Tip for the week - Music

I find it almost impossible to run without a conversation or music. Many beginners are surprised how much difference listening to music as they run makes to their performance - it can speed you up and makes it easier to keep on going on a long run.

• I find the standard ipod type earphones jiggle out of my ears! If you find this too, look for earphones with a piece that loops over the back of your ears - or with a band over your head.
• Keep the volume low enough so that you can also hear traffic & other happenings around you.
• Do consider switching it off for a bit if you are running where you are a little more vulnerable - crossing a major road or a badly lit side alley.
• Many races now ban MP3s - normally citing health & safety (not being able to hear marshals). And many runners ignore this. My dodgy compromise is to ensure that I can switch it off easily - for example if someone is talking to me - and keeping the volume down.
• Choose your music carefully! If your taste is for fast techno, you might want to consider listening to something with a slower bpm to avoid burning out after 100m. Avoid tracks that change speed - Fatboy Slim's Rockefeller Skank is a prime example!
• Cadence is an iphone app that finds music on your iphone with a specific BPM. There's a desktop version too that I'm tempted to try.
• Some of my favourites: FooFighters (Pretender is perfect for an extra boost of energy), Dolly Parton's 9-5 is a classic steady pace track, Jesus & Mary Chain's April Skies, Muse's Supermassive Black Hole. And yours are??