There's something about a great running song that has the power to transform a mediocre workout into an exceptional one.
Heck, the right song at the right time has the power to motivate you to get out the door in the first place. A good running song can even make you a better runner—a few years ago I solved my shin stress fracture problems by increasing my turnover rate to lessen the force of each impact. To do it, I found a bunch of songs with just the right tempo (180 beats per minute) and lined my strides up with the beats.![[shoes and ipod photo]](http://www.nomeatathlete.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/shoes-and-ipod-photo-300x225.jpg "[shoes and ipod photo]")
But what defines a good running song? It's hard to say. Sometimes you love a song when you're driving or at your desk, but when you take it out for a run, something just doesn't jive. The key isn't necessarily a fast tempo; sometimes slow songs are just as good as upbeat ones. A driving bass drum pulse might help, but on a two-hour run, that gets old quick.
Really, the only way to know a song works for running is to road-test it. Make a playlist and try it out; you'll know right away what works and what doesn't. Some will be surprisingly fit for running. And you'll have an inexplicable urge to skip right past some other songs that you were sure would be keepers when you made the list.
In my seven years of running, I've found lots of great running songs. But there are certain ones that, no matter how many times I hear them, or how sick of them I am when I'm not running, make it onto my iPod every time. That's what this list is—my top 10 favorite running songs of all time. (I went to high school and college from 1995-2003, so you'll have to excuse my post-grunge bias.)
The Top 10 Songs for Running
10. Foo Fighters – My Hero. 
A little on the slow side, but with Dave Grohl's thundering drums and motivating lyrics, this one's perfect for pounding out hill repeats or for when you're really worn out and the fast stuff's not cutting it.
9. Kelly Clarkson – My Life Would Suck Without You. Alright, I'm little embarrassed about this one. If I'm ever listening to it in the car, I turn it down when someone walks by. But for running, it's got a driving beat and enough attitude to keep you pushing hard.
8. Blink 182 – Anthem Part II. Say what you want about Blink 182, but man, can they churn out good running tunes. (And filthy lyrics.) I could make a whole list of "Best Blink 182 Running Songs," but since you're not all teenage boys, I didn't. This song has a great build at the beginning is way up-tempo.
7. Pete Yorn – For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is). You might not recognize this one by name, but if you heard it, you'd probably know it. This one was popular when I was training for my very first marathon, so I have a soft spot for it.
6. Marilyn Manson – The Beautiful People. My wife hates when she borrows my iPod and this one is on there. But I love this song for hill workouts. A band played a punk version of it when I was running the Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, and I've been pretending to be a badass ever since.
5. Eric Johnson – Cliffs of Dover. Another one you might not know, but this song is a fantastic running track. There's no vocal, so it's easy to zone out and just listen to this guitar-god's catchy little melody. I ran to this song over and over when I was trying to groove a faster turnover rate, and it worked. Try it to test out your turnover, it's hard to keep up at first!
4. The Postal Service – Such Great Heights. A little bit electronica, a little bit sappy emo. But the beat is perfect for running and it just makes you feel awesome. Great lyrics don't hurt either.
3. Death Cab for Cutie – The Sound of Settling. I know, I know… two Ben Gibbard songs in a row. But the hook is infectious, the tempo is perfect, and there's something about this one that can pull you out of a funk like no other.
2. The Darkness – I Believe in a Thing Called Love. Hands down, my favorite song to run to. This guy is the greatest thing since Freddie Mercury (and I'm not talking about Adam Lambert, AI fans). This is my go-to song when I'm just feeling slow—it picks me up, speeds me up, and makes me feel happy.
1. ________________________________________. Ok, I'm tricky… I only compiled nine songs, and left the final spot open. Why? I want you to fill it in, because I need something new to listen to! What's your all-time favorite running song?
Update for Women Runners: You might be interested in 1984 Olympic women's marathon champion Joan Benoit Samuelson's Women's Marathon Mix 
, a two-volume set of upbeat marathon training songs that I just discovered. The songs are surprisingly non-girly, considering the title of the album.
You can find these and other running songs at the iTunes Music Store
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Im sure this one has been mentioned but still one of my faves. I've really enjoyed reading everyone's music selections here. I've downloaded so many suggestions off this forum.
