Running With Yer Funk On

Having suffered from a few injuries, I have a tumultuous relationship with running. I hate it. Love it. Hate it again. Then, there’s the euphoric climb to endorphin heaven.

Running and I, we’re finally good again.

Participating in my 5^th City2Surf the other weekend, was one of the best yet. Minus waiting time at porta-loo queue for much needed nervous wee stop, I beat my 2011 PB by 15 seconds.

Better than a smack in a head and another case of patella tendonitis! Woot!

As much as I love running, injuries can be a proverbial pain in the knee, ankle or foot.

For extra information on how to keep yourself injury free and to keep on top of your health generally, it may be worth looking into a program like HBF Health Insurance Plans.

Luckily, I’ve stayed injured free this year (touch wood!). Instead I’ve mixed things up a bit, got myself a decent set of headphones, made a funky playlist and found some much needed motivation. Not to mention breaking the boredom!

Here’s a pick from City2Surf 2014 Training Playlist and some tips on how to make it inspiring, booty shaking and completely badass!

Always starting at a turtle pace, first up are songs with a slow, steady beat like ‘Yeah!’ (Usher).

Breaking it up in thirds is a great tip for running longer distances. So I break my playlist the same way. Running with personality, I pick songs with energy and well, perhaps a ‘little’ anger like ‘Even Flow’ (Pearl Jam) and ‘Titanium’ (David Guetta & Sia).

It takes six to seven minutes for me to complete a kilometre. In that last treacherous stretch, I need tunes that can carry through the distance so I listen to dance or special remixes.

Some big favourites are ‘Starlight’ (The Superman Lovers) and ‘Lola’s Theme’ (The Shapelifters)

Doesn’t matter on the time or distance, for me to be able to escape to the outdoors and finishing a run is a HUGE deal so I reward myself with some kick butt songs.

I’ve always loved ‘Paid My Dues’ (Anastacia) but have only recently paid close attention to the lyrics:

“’Cause I’m too proud/I’m too strong/Live by the code that you gotta move on”

City2Surf is done and dusted. The next run is in September so the search for new songs is on! Sometimes I grab stuff from my existing library but today, I found some new gems on iTunes…

Besides motivation, sports behaviour studies have proven that the combination of music and exercise enhances your mood, creativity and promotes stress relief.

HBF Living Well, is a useful online health and fitness resource that covers topics such as diet, exercise and general health.

There. Now you’ve got your funk on, what’re you waiting for?

It’s only a set of headphones and some running shoes stopping you from getting that natural high and most of all, staying fit and healthy.

What’re your badass songs? Which ones describe your personality? 

This is a sponsored post. All opinions and cheesy song choices are entirely my own.