As runners, most of us train alone. Our idle thoughts run as our feet find new patches of road. We avoid potholes, embrace hills, coast through or around parks, jump up and down in muddle puddles, all conditions and none. The routes and weather may change, but the desire is always the same.
If you’re lucky enough to be part of a club or a group, and I’ll always encourage people to find their local group, then great. You have someone to talk to. In my case, it is usually another victim to listen to me shite on about anything they are foolish enough to show an interest in! But for a lot of us, it’s just us and the road. So what keeps us company during those long miles?
Some people will say they don’t need music. They don’t need podcasts. They just want to hear the sound of their runners hitting the ground. And that’s fair. I know people who’ve been in bands, who run ultra-marathons, and never put on a single track.
Me? I need music.
And that’s the thing, what’s in a piece of music? What does it really mean to us?
If you were to listen to my playlist (yes, there’s a link below), you’d probably get whiplash. One second it’s Rammstein, Slipknot, or Marilyn Manson, and the next it’s The Dubliners or Oasis. It’s chaos. But every single song has a meaning. A signal to a point in time which drives an emotion, that emotion gives me that extra 1 or 2% which moves a shuffle back to a run. The power of a song and its meaning can be vital for runners.
The key is this: don’t let anyone judge your playlist. Because when you’re 15 miles into a marathon, it’s not about what’s cool, it’s about what keeps you moving forward. Who gives a flying f*** if you listen to Daniel O’Donnell if you reach the finish?
My First Marathon: Vienna, 2008
I’ll go back to my first marathon, sometime around 2008 in Vienna. Now, there was a series of fuckups on my part for my first marathon, but that’s a whole other story. I was in my mid-20s, clueless, underprepared, and thought running a marathon was just a case of one foot in front of the other.
Halfway through, the half marathoners peeled off into the finish. I made the rookie mistake: I feel good, let’s plough on. AT HALF WAY.
Spoiler: I didn’t feel good for long.
I hit the wall hard. My dream of a sub-3:30 turned into a slog and towards 4:30. But then it happened. With 400–500 yards to go, coming in around Museum Quartier, Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping kicked in.
Songs That Stick
It’s not just one. There are loads of them. A few samples of random songs which get me going:
- The Foggy Dew by The Dubliners. Put it on mid-run and I’ll run through a wall.
Holst’s Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (yep, the classical one). You might know it better as World in Union from the Rugby World Cup. Hearing it mid-run? Pure lift. If not, it’s also on an episode of Bluey, and that episode in itself is an emotional roller coaster. Here’s a link to the episode with the song. For those without kids under 5 or 6, Bluey is amazing!!
- Or anything else -> Le Galaxie, Metallica, The Weeknd, even Lisa Hannigan if that’s what gets you through.
It doesn’t matter. The songs that matter to you are what set the pace, what carry you when the legs are heavy.
And sometimes, music is more than distraction, it’s motivation. It’s the thing that helps you lace up when you’d rather stay home. If you’ve got kids, it’s probably one of the few times you’re not stuck listening to Baby Shark on repeat.
But Why Does it Matter?
Every run is a choice. Every time we lace up, we’re choosing a healthier, stronger version of ourselves. And for many of us, music is part of that choice, the thing that keeps us going.
So don’t underestimate the power of your playlist. Whether it’s classical, trad, metal, or pop, every song has a place. Every song has a meaning.
What’s Your Song?
That’s me. But we want to hear from you. What’s your song?
Is there one track that gets you up the hill? One that pushes you over the wall in a marathon? Drop your favourite below, we’ll put together the ultimate Runner Public playlist.
And for fun, everyone who submits a song will be in with a chance to win a €50 voucher.
So, what’s your running anthem?