Written and Media by Andrew Sharp.
“If I had to run without music I might as well not run.” – Amanda Jackson
Something that people who are runners constantly go back and forth with is the question “Does running with music benefit you more than running with no music?”
Some of the local runners at Greenville were willing to chip in and give some input on the subject. This question has had runners in argument for quite awhile now because of the science aspect that comes along with the topic. Some people have science to back up that music helps you mentally by making running feel less strenuous. Music can make your positive aspects of mood shine through all while suppressing negative aspects such as anger, leading people to a higher performance level.
“I think, if I had to run, it would have to be with music because I hate running!” – Fred Lewis
Something that is crucial to this question and article is real feedback from real people. A small survey went out for people of all ages and running backgrounds. The results of the survey were something that might shock some people when you really think about what is being said. Out of a 24 person vote, 19 people said yes to the question of whether or not they thought music helped them run faster. That being said, five people said they did not think that running with music made them faster. The results of this survey are interesting because the population that said they did not think that music would be helpful to make them run faster were runners on teams. The other people that interacted were either people who were not completely devoted to running or they were dual-sport athletes that do not focus mainly on running.
“I think it depends on what kind of running you are going to do.” – Erick Garcia
Many studies have been done to decide the fate of this question. Some of the studies go very in-depth and some are very basic without actual interaction with people watching and observing their everyday running trends. One person followed a couple runners around for an entire day just to see what they would do during a normal run. The results that he found were interesting and conducted on professional runners. He found that most runners training in the marathons would have some type of music to assist them. The runner study was, however, inconclusive because he was unable to prove that the music was the leading cause of the success of the runners. He only proved that the runners use the music
“Music does not help you run faster.” – Brian Patton
The researcher then related the study to a different study conducted on people riding bikes over a certain length. The riders would ride on three different times and they could ride as fast as they wanted. They were given three different styles of music. The first riders listened to music at a regular tempo, the second listened to faster-paced music, and the last listened to slower-paced music. They found that those who listened to faster-paced music would ride three percent faster than the ones who did not, and those who listened to the slow music rode nine percent slower than the faster-paced music listeners!
What’s the answer to the question, you ask? Well, nobody can really tell you at this point. You would have to simply conduct your own study to see what you can find!
