it's quite right.

I prefer songs with lyrics rather than purely instrumental, because I need something to distract my brain from the boringness and discomfort of running. Songs which actually mention running would be an extra bonus!

Comments

[stripped]

A couple of artists to check out that I found worked well when I was running. Not everything they do applies, but in general the pop punk beat worked.

All Time Low
We the Kings
The Academy Is...
William Beckett
Enter the Haggis (specifically Gasoline and One More Drink)

And I love the Glee version of Glad You Came as a warm up song.

I can give some specific songs for the bands/artists above if you like, but they have a lot of things I found that worked well for me pacewise.

[liv]

Ooh, those are great, many thanks! They're exactly the sort of thing I like, but all new artists to me. Definitely some to go out and buy so I can put them on my running playlist.

[kiki_eng]

I had a cardio playlist once upon a time that had Fall Out Boy's (Coffee's For Closers) and Nerina Pallot's Everybody's Gone To War on it, if that's useful.

[liv]

Many thanks for those recs, they are both musically interesting. Yay community!