Bold Pace Music

100 Best Motivational Running (and Workout) Songs:

Running Song(s) of the Week:

Wonder Why – Vetiver (BPM=152): find at #37 on our 100 Best Motivational Songs for Running

So glad that Monica is home safely after running the Boston Marathon yesterday. And yet, so disgusted that any person or group would ever commit such a cowardly act. Our thoughts and prayers are with the runners and families that were hurt in this tragedy…and we “Wonder Why”?

This song was one of Rollo & Grady’s Top Songs of 2011. Vetiver serves up some themes that many can relate to in this song… “Up ahead I know, there’s a rocky road. No complaint could ease the way it rides. Yet how far we are from where we once stood high. Wonder if. Wonder how. I wonder why.” Also from Workout Playlist #2

Listen to full song:

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Please note: the audio files above (if available) will only be posted for 1 week, if you are the artist or artist representative and would like this audio removed, please send us a note at boldpacemusic and it will be removed immediately.

Running Music Video of the Month:

Hey Ya! – OutKast (BPM=160):

A perfect pump you up song and the video is worth it just to see Dre (or Andre 3000) dance and move. Blender (a now defunct magazine) once described this song as an “electro/folk-rock/funk/power pop/hip-hop/neo-soul/kitchen sink rave-up” — I think that pretty much covers it. The video is based on the Beatles landmark appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Yes, the presenter in the video is Ryan Phillippe. At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won four awards for Video of the Year, Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Special Effects, and Best Art Direction.

Use it at the gym as music can be the key to keeping you in shape in the New Year: “You think you got it”!

Want to see more great running music videos? See Best Running Music Videos

What is Bold Pace Music?

It’s all about having great music on a run or during a workout. It started with a husband (that’s me) making running music playlists for his wife (Monica — owner/designer of Remanents and a bold pace)…then for her running “long distance friends”, and so on. All songs on the playlists below were carefully selected for running or working out. The songs are either inspirational, about running or fitness, or just fun w/ a great beat. If you are a marathon runner, you’ll really enjoy the running music playlists below as they are long enough for a marathon and the BPM (“Beats Per Minute” or the pace of the songs) increases so you can “start slow, finish fast”. If you click on a playlist and go to a post, you’ll see my “rationale” as to why the song was included.

If you’re wondering if music can really help when running or exercising…see what Physician.com has to say. Or find a good synopsis and several more good research articles at “Exercise and Music” on Wikipedia.

Running with music that has too slow of a beat can cause a problem with your pace. You may unconsciously slow to the pace of the song. “Eye of the Tiger” is a certainly a top motivational song for running, but at 109 BPM (Beats Per Minute) it is way too slow for most runners. Getting the “right” BPM for your pace may take some trial and error as each runner has a different stride length (which also may vary based on pace). Therefore, the songs on the playlists below were carefully selected for running and/or working out with bpm in the 140 – 190 range. The pace (BPM) starts off slower in first few songs, then builds up to a faster cadence.

For a well done chart showing BPM by mile pace for walking, running, and cycling… see Exercise Pacing & Use of Music.

Off and Running CD Tin Notecard Set (6 cards, 2 of each style for $13)

Looking for a perfect gift for a runner or someone into fitness or yoga? Take some music below and slip it in with a CD tin notecard set from Remanents (like the “Off and Running” CD tin notecard set shown above). These cards, gifts, and tees have been sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Anthropologie, Nordstroms, Henri Bendel, Fortnum and Mason (London) and many other fine stores, however, you’ll find the largest selection at www.remanents.com. See more running cards and tees along with beautiful Couture Fabric Holiday cards and Halloween cards too.

Got an iphone or use an ipod? Check out this app and software that analyzes your itunes for BPMs and then lets you choose songs at that BPM from your iphone or ipod…see Cadence (need Mac w/ OS 10.4 or higher for ipod; PC version coming soon)

How Music Can Aid Athletic Performance:

It’s not just about running music, the “right” music works in the gym, on a bike and during a swim too (waterproof ipod review and purchase). Here’s a great video by the BBC (published 7/28/10) that documents a study done on triathletes that shows how music allows for longer training w/ less perception of effort.

Best Running Music Playlists:

Click name of playlist below to download songs from itunes. Click album images to hear samples or download songs from amazon.

1) itunes: Jamie’s Mix: 140 – 160 BPM (for runners w/ mile pace of 9.5 – 10.5 minutes)