To Run With Music...or Without?

My friend Barbie wrote a great post on how music soothes her soul and I absolutely cannot agree more. For me, music creates a soundtrack to my life. Literally, I can ascribe just about any song I hear to a moment in my life. There are songs that mellow me out and songs that push me harder. Songs that make me sad and introspective and songs that make me think everything is going to be okay. More than okay.

So, I spend a great deal of time plotting playlists for my cardio routines. And separate playlists for my strength routines. Personally, pop and hip-hop get me movin' and groovin'. Rock and country get me lifting more weight and more reps.

This is why I was very excited when Chattonooga's Blush Magazine asked me to write an article reviewing sites online that help find tunes to get your workouts going. I thought I would include the sites on here for those of you looking for something new to add to your workout.

• jogtunes.com : everything is done by beats per minute so you can search for songs and they will determine the bpm for you. You can create playlists as slow or as fast as you want and the site is equipped with links for downloading the song and tips to create awesome playlists.
• runningmusicmix.com : Obviously, this site is for runners. The webmaster personally tests every song he includes on the site and makes some great playlists to download. You can sample each playlist through iTunes. He also has a mailing list so that you can find out when he updates the site with new material.
• www.yesfitnessmusic.com : Where do instructors get their music? Sites like this that allow you to time your reps with the music. Song lengths and speeds vary and you can pick up playlists in CD or download form.
• www.workoutmusic.com : This site features all the great music from workout DVDs and TV shows. They also have a section devoted to explaining how music is chosen for workouts empowering you to create your own lists!

I wrote this blog post because today my product (RED) iPod died a little death and I am pretty upset. I know some people say you shouldn't listen to music when you run and others say you should. Some research shows that music motivates you to run longer and farther than you might otherwise. Some runners love to hear their feet pound the pavement. I need that song in my head to keep me going until it's over...and then the next song...and the next one... until suddenly the mileage is gone and I'm done! So I'm not sure what kind of tricks I am going to use. Any advice out there?!?!?!