Running is a spiritual experience for me. It can be physically hard, sure. But it’s also a time to unwind, decompress and meditate. I sense this most strongly when I run outside. Sometimes as the dawn is breaking or the snow falls around my feet. And especially when I’ve just finished a run – and I can literally feel the earth breathe with me.

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A controversial figure, sure. But I don’t think you can deny that her music is catchy, at the very least. No? You don’t agree? Well then you are not going to like this song suggestion!

There will be others, don’t worry. I try to throw out some tunes every once in a while to help other runners, including myself, build up their playlists. I’ve been slacking recently, but now that I’m officially in marathon training mode, I’m back at it. My iPod will be fully stocked come October.

Today’s song is Highway Unicorn (Road to Love) by Lady Gaga, and it’s on her new album. I had the opportunity to listen to the entire album on our cruise earlier this month and this was one of my go-tos. Works wonders on the dreadmill.

Now, for those that might be concerned about the beats per minute (BPM) of your songs, I totally understand. A few months ago, I wrote an article on that very subject where I admitted I drank the BPM KoolAid.

While I’m still a big advocate for matching your stride rate to the BPM of your running music, I also know now that it’s not always possible. And, sometimes, you don’t need it to be. There are some songs that are just motivational on their own, perhaps for personal reasons, and they don’t necessarily have to align perfectly with your stride.

Highway Unicorn, if you’re curious, falls at 128 BPM. Running in minimalist shoes, my BPM (i.e., stride rate) is closer to 185, but this song still pushes me along. On the road to love.

Lady Gaga – Highway Unicorn (Road To Love)

It is absurd the amount of new information I have learned in the past month or so, having joined Twitter. Yes, Twitter! I tweet now. Don’t laugh. There’s an entire community of runners – I’m talking thousands upon thousands – who are constantly posting 140-word or less bits of information about running gear, local races, injury prevention, training tips and even music. I’m learning something new literally every time I log in.

One of the most fascinating concepts I’ve come across is that of a runner’s stride rate and how it relates to the beats per minute (BPM) of running music. This is only relevant if you do, in fact, listen to music when you run, but most people I know do. Personally, I don’t run well without it. I couldn’t live without it, honestly. Music is a part of my soul.

So, naturally, I was very interested to learn that music not only can be enjoyable while running, but it can also help you run faster, and perhaps more efficiently. And the right music can help with interval training too.

The trick is knowing the BPM of the songs you’re listening to. If the BPM of a song matches your desired stride rate, your music can literally carry you through a run and keep your stride rate consistent, which is helpful in training.

It’s important to understand that your stride rate is not your pace. Stride rate is how many times your feet hit the ground in one minute. Pace is how far you travel in one minute. Think about walking your dog. You and Scruffy (I’ve named your dog Scruffy) can walk side by side on a sidewalk and go from Point A to Point B in the same amount of time – this is your pace. However, your dog’s legs will probably move a lot faster than yours and hit the ground many more times during that walk – this is your stride rate.

Now the challenges, of course, are A) knowing what your desired stride rate is, and B) finding songs to match. I recommend checking out this page from HellaSound, one of my new Twitter buddies. On the page, they supply a free sample song you can download and play during your run. A voice tells you the BPM (i.e., stride rate) of each portion of the sample song so, as you’re running, you can decide which BPM works best for you. Then, you can create a custom playlist based on that BPM number. HellaSound also makes their own unique music for runners.

I realize that I probably sound like I’ve chugged some sort of running KoolAid with all this, but these ideas really make sense to me. I also am learning that, if you run in minimalist shoes or if you run barefoot, your stride rate typically increases because you take shorter steps. Check out this barefoot running video from Merrell. In it, the instructor explains that a typical runner runs at a stride rate of 120-140. A barefoot runner runs at a rate closer to 180.

I’m interested to see how certain music can help me run better and more consistently. We’ll see what happens. Scruffy won’t know what hit him!