Run like Hell – Pink Floyd
There is a mashup called My Life on the Crazy Train Would Suck Without You, So What.
http://www.mashuptown.com/2009/04/my-life-on-the-crazy-train-sucks-so-what-dmf.html
Ozzy offsets Kelly Clarkson so you don't have to turn in your man card to listen.
Hey! Just found this site. I'm training for my first half and there's some really fantastic information on here.
But yeah, favorite running song right now is Savior – Rise Against. It's got a steady beat throughout the whole song, its super catchy and all I wanna do at the end is sprint for the finish.
And I have the Kelly song and Cliffs of Dover on my running playlist. Both awesome. I have Paramore on that playlist too – you do what ya gotta do.
Coldplay – Fix you. when it starts to pick up, you will to. good running tune.
Purple Bottle- Animal Collective
Thanks for the awesome site! You are such an inspiration, not to mention provide all the info i need in one place.
Here's my playlist with some country…
All Star 3:20 Smash Mouth Astro Lounge Ska 4
Another One Bites the Dust 3:36 Queen Queen: Greatest Hits Rock 6
Any Man Of Mine 4:07 Shania Twain The Woman In Me Country 6
Baby Got Back 4:23 Sir Mix A Lot Mack Daddy Hip Hop/Rap 3
Baby Likes to Rock It 3:56 The Tractors The Tractors Country 3
…Baby One More Time 3:31 Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Prerogative Pop 10
Be My Baby Tonight 2:51 John Michael Montgomery The Very Best of John Michael Montgomery Country 4
Beat It 4:19 Michael Jackson HIStory: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 [Disc 1] Pop 4
Beautiful Day 4:08 U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind Rock 12
Bitch 4:13 Meredith Brooks Blurring the Edges Rock 8
Boom Boom Boom 3:09 The Outhere Brothers ESPN Jock Jams, Vol. 2 Pop 5
Born to Fly 5:36 Sara Evans Sara Evans: Greatest Hits Country 1
Breakfast 3:40 Newsboys Take Me to Your Leader Religious 2
Bye Bye 3:21 Jo Dee Messina Jo Dee Messina: Greatest Hits Country 4
Can't Get You out of My Head 3:51 Kylie Minogue Fever Pop 9
Cartoons [Live] 3:40 Chris Rice Short Term Memories Religious 2
Cecilia 2:55 Simon & Garfunkel The Best of Simon & Garfunkel Singer/Songwriter 7
Chattahoochee (Extended Mix) 3:57 Alan Jackson Alan Jackson: The Greatest Hits Collection Country 4
Come Baby Come 3:55 K7 ESPN Presents: Jock Jams, Vol. 1 Electronica/Dance 7
Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) [Video Version] 3:42 Christina Aguilera Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) [Single] Pop 4
Cotton Eyed Joe 3:08 Starsound Cotton Eyed Joe – Single Dance 6
Cowboy Take Me Away 4:47 Dixie Chicks Fly Country 4
Crazy In Love 3:56 Beyoncé Dangerously In Love R&B/Soul 12
Ditty 4:05 Paperboy The Nine Yards Hip Hop/Rap 7
Elevation 3:47 U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind Rock 7
Everyday Is a Winding Road (LP Version) 4:19 Sheryl Crow Everyday Is a Winding Road Rock 9
Eye of the Tiger 4:04 Survivor Now That's What I Call the 80s Rock 5
Fighter 4:06 Christina Aguilera Stripped Pop 7
Footloose 3:47 Kenny Loggins Footloose Soundtrack 5
Free Ride 3:23 Audio Adrenaline Bloom Religious 2
Get Ready 4 This 3:26 2 Unlimited ESPN Presents: Jock Jams, Vol. 1 Electronica/Dance 3
A Girl's Gotta Do (What A Girl's Gotta Do) 2:40 Mindy McCready Ten Thousand Angels Country 4
Gone Country 4:20 Alan Jackson Alan Jackson: The Greatest Hits Collection Country 4
Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky") 2:48 Bill Conti Rocky (30th Anniversary Edition) [Original Motion Picture Score] Soundtrack 6
