Music Designed for Running

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

Behind the Running Music: Lactate Repeats: All My Everything

in the category: Music

Get your speedwork done without having to hit the track. Check it out!

Who Wants Speedwork!

If you’ve never run intervals, now’s the time to start; they develop muscle and stamina, and can really help your body get used to the mechanics of running faster, which carries over into all of your distance running.

Ditch the Track

Intervals and speedwork frequently require a track to break up segments—400 meter repeats, 800 meter repeats, or straights-and-turns workouts are common. But screw the track! With Lactate Repeats: All My Everything, all you need are headphones and you’re off to the races.

Of the twenty-some-odd workouts we are producing for Coach Jeff’s PRS Fit, I immediately had designs for Lactate Repeats; creating running music that had twenty cycles of 30-seconds hard, 30-seconds recovery was irresistible. The possibilities were endless!

I Was Thinking…

Musically, I knew I wanted a solid groove. Something with a heavy emphasis on the downbeat, but also a lot of motion in it. In other words, a groove that had ass, but also a lot of drive.

The Play-by-Play

The warm-up is probably the most straight-forward Hella Sound song to date, using more traditional song structure to get you in the vibe. Things pick up as the warm-up progresses, and after 10 minutes you’re shoved into Interval Land—the twenty intense/recovery sections mentioned above. After the last interval recovery, you’re treated to a well-earned cool-down lasting 5 minutes.

Two disparate songs took me down a path and helped me solidify: Band of Gypsys “Who Knows” and Soul Coughing “Uh, Zoom Zip”. “Who Knows”, from a live Jimi Hendrix performance, has that undeniable bassline, shoving the groove into the floor. In contrast, “Uh, Zoom Zip” skips manically along with syncopated drumming and M. Doughty’s brilliant non-rap, monotone vocal. It’s a (musically) warm warm-up, playing off a moving groove, with lyrics revolving around the awe-inspiring universe of which we’re intrinsically a part.

The intervals keep you on your toes: from latin-inspired riffing to driving rock to steel drum fun. Consistently, it’s all about the drums, driving you forward and helping you find the ideal 180 BPM cadence.

In the cool-down, dreamy guitar and bass figures play out to a slowly deconstructing drums and percussion section, taking you back down to a chill-out state.

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