Best Things to Listen to While Running

While some people like listening to the sounds of nature or the rhythm of cars passing when they run, others like to distract themselves by listening to music, podcasts, or books while running. Many people think music helps them run better, we dove into some research to find out if it does. Read on to find out!

In the summer of 2020, I started listening to podcasts during my runs. Pretty much all of the Podcasts I listened to were about running. For many months I listened to them during cross-training and runs but a couple of months after listening to them I noticed that I seemed to “zone out” and go slower when listening to podcasts during runs. 

My coach at the time had pointed out that she thought my secondary long “relaxed” pace run could probably be a bit faster without comprising my Friday quality run.

During my next secondary long run, I noticed that I was starting out really slow so I switched my podcast off and switched over to a Spotify playlist that I recently created for hill repeats. My pace and mood seemed to change a lot!

At that point I decided while doing runs that were meant to focus on improving running speed or skills, I either needed to listen to nothing, which isn’t an issue for me, or music.

Music to Listen to While Running

Research shows that humans have a natural tendency to try to sync their movements to whatever rhythm they’re hearing. It’s something that is simply wired within us, we notice this when we start tapping our foot to a beat while eating lunch in a restaurant. 

There is some evidence that shows that when you move in sync with an auditory rhythm your biannual coordination, industrial productivity, and sports activities improve. When you have a “rich” auditory stimulus such as music, it is useful when it comes to improving our motor performance which helps us run!

Music entices you to move rhythmically! If you listen to music while you run some research shows that you may have enhanced levels of endurance and lower perceived effort because there is a reduction in metabolic cost since greater neuromuscular or metabolic efficiency is promoted. 

If you run with music, it’s likely running that your running playlists have the word “tempo” in them. This is because, like your running, music has a tempo (speed/pace). The idea of these playlists is that most of the songs have a similar tempo and you will match your running tempo with the music tempo. I’ve noticed a lot of these playlists tend to be very techno-ish, which makes sense because that music is fast!

I personally like to run to what some may call “raunchy” music. These harder rap-ish songs have such good beats! I especially prefer this type of music for track workouts and hill repeats. When I do easy runs, I am now all about podcasts or audiobooks!

This is my favorite playlist to listen to while running if I am making a hard effort!

Podcasts to Listen to While Running

As I mentioned, when I first started listening to something while running I chose podcasts. My favorite thing about listening to podcasts while running, specifically running related podcasts. I now only listen to podcasts during easy efforts but I still enjoy them.

There are many benefits of listening to podcasts while running, the biggest one being all of the knowledge that you can take in. Running is a time-consuming activity and unless you run on a treadmill (that’s a hard no for me) you won’t be doing anything else while running so why not take advantage of all the time and learn something new?

By listening to podcasts while running you can learn a lot of fun new facts about running (or your chosen interest) that help to pass the time. For me, I started learning a lot about running which not only motivated me to want to keep running but also seemed to enhance my performance.

Just like most things, the more knowledge you have about something, the better you are at it. I started learning a lot about the physical training aspect of running and also the mental aspect. I think learning more about the mental aspect of running was the most beneficial for me.

I really enjoy hearing people share their motivational run stories as well as running experts share their knowledge. I would recommend choosing podcast episodes that are centered around the type of race you have coming up or a specific running topic you are interested in or struggle with.

For example, if you have an ultra race coming up, you could listen to ultra-running podcast episodes where people share their stories and advice about this specific type of race. On the other hand, if you have been struggling with fueling during your runs you could look into listening to some sports nutrition podcasts.

Here are some of my favorite running podcasts:

Audiobooks to Listen to While Running

Okay, let’s talk about audiobooks. When I first started listening to audiobooks I only listened to running-related books. Just like listening to podcasts while running, listening to these audiobooks while running was a way for me to learn more about my sport and stay motivated to work hard at running.

Like podcasts, I only listen to audiobooks during easy run efforts because otherwise I can get distracted from the effort at hand. I started out listening to educational books but eventually found my way into books that were meant to be purely entertaining.

I enjoy listening to audiobooks because it allows me to escape and get lost in someone else’s story. I can easily cruise along on the trails lost in whatever romance or suspense story I have chosen.

Favorite Non Fiction Audiobooks

The first audiobook I ever listened to while running was The Brave Athlete. This book is super entertaining to listen to because the narrators are great and it is real information delivered in story form. This is an especially great read for runners who have been sidelined and have been having a hard time coping with the loss of sport.

My absolute favorite book and one of the most inspiring running books I have ever listened to is How Bad Do You Want It. This book is one of many of Matt Fitzgerald’s, it is super inspiring and informational. Whether you are a beginner runner or a seasoned athlete, I would highly recommend listening to this book.

When you’re done, check out The Comeback Quotient. This book is full of motivation and tips about mental toughness.

Favorite Fiction Audiobooks

Now let’s fast forward to 2023, the year I started listening to fiction audiobooks while running. While I love educating myself during a run, sometimes your brain just needs an escape. In the summer of 2023, my runs started getting longer than they had ever been, up to and over 3 hours. I needed a bit more stimulation!

This is when I began to dive into more fiction. I started by listening to many of Colleen Hoover’s books. Eventually, I dove into other fictional books, mostly romance, and then found my way to listening to more suspense and thriller-type books.

I always listen to a sample of the audiobook first because let’s face it, no matter how good the book is, a crappy narration makes it intolerable to listen to. The first suspense-ish book I listened to was The Last Thing He Told Me. I had a 3-hour trail run the day I started listening to this book and the run flew right by, I honestly wanted to keep running just so I could keep listening!

This listen was one of MANY in 2023. If you want to see what I have listened to check out my Book Club page where I have listed and linked as many of the audiobooks I’ve listened to as I can remember!

Things to Consider When Listening to Something While Running

If you choose to listen to something while running, you need to practice a bit of caution. You mustn’t have the volume up so loud that you cannot hear others on the trail. It is unsafe to not be able to hear when other people are letting you know that they are passing.

I use Apple AirPods Pro 2 for listening to music, podcasts, and books while running. One of my favorite features of these headphones is the noise cancelling feature which comes in handy when in public places like on an airplane or in a coffee shop. That being said, I recommend making sure this feature is turned off if you are using these headphones while running.

Takeaways

For many people, choosing some type of auditory input to listen to while running can be a game changer, while some people prefer the quiet.

I never race with headphones in and I have done many long runs without listening to anything. However, as I mentioned, if I am going out for an easy effort run I really enjoy doubling up and making the most of my time. Sometimes that means educating myself with running material and other times that means entertaining myself with an exciting story.

If you are looking for a running coach to program workouts for you, check out our coaching services and schedule a consultation today!