Putting your headphones on and setting off into the distance helps you drown out the outside world and focuses your mind on the music. We all have our favorite playlists of tunes that captivate and absorb us in the melodies, harmonies, and beats. If you’re like many runners out there, grabbing your headphones, water bottle, and running shoes might be one of your favorite things to do.
Could listening to high-energy songs while running give you a boost so you can pick up the pace and finish that tough run? Can music make you run faster for longer? Researchers set out to find some answers and determine how music impacts running. Let’s look at the research.
The study
In a small study published in the Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, the researchers recruited 18 fitness enthusiasts and divided them into two groups. Both groups took a 30-minute challenging cognitive test that was specially designed to prompt mental fatigue.
Following the test, one group performed an interval running workout, and the other completed a 5K time trial. All runners completed these workouts twice, once while listening to music and once without music. The study participants were able to select tracks they found particularly motivating and rated them on factors like melody, tempo, and beat. One of the motivational songs, for example, was Eye of the Tiger by Survivor.
The study results
The results showed that when runners chose their own playlists following the mentally taxing test, they performed just as well as when they weren’t fatigued. In other words, despite completing a challenging cognitive task, listening to music allowed the participants to run at the same level as when they weren’t mentally drained. The interval running group with music performed better than the participants running in silence. Those running the 5K also had a small improvement in their times when listening to music.
The researchers concluded that the music somehow focused the mind and helped the runners push through higher intensities and finish the run. The lead study author, Dr. Shaun Phillips, stated that “listening to self-selected motivational music may be a useful strategy to help active people improve their endurance running capacity and performance when mentally fatigued”.
The takeaway
The takeaway is that if you feel like listening to that entrancing beat or that fun song with the killer guitar riff and vocal power note, it could just give you some musical fuel to finish the run. When your brain is tired and wiped out after that long work project or meeting, it’s probably a good time to get your running shoes and headphones on.
Additional research suggests music can help runners enhance their cadence, which refers to your stride length or the number of steps you take per minute when running. This could lead to fewer injuries and a more efficient pace. It turns out the power of music could ease mental tiredness and improve your running speed, cadence, and endurance.
