Music Designed for Running

High-intensity, cadence-based music designed specifically for running.

Athlete of the Month: Kerrie Ann Frey

in the category: Fitness

One of the best things about running is the community around it. We kick off our new Athlete of the Month feature with Kerrie Ann Frey, a fantastic athlete and super cool chica.

Certified Pilates Instructor and A.C.E. Personal Trainer Kerrie Ann Frey is co-owner of Modern Pilates Training, a pilates studio in NOLA. Follow her at @KerrieAnnFrey on Twitter.

What do you listen to when you run?

My playlist is schizophrenic. Sometimes it depends on what I’m training for, such as, if I’ve got a long run (15+ miles) there’s a good possibility I’ll be listening to an ibook for a part of it. Training for a half requires a gradual progression—I ease into the run with some bouncy, G. Love type of music. For short runs—and for all runs by the end—I listen to the most foul music ever. I need a shower after just listening to that music it’s so dirty. Rap, hip hop and the like seem to get me running fast and over the wall that I can hit in this southern Louisiana heat. I should really be embarrassed but if it gets me to the finish, who cares?

Would you rather run on a cold snowy day or a hot sunny one?

I grew up in northern Illinois and can safely say there is nothing I want to do on cold, snowy days. The only thing I used to like when I lived there was the crunching noise the snow made when I ran on it. The wet blanket of humidity here is my preference. My feet are quicker and I’m convinced that the less layers I have to stack on the more fluidity I have. Give me 90 degrees and 90% humidity over 28 degrees and gray skies any day.

What’s the best book on running you’ve read?

Actually, there’s a book I want to read after listening to a podcast with author Danny Dreyer called ChiRunning. I like how he approaches meditation, running form and breathing for running. As a working mom of three kids, I don’t have a lot of time. Make that basically no time at all. So I carve out time to be mindful and meditative while running. You’re as likely to find Pema Chodron meditations on my ipod as you are Pitbull. So after listening to Dreyer’s theories, I think I’d really enjoy the book if for nothing else but to gain a different perspective on movement.

Do you cross-train, strength train or do yoga?

Every runner should do some sort of cross training. As a personal trainer and co-owner of a Pilates training studio/school, I am constantly urging my athletes to move their bodies in completely different directions than the linear movements of running. Pilates gives me the core strength and flexibility that I desperately need as a runner. It provides the muscular balance the body needs to function properly. Running is fabulous, but it can’t be the only thing you do. Like I tell clients, “Apples are good for you but if you only ate them for the rest of your life you’d get sick.”

Do you run while on vacation?

Yes! It’s one of my favorite parts of vacations. I find places to explore when I’m running that I would definitely have missed otherwise. After I book a flight, I almost immediately google the best runs and/or neighborhoods of the area. Early morning jogs past the fashion houses in Paris, the funky Chinese markets in San Francisco, the silent, slightly creepy quiet of the Arizona desert—those runs are usually what I remember most of the areas and trips themselves.

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