RunningAHEAD - Topic: Running Events and Live Music

dj steve boyett

Reluctant Scrooge

posted: 2/21/2008 at 5:45 PM

No, this isn't another thread about listening to mp3 players during races! I've started being asked to DJ at race events (and some after parties!) coming up this year, and while I'm delighted to do it, I'm actually not sure what speed to play at! I know a lot of races have live music and DJs along the route, but I try to put myself in a runner's place, and I think, Okay, here I am at the 170 BPM pace I've trained really hard to maintain -- hey, what the hell is this? There's a DJ banging out 160 BPM! I'm totally off my stride! I'm a runner but not a competitor, and while I know my DJ stuff, I would hugely appreciate input from others here as to how to find the greatest good for the greatest number with this. Many thanks!

Steve Boyett
Podrunner: Free, nonstop, fixed-BPM workout music mixes.
Podrunner: Intervals - Free, varied-BPM workout music mixes!

JakeKnight

posted: 2/21/2008 at 5:52 PM
modified: 2/21/2008 at 5:53 PM

Dude. I think that is so cool. There could be a real niche market for DJ's who actually know running to work at events. Getting the right beat is tough for reasons you already know; especially if its a long event, cadences could vary pretty wildly. I actually partially blame my miserable 2006 CMM on a DJ at mile 3 playing Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream." A truly awesome song to run to, but I had no business running an almost sub-7:00 mile that early in the marathon. I paid for it later. But my feet just wanted to match the beat. Maybe something to think about. Obviously you don't want to be too slow or too fast, and that might be different depending on where you are on the course. Faster beats near the end? I don't know - and fortunately I already know you won't do what some bands I've heard have done: play slow twangy country music. Hint: LeeAnn Rimes' version of "How Do I?" may be swell, but its not very motivating. I'd guess an actual runner who was picking the tunes wouldn't have made that mistake.

E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
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dj steve boyett

Reluctant Scrooge

posted: 2/21/2008 at 6:59 PM

Yah, I was hoping 160 BPM would be a good compromise. I'm not sure where they're placing me (well, one of them's going to have me on the back of a truck with a huge PA -- I dunno how I'd feel about that as a runner being screwed up by a pace I didn't like).

Steve Boyett
Podrunner: Free, nonstop, fixed-BPM workout music mixes.
Podrunner: Intervals - Free, varied-BPM workout music mixes!

milkbaby

posted: 2/21/2008 at 8:31 PM

Supposedly research shows the optimal cadence for distance runners is 180 steps per minute... Personally whatever music that is playing on the course wouldn't do much to help or hinder my running. Unless it was a sad funeral march!

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -- Mahatma Gandhi "I have need to be all on fire, for I have mountains of ice about me to melt." -- William Lloyd Garrison "The marathon is an art; the marathoner is an artist." -- Kiyoshi Nakamura

rlemert

posted: 2/21/2008 at 9:27 PM

At the few races I've been to where there's been music playing, I've often found myself wondering "why bother?" Even at my slow pace I may hear the music for a minute, then it's a couple of miles to the next source. I figure it's more for the spectator's benefit then mine. That said, I've been doing a lot of my running lately at the local 'Y's indoor track (16 laps per mile), and they have up-beat music going for all the other exercisers around. I've noticed that when the tempo is slightly faster or slower than my cadence I'll often speed up or slow down to match it. When there's a significant difference between them, though, the music's tempo becomes almost irrelevent. I've seen the same thing on the treadmill when there's someone beside me. When we're running at completely different paces I can ignore his footfalls, but if we're at similar paces I keep wanting to adjust mine to match old leadfoot.

dj steve boyett

Reluctant Scrooge

posted: 2/21/2008 at 10:08 PM

Quote from milkbaby on 2/21/2008 at 8:31 PM:

Supposedly research shows the optimal cadence for distance runners is 180 steps per minute... !

There's a lot of contention about that figure. Personally I disagree with it, as any cookie-cutter statement that regards human beings as automatons is inevitably wrong. In any case, finding music to play for hours at 180 BPM is impractical, as these things are being pushed to the bleeding edge of audio degradation. Many were recorded at 125 BPM, which means upping them by 50%!

Steve Boyett
Podrunner: Free, nonstop, fixed-BPM workout music mixes.
Podrunner: Intervals - Free, varied-BPM workout music mixes!

dj steve boyett

Reluctant Scrooge

posted: 2/21/2008 at 10:12 PM

Quote from rlemert on 2/21/2008 at 9:27 PM:

At the few races I've been to where there's been music playing, I've often found myself wondering "why bother?" Even at my slow pace I may hear the music for a minute, then it's a couple of miles to the next source. I figure it's more for the spectator's benefit then mine.

Well, from a larcenously exploitative standpoint, it's worth the bother for me because it exposes a great many people to a training tool that they might not have known about, and gains exposure and listenership for Podrunner. I'm actually asking here, though, because I want what I'm doing at these events to be genuinely helpful, and not a hindrance.

Quote from rlemert on 2/21/2008 at 9:27 PM:

I've been doing a lot of my running lately at the local 'Y's indoor track (16 laps per mile), and they have up-beat music going for all the other exercisers around. I've noticed that when the tempo is slightly faster or slower than my cadence I'll often speed up or slow down to match it. When there's a significant difference between them, though, the music's tempo becomes almost irrelevent.

