Perfecting the Art of the Playlist

Hello, my name is Bryan, and I’m an iPodaholic.

There are days when I can’t get myself to pull on my shoes and step out the front door without Rush or Cee Lo or Muse.

Or, yes, even Lady Gaga.

It’s certainly not an uncommon affliction, given how many runners I see with those signature white earbuds. I won’t lie: sometimes I need that extra kick music can deliver, especially when I’m feeling sluggish or uninspired.

Enter: The Playlist.

Crafting the running playlist is an art form. Like the mix tapes of high school, finding the right balance and cadence is essential: who wants to shift gears from techno to Lynyrd Skynyrd?

I wish I could say there are basic running playlist rules I follow, but really, apart from pulling entirely too many songs out of the Guitar Hero series–which, to their credit, have featured some good rock songs, even if you're not a fan of plastic guitars–I’m all over the map.

My main playlist–with its column-inspiring title, “Running On Empty”–was something I built last fall, and has basically stayed the same for the past few months, with some minor additions. It was something I spent at least an hour throwing together, moving bits and pieces around until I found something that felt right.

Almost without me planning it, the heart of it emerged as a bunch of classic rock: Rush, the aforementioned Skynyrd, Elton John, Journey, Dire Straits and Jimi Hendrix–music that, oddly enough, was mostly recorded either before I was born, or before I turned 3.

The challenge is to blend in more modern stuff, whether that’s TV On the Radio or Jay-Z. I still tinker in iTunes once every week or two, sliding songs around, trying to build a long enough list that I don’t have to worry about endless repeats on those hour-long weekend runs.

Yes, I’m from New Jersey, so I have some Jersey-mandated music on there–Bon Jovi, notably–but somehow, no Bruce. You’d think “Born to Run” would be almost a given on any running playlist, but not mine.

At the same time I’m spending time building and updating my running playlist, I’m trying to keep a few of my runs every week unplugged. Some races–the Broad Street Run included–ban headphones, and for understandable reasons. With more than 30,000 people racing through the heart of Philly, the extra distraction could be flat-out dangerous.

And besides, running without music gives me a chance to think–or at least let my mind wander.