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) 4:01 C+C Music Factory ESPN Presents: Jock Jams, Vol. 1 Electronica/Dance 7
Good Vibrations 4:31 Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch Living In The 90's [Disc 1] Pop 8
Track 09 4:18 1
Guys Do It All The Time 3:12 Mindy McCready Ten Thousand Angels Country 5
Happy Girl 3:27 Martina McBride Greatest Hits Country 5
The Heat Is On 3:47 Glenn Frey Only Dance: 1985-1989 Rock 3
Hell Yeah 4:50 Montgomery Gentry My Town Country 3
Here for the Party 3:17 Gretchen Wilson Here for the Party Country 3
Holding Out For A Hero 5:50 Bonnie Tyler Footloose Soundtrack 4
Holiday 3:51 Madonna Madonna Rock 9
I'm Alright 3:17 Jo Dee Messina Jo Dee Messina: Greatest Hits Country 3
I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) 3:36 The Proclaimers Living In The 90's [Disc 2] Pop 3
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 3:43 The Rolling Stones Hot Rocks 1964-1971 Rock 9
I Like To Move It 3:40 Reel 2 Real ESPN Jock Jams, Vol. 2 Pop 7
I Love Rock 'N Roll 2:56 Joan Jett & The Blackhearts I Love Rock 'N Roll (Remastered) Rock 6
I've Always Loved You 4:28 Third Day Time Religious 1
I Will Survive 3:18 Gloria Gaynor 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Gloria Gaynor Rock 5
I Will… But 3:40 SHeDAISY The Whole Shebang Country 3
If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows) 3:38 Rodney Atkins If You're Going Through Hell Country 3
Independence Day 3:26 Martina McBride Greatest Hits Country 3
Independent Women, Part I 3:41 Destiny's Child Survivor Pop 4
It's A Love Thing 3:41 Keith Urban Keith Urban Country 3
It's My Life 3:44 Bon Jovi Crush Rock 9
Track 06 4:39 1
Jump 4:04 Van Halen The Best of Both Worlds Rock 8
In the Light 5:06 dc Talk Jesus Freak Religious 1
Kryptonite 3:54 3 Doors Down The Better Life Rock 6
Let's Go Crazy 4:39 Prince & The Revolution Purple Rain (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) Soundtrack 6
Let's Hear It For The Boy 4:21 Deniece Williams Only Dance: 1980-1984 R&B 3
Life Is a Highway 4:36 Rascal Flatts Cars (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) Soundtrack 4
Little Bitty 2:39 Alan Jackson Greatest Hits, Vol. II Country 3
Love You Out Loud 3:05 Rascal Flatts Melt Country 2
Macarena 3:53 Los Del Mar ESPN Jock Jams, Vol. 2 Pop 5
Señorita 4:55 Justin Timberlake Justified Pop 11
Mickey 4:15 Toni Basil Best of Toni Basil – Mickey & Other Love Songs Pop 10
Miss Independent 3:35 Kelly Clarkson Thankful Pop 8
More Than a Feeling 4:45 Boston Boston Rock 4
My Girl 2:44 The Temptations The Wonder Years – Volume 1 Rock 2
My Next Thirty Years 3:37 Tim McGraw A Place In the Sun Country 4
Oh, Pretty Woman 2:59 Roy Orbison Pretty Woman Soundtrack 2
One More Last Chance 3:11 Vince Gill I Still Believe in You Country 2
Pump Up The Jam 5:22 Technotronic Living In The 90's [Disc 1] Pop 8
Push It 4:29 Salt-N-Pepa 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Salt-N-Pepa Hip Hop/Rap 5
Track 17 5:01 1
The Race Is On 2:56 Sawyer Brown Best Of Country 4
Ray of Light 5:21 Madonna Ray of Light Pop 8
Reality 3:09 Newsboys Take Me to Your Leader Religious 2
Redneck Woman 3:41 Gretchen Wilson Here for the Party Country 4
Right Here, Right Now 3:09 Jesus Jones Living In The 90's [Disc 1] Pop 5
Rock Your Body 4:27 Justin Timberlake Justified Pop 13
Run-Around 4:40 Blues Traveler Travelogue: Blues Traveler Classics Rock 8
Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) 3:20 Big & Rich Horse of a Different Color Country 4
Settlin' 3:27 Sugarland Enjoy the Ride Country 3
SexyBack (feat. Timbaland) 4:03 Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds (Deluxe Edition) Pop 5
