Digital Champion Jess Collins began running as a way to complement her strength training workouts. In 2011, she decided to challenge herself to run the Terry Fox Run (something she’d long wanted to do) as she was getting over a breakup, in order to focus her energy on a positive goal and raise money to fight cancer. She got hooked on running, and completed her first timed 10K race in March 2012. Jess’ most memorable running accomplishment was her first marathon in October 2014, at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. When she’s not running, you can find Jess baking (a lot!) and brewing beer! Connect with Jess on Twitter and Instagram.
The Making of a TYS10K Playlist. By Jess Collins.
TORONTO April 13th 2015.
“The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up is hard to do. It takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick it off with a killer to grab attention. Then you gotta take it up a notch. But you don’t want to blow it. So then you gotta cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules.” – Rob Gordon, High Fidelity
Running with music isn’t for everyone – most elite runners don’t race with music, and especially in a race scenario, it’s important to be able to hear announcements and your fellow runners. If you’re going to listen to music while racing, keep the volume low enough that you’re aware of what’s going on around you. That being said, I love listening to music during a race.
Preparing a playlist for each race is an essential part of my mental preparation. It gets me excited about the race and gives me something concrete to focus on while “relaxing” the night before, once all the training and other preparations are complete, aside from trying to get a good sleep!
Working on a playlist is a great opportunity to visualize the whole race. What songs will re-energize you when you’re tired, or just keep you at a steady pace? Plan your race in your head and think about what songs you might want to hear, at which points in the race.
My Tips for a Terrific Race Playlist:
- Make a playlist that’s about a song or two longer than your expected time – that way, you won’t run out of music, and you can skip a song if you’re not feeling it during the race.
- Keep it fresh – make sure to mix in some songs you haven’t listened to a thousand times on training runs.
- However, make sure you have your favourites! If you have a killer “power song” that works for you, make sure it’s included! (“Wildcat” by Ratatat and “Rattlesnake” by St. Vincent both make me feel both fast, with some running “swagger.”)
- If you’ve got guilty pleasure songs that motivate you, include them!
- Start with a big uplifting song that gets you pumped up for the race. There are few moments like being at the top of the hill at Yonge and Eglinton, surrounded by other runners, during Toronto Yonge Street 10K!
- Then, just like Rob Gordon’s mixtape-making advice, bring it down with a slightly more relaxed song or two. Your adrenaline will be high, and you need to check in with yourself to make sure you save some energy for later in the race.
- If you’re expecting to need an extra push towards the end, stack the last third of your playlist with those fave songs that’ll give you a boost. (One of my personal traditions is to finish to “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem.)
Your playlist doesn’t need to impress others – you want something that will entertain and motivate you during the race. It’s your playlist, and it’s your Toronto Yonge Street 10K – make both of them your personal best!