Maybe this will save me for live play at running events, and not mess things up for any competitor.

Steve Boyett
Podrunner: Free, nonstop, fixed-BPM workout music mixes.
Podrunner: Intervals - Free, varied-BPM workout music mixes!

dnephin

posted: 2/21/2008 at 10:53 PM
modified: 2/21/2008 at 10:54 PM

Quote from rlemert on 2/21/2008 at 9:27 PM:

At the few races I've been to where there's been music playing, I've often found myself wondering "why bother?" Even at my slow pace I may hear the music for a minute, then it's a couple of miles to the next source. I figure it's more for the spectator's benefit then mine.

Why bother? I dunno. Why bother at all to spectate? Why bother to run? If they're spectating and giving me energy, I'm going to do my best to step it up and give them a show (even, technically, that would mean they'd see me for a fraction of a second less.) Also, it may be cumulative: Gets you and everyone else around you going, despite how long the music may be heard. Music just adds to the overall enjoyment for everyone, I've found. I've run past gospel singers (gave me chills of delight, and I ain't religious) along with other random musicians (ie, dude beatin' on drum kit) in the Broad Street Run in Philly. I have no idea of BPMs, but the music I've heard at runs has been all types. I don't think I've noticed anyone slow down. I have no rhythm though.

DWARP
Marathon Madness Mob

dj steve boyett

Reluctant Scrooge

posted: 2/22/2008 at 2:48 AM

Quote from dnephin on 2/21/2008 at 10:53 PM:

I've run past gospel singers (gave me chills of delight, and I ain't religious) along with other random musicians (ie, dude beatin' on drum kit) in the Broad Street Run in Philly

See, I could never be a competitor. If I ran up on a good gospel group, I'd just want to stop and listen. Smile

Steve Boyett
Podrunner: Free, nonstop, fixed-BPM workout music mixes.
Podrunner: Intervals - Free, varied-BPM workout music mixes!

Thunderthighs

Beatin' on the Rock

posted: 2/22/2008 at 8:03 AM

I'm no competitor, either, but I AM a runner and a music lover and when you put those two things together, you can't go wrong. (Unless you're one of those poor American Idol rejects; eeewww. Wouldn't want to run to THAT.) Wish you were going to be at MY race, Steve. I'd ask you to play "Upwardly Mobile", and follow me around!

Be yourself. Those that matter, don't mind. Those that mind, don't matter.

Dave23

posted: 2/22/2008 at 8:25 AM

I think Running with the Devil by VH would be perfect for the start of a race. Or, anywhere else for that matter. Yeah, Yeah! Ah, yeah! I live my life like there's no tomorrow and all I've got, I had to steal Least I don't need to beg or borrow Yes I'm livin' at a pace that kills

Scout7

posted: 2/22/2008 at 8:38 AM

Bagpipes. It probably doesn't matter too much. Just play something upbeat. Like what you would listen to.

C-R

posted: 2/22/2008 at 8:52 AM

VH is a good choice. Any Ac/DC song will get my blood moving for starters and if it's loud enough, the ears wil perk up too. Seems like those solid rock bands have more to them other than long hair and strange clothing. Cool

Music and running go together (as in the words of that famous philospher Forrest Gump - another great runner) "like peas and carrots". Use it however you can to help get to the finish line. BTW - as I've been taught the 180 BPM is a lower threshold for racers and something us mortals should try to attain. I've read this in Pirie, Lydiyard, etc. My takeaway is to promote quick turnover and shorter time on the ground - sort of like cycling cadence

"He conquers who endures" - Persius
"Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel

http://ncstake.blogspot.com/

dj steve boyett

Reluctant Scrooge

posted: 2/22/2008 at 11:41 AM

Thanks for your advice! I am not asking for song suggestions, though -- I play songs for a living. Smile

I'm asking what BPM seems reasonable to play at events with thousands of runners. And I'm notlikely to play Van Halen or AC/DC. One of the reasons I think Podrunner has been so hugely successful is because it uses music that is practically genetically engineered for working out, and that has rarely been heard by most listeners. I mean, I like Van Halen and Aerosmith, but how many times can you listen to "Walk This Way"? And if I ever play "Eye of the Tiger," it's time to hang it up.

Steve Boyett
Podrunner: Free, nonstop, fixed-BPM workout music mixes.
Podrunner: Intervals - Free, varied-BPM workout music mixes!

dj steve boyett

Reluctant Scrooge

posted: 2/22/2008 at 11:45 AM

Quote from C-R on 2/22/2008 at 8:52 AM:

BTW - as I've been taught the 180 BPM is a lower threshold for racers and something us mortals should try to attain. I've read this in Pirie, Lydiyard, etc. My takeaway is to promote quick turnover and shorter time on the ground - sort of like cycling cadence

For every expert claiming this I can hand you another one denying it, including some very high-profile coaches. The practical reality, though, is that if I limited myself to 180+ BPM mixes, you would get solid hours of psy goa trance that sounds like chipmunks on acid, or headshredding drum & bass that sounds like a refrigerator falling down a flight of stairs. And the BPM alone would lose me 90% of my listenership.

Steve Boyett
Podrunner: Free, nonstop, fixed-BPM workout music mixes.
Podrunner: Intervals - Free, varied-BPM workout music mixes!

Running Events and Live Music (Read 790 times)