She's Got It All 3:29 Kenny Chesney She's Got It All (Single) Country 2
She Don't Know She's Beautiful 2:55 Sammy Kershaw Sammy Kershaw: The Hits – Chapter 1 Country 3
Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) 3:13 Beyoncé I Am… Sasha Fierce (Deluxe Version) Pop 6
My Hope Is You 4:20 Third Day Conspiracy No. 5 Religious 1
Stronger 3:24 Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Prerogative Pop 11
Strut 4:04 Sheena Easton Only Dance: 1980-1984 R&B 2
Summer of '69 3:33 Bryan Adams The Best of Me Rock 10
Super Freak 3:21 Rick James Only Dance: 1980-1984 R&B 2
Survivor 4:14 Destiny's Child Survivor Pop 4
Sweet Caroline 3:22 Neil Diamond The Neil Diamond Collection Pop 5
T-R-O-U-B-L-E 3:01 Travis Tritt The Very Best of Travis Tritt (Remastered) Country 2
There's Your Trouble 3:13 Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces Country 2
There Are Days 3:12 Nickel & Dime 8 Through 9 Religious 1
This Is How We Do It 3:56 Montell Jordan Radio Waves of the '90s: Pop Hits Pop 7
This One's for the Girls 4:03 Martina McBride Martina Country 4
Track 16 3:11 1
Thriller 5:58 Michael Jackson HIStory: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 [Disc 1] Pop 2
Tootsee Roll 4:03 The 69 Boyz ESPN Presents: Jock Jams, Vol. 1 Electronica/Dance 6
Two Of Hearts 4:00 Stacey Q Only Dance: 1985-1989 Rock 2
Ultimate Man 5:01 Nickel and Dime 3 Days in March Christian
Unbelievable 3:30 EMF Living In The 90's [Disc 1] Pop 4
Uptown Girl 3:18 Billy Joel The Essential Billy Joel [Disc 2] Rock 2
Walking On Sunshine 4:00 Katrina & The Waves Only Dance: 1985-1989 Rock 2
We Didn't Start The Fire 4:50 Billy Joel The Essential Billy Joel [Disc 2] Rock 2
We Got The Beat 2:32 The Go-Go's Only Dance: 1980-1984 R&B 2
What I Like About You 2:55 The Romantics The Romantics Pop 3
Whip It 2:39 Devo Greatest Hits Alternative 3
Who's Cheatin' Who 4:03 Alan Jackson Greatest Hits, Vol. II Country 1
Whoomp! There It Is 3:43 Tag Team ESPN Presents: Jock Jams, Vol. 1 Electronica/Dance 2
Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under 4:25 Shania Twain The Woman In Me Country 3
Where Are The Words 3:28 Nickel and Dime 3 Days in March Christian 1
Wide Open Spaces 3:44 Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces Country 4
XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl) 2:50 Trisha Yearwood Platinum Country Country 2
Yeah! (feat. Lil' Jon & Ludacris) 4:10 Usher Confessions (Bonus Track Version) R&B/Soul 3
You Dropped A Bomb On Me 4:07 The Gap Band Only Dance: 1980-1984 R&B 3
1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New) 3:08 Coolio ESPN Jock Jams, Vol. 2 Pop 5
1999 3:38 Prince The Hits / The B-Sides R&B/Soul 9
Party In the U.S.A. 3:23 Miley Cyrus Party In the U.S.A. – Single Pop 4
Womanizer 3:44 Britney Spears Circus (Deluxe Version) Pop 1
Girls Just Want to Have Fun 3:58 Cyndi Lauper She's So Unusual (Remastered) Pop 1
Nelly-AIR FORCE ONES…best beat EVER!!! Helped me through my half marathon last saturday!
mika* love today
mika's real good
Hearts on Fire – John Cafferty
Thunderstruck – AC/DC
All the above by Maino
umm…
DEFINITELY 'the distance' by cake.
that's a great one too
Queensryche — Jet Cit Woman
NICE!!! I downloaded Empire a few months ago because it had been years since I listened to it. Still kicks ass after all this time.
Bon Jovi – Runaway
Goody Two Shoes
Weezer – Troublemaker
Untouchable Remix – 2pac ft. Krayzie Bone & Swizz Beatz
Trapt- Headstrong
Ha! "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is the top of my workout playlist.
