Running, Music and Social Media
Posted: Friday 27 April, 2012
Erica Whiteman
A few people I know have recently run marathons. Inspired by those who have run these marathons, I have often entertained the idea of training for one, but then I remember… I don’t run. I jog/walk on the best of days, and walk very briskly when the weather is nice, but still I do think about running and participating in something like Race for Life.
Studies have shown that music makes you run faster. It’s no wonder that mobile fitness apps such as RunKeeper integrate with smartphone music players to keep runners on track. I love music and it motivates me, maybe I will run one day.
The Guardian recently featured the ‘Rock n Roll Marathon Series’, which has been running (no pun intended) since the mid-90s across the US, but recently extended the tour to the Europe. The Rock n Roll Marathon is set up like a band’s tour, complete with an All Access Pass giving entrance eligibility to any of the Series’ events. There’s even a section to download themed music playlists to keep runners motivated in each city on the tour.
From what I can tell, running is all about motivation. Fitness apps that integrate with Facebook help keep runners motivated by sharing their times with their friends. I see friends’ running times popping up on my Facebook timeline every day. Music integration also keeps them motivated. One of these days, I will get the motivation to put on some running shoes and join them… until then I will just cheer from the sidelines and ‘Like’ their status updates.
