Image via Getty/Jewel Samad
Whether you just joined a new gym or have hundreds of miles of runs under your belt, running can feel like a chore. The prospect of getting up early to put your feet to the floor or coming home after a long day of work only to hit the road can be, frankly, pretty damn exhausting. There are plenty of days when not even the strongest motivational speech can get you going.
That’s where music comes in. Putting together a perfect playlist to take your mind of the act of running makes getting out the door or onto the treadmill that much easier. So, after you’ve stocked up on a closet’s worth of athletic gear, posted up your routine pre-workout photo to Instagram, and finally laced up the newest pair of running sneakers you just bought, you’ll also definitely need to queue up a playlist that will get help make what could be a reluctant trudge into your best run the yet.
There’s no formula for making a great running soundtrack. But a booming bass line and a killer chorus never hurt. Bonus points if the songs you pick have ever been included in an action movie montage, have the word “run” in the title, or immediately send a rush of blood to the head and boost your heart rate. Think Jay-Z's "Run This Town." Timing your steps to the beat and aligning your breaths throughout the verses tends to throw even the most experienced runners into a trance. Before you know it, you’ve racked up more miles than you ever meant to, picking up the pace every step of the way.
The playlist can be the difference-maker between a personal best and a gym session that just crashes and burns. From Eminem's "Lose Yourself" to Future and Drake's "Jumpman," these are the best running songs.
Ghostface Killah f/ Jadakiss, "Run"
Because you've never seen a man run until you see a man doing the "I ain't going back to jail!" run.
ASAP Ferg, "Work"
Because your bounce step is the way to go.
Beastie Boys, "Sabotage"
Because a screaming voice is the best motivation to go faster.
Michael Sembello, "Maniac"
Because you're trying to run like you've never run before.
Eminem f/ Nate Dogg, "Til I Collapse"
Because till the day you drop, they’ll never say that you’re not killing ‘em.
New Order, "Blue Monday"
Because an ‘80s drum machine will kickstart you better than anything.
N.W.A., "Straight Outta Compton"
Because we all want to run with a crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube.
Major Lazer, "Original Don (Flosstradamus Remix)"
Because sometimes you need to dutty run pon de sidewalk.
Jay-Z f/ Rihanna and Kanye West, "Run This Town"
Because if you’re running the town, you should do it tonight.
Eminem, "Lose Yourself"
Because your palms, head, neck, shoulders, knees, and feet are all sweaty, too.
Rage Against the Machine, "Bulls on Parade"
Because that pocket full of shells is weighing you down.
Kanye West, "Lost in the World"
Because you’re up in the woods, down on your life, and the only way to get through it is to run.
OutKast, "B.O.B."
Because that thunder pounds when you stomp the ground.
Future & Drake, "Jumpman"
Because money is coming fast, and you’re never getting sleep.
Kanye West, Quavo, 2Chainz, Big Sean, Gucci Mane, Travis Scott, Yo Gotti & Desiigner, "Champions"
Because the biggest names in hip-hop are telling you to be a champion in about a thousand different ways.