Running is excellent exercise and the 5k --- 3.1 miles --- is a great distance for a workout. Some people enjoy running without music but the right selection of tunes can keep you motivated and your energy level high. Musical tastes differ but there are some common elements that make for a good running playlist.
Check Your Speed
Find out how fast your stride is. Your stride is how many times each foot makes contact with the ground per minute. During your run, time each footfall for 60 seconds. Do this after you have hit a comfortable pace. Multiply this number by two. Elite runners will have a stride rate in the 180 range whereas the average runner will be considerably slower than that.
What's Your Genre?
Go through your favorite music and make a list of the songs you like. There are many different musical style or genres. If you like music from multiple genres include selections from all of them. Pick out as many as you can so that you can sort them later. Aim for 40 to 50 of your favorite songs.
Stride to the Beat
Sort your music according to your stride. If you have a stride of 140 footfalls per minute, find songs that are at 140 beats per minute. Playing songs that match your stride will improve the quality of your run and help make it more pleasurable. You can calculate the beats per minute of a song by counting the drumbeats for 15 seconds and then multiply by four.
Collect Your Songs
Save all of your songs that are at or near your target stride length and load them on your Ipod or MP3 player. Title this playlist with a name that is descriptive such as "5k pace" or "casual run." You can use these techniques to create additional playlists. You may want to start your workout with a slower pace, speed up in the middle and end in a walk. You can do this easily by placing some of your slower songs at the start and end of your run.
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