SportMusic Quick Links

Sports need music like waffles need syrup – like runners need fresh air to breathe (or to have under their feet). Since the early days of sports, music has played an essential roll in inspiring great performances. You know those ancient ships with all the guys rowing in unison? The guy at the front hammering on a big drum was an old-school beat selector, providing a solid groove to get the ship moving. Back in the day, baseball teams had crazed fans who formed bands like the Brooklyn Sym-Phony Orchestra that would root their team on from the bleachers (and give the umps grief by playing “3 Blind Mice” after a bad call). Wild-eyed soccer fans have those tempestuous chants; pro basketball teams have theme songs for players as their line-ups are introduced.

And anyone who runs knows that music can make or break a workout.

That’s where this blog comes in. Our mission is to bring you great music to sweat to. Some joints will be original, created by artists specifically for working out; other music will be selected by world-class athletes; others will be continuous mixes with coaching to help you pick up your game. A few years ago Nike made the connection between music and running tangible by introducing Nike+, technology that allows your shoes to transmit your workout data through your headphones and lets you fire up a PowerSong when you need a burst of musical motivation. If music can make you run faster, longer and more often, then it’s an innovation. Around here, innovations rock. Get ready to crank it up to 11.

Here’s what the Nike+ community is saying about running with music:

“The beat is my running partner. It keeps me moving on my 5am runs, no matter how much I just want to crawl back into bed.” -- Cate

“I listen to music to keep my pace.” -- Aaron

“Music drowns out the voices telling me to stop.” -- Edward

Why do you run with music?