Others include any girl poppy music like Destiny's Child, Lady Gaga, and a lot of reggaeton. Basically anything I feel like dancing like an idiot to!
Jai Ho by the Pussycat Dolls is a very upbeat song and easy to sing along with while you are running.
I LOVE anything by black eyed peas….especially "Pump it". This song usually gets me through the last half mile if I'm struggling.
Flat out the best running song for me is The Killers' cover of Four Winds (originally a Bright Eyes song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no6_COroeLY
Love. Great, great pick.
I tend to listen to entire CDs rather than playlists. Here are my favorites for running:
The Open Door – Evanescense
Something Like Human – Fuel
Absolution – Muse
In Your Honor (Disc 1) – Foo Fighters
The Colour and the Shape – Foo Fighters
Maladroit – Weezer
Stadium Arcadium – Red Hot Chili Peppers
American Idiot – Green Day
Any live recording by the Dave Matthews Band
And last but not least, anything and everything by Pearl Jam
Alpha Male by Röyksopp.
My number one choice is Firstborn, by J. Tillman (of Fleet Foxes). It's slow and melodic, so probably not anyone else's first choice, but running relaxes me, so it's perfect for me. I could listen to it nonstop while running. After that, pretty much anything by Against Me! gets me going.
Drop a bomb on em- eminem
not afraid- eminem
run this town- jay z
stop- ghost k
the second coming- julez santana
heart of a chapmpion- nelly
ali in the jungle- the hours
tick tick boom- the hives
bleed it out- linkin park
cant be touched- roy jones jr
wont back down- eminem
countdown- jupiter 11
eye of the tiger- survivor
Also forgot
till i collapse- eminem
stronger- kanye west
lose yourself- eminem
remember the name- fort minor
Boom – P.O.D
Thousand Foot Krutch – Move
note, some of these songs have cuss words so be advised, I buy the clean versions
dude…i hope a guy didn't write this…kelly clarkson-really? youre gonna have to turn in your man card if thats true.
definitly The Pretender by the Foo Fighters
"wheel in the sky" by journey. AMAZING running song.
Just have to throw something different in the mix..once I started following the Chi or POSE method of running, my cadence increased so much I needed something fast to listen to. At the top of my favs is the group the Dropkick Murphys. Try it out..especially when you want an adrenaline boost, Great for trail running! I'm new to running period, having hated it until reading Born to Run…having great music makes it even more fun. Thanks for the amazing blog, I love it!
the killers – when you were young
Shameless promotion but hey, I run/bike/lift to one of my own songs along with other artists…..
AND it's available on iTunes as well.
"To Die For" ~ Cole Armocida from the album titled Lifeline
Handlebars by Flobots and Going the Distance by Cake…good middle-of-your run/get-your-tempo-back songs
Eminem – cold wind blows
Eminem ft Pink – won't back down
Eminem – Here we go
Eminem – Cinderella man
T.I. – Bring em out
lil wayne – best rapper alive
lil wayne – i'm a dboy
lil wayne ft jayz – mr carter
lil wayne ft eminem – drop the world
kanye west – can't tell me nothin'
black box – ride on time
shinedown – sound of madness
fort minor – dolla
korn – coming undone
scream – michael jackson
the crystal method – matrix theme
last of the mohicans – theme song
Your 9 look very much like what's on my 27 running playlists.
Death Cab's "The Sound of Settling" has a beat for pounding out the steps.
Lots of Against Me!, Mayday Parade, NeedToBreathe, Killers, Rise Against, Bright Eyes, The Cure (…how can you *not* get a second wind when 'Friday I'm in Love' comes on?!), Brand New, Death Cab, Ryan Adams, The Sounds, Gaslight Anthem, Taking Back Sunday…
So many good reasons to run.
Mixed Bizness- Beck
Move Your Feet- Junior Senior
-Just added these to the 'ol running playlist.
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' – Michael Jackson.. MJ has a lot of great workout songs!
somewhat new to running, and never ran to music, only people…but during a 1/2 I ran last fall, a friend let me borrow a device with her husbands music…when Vertigo came on by U2, that was it…replay, replay, replay – got me through…enjoying all of your suggestions, just bought myself a device!
Remember the Name – Fort Minor. Once I hear this song I get into a zone that allows me to push myself. Perfect beat and great motivational lyrics.