What To Listen To While Running? Things That Can Motivate Your Running!

Listen to whatever keeps you moving: upbeat music around 120 to 140 BPM for steady runs, a podcast or audiobook for easy long runs, and nothing at all when you need to focus, like race day or a run near traffic. There is no single right answer. The right choice depends on the run.

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Music and tempo

Music is the most common choice for runners. In a survey by The Running Awards, 45% of runners said they listen to music while they run, more than any other option.

Tempo matters more than genre. A song around 120 to 140 beats per minute matches a comfortable running cadence, which is part of why upbeat playlists feel easier to run to than slow ballads.

Many runners build a playlist that gets more energetic toward the end, saving the fastest tracks for when motivation starts to fade.

There is no rule that says you have to run with music. It is simply the option most people reach for first, and a solid one for tempo runs, intervals, or any session where you want a steady beat to lock into.

Building a playlist by BPM takes a little more effort than shuffling your favorite songs, but most streaming apps let you search or filter by tempo, which makes it easy to sort tracks into an easy-run pace and a faster race-pace set.

Podcasts and audiobooks for long runs

Podcasts work best on long, easy runs rather than hard efforts. They are long-form conversations, often 30 minutes to a few hours, so they suit a pace where you can settle in and let a story unfold instead of watching the clock.

A few reasons podcasts and audiobooks earn a place in a long-run rotation:

• They make the miles pass faster. An engaging story pulls your attention away from fatigue and distance.
• You learn something while you train. History, true crime, sports, and health shows all double as productive time.
• New episodes keep the rotation fresh. Most shows release weekly, so you rarely run out of material.

Only about 7% of runners choose podcasts on a typical run, but that number climbs on marathon-length long runs, where a few uninterrupted hours make a serialized story or a deep-dive audiobook genuinely useful. Save the fast-paced music for shorter, harder sessions and the podcasts for the slow, easy miles.

When to run without audio

About a third of runners choose to listen to nothing at all, focusing instead on their breathing, footstrike, and surroundings. That quiet can be a useful reset, and it is worth running without headphones occasionally even if you usually run with them, since it sharpens your sense of pace and form.

Two situations make silence the safer or smarter choice:

• Racing. Many races restrict or ban headphones for safety, especially larger road races, so check the rules before race day and rehearse a headphone-free pace beforehand.
• Traffic and low-visibility routes. Loud music or noise-canceling headphones can mask an approaching car, cyclist, or another runner. Keep volume low and stay aware of what is around you.

If you are training for a race with a headphone ban, treat some of your longer training runs as rehearsal. Running without audio a few times before race day means you are not adjusting to silence for the first time when it counts.

Even outside of races, it is worth checking local rules before you head out. Some parks, trails, and organized group runs also ask participants to keep one ear free or skip headphones entirely, mainly for the same visibility and awareness reasons.

Gear that makes listening easier

Whatever you listen to, the right gear keeps it comfortable and safe. Open-ear or bone-conduction headphones sit outside or above the ear canal instead of blocking it, so you can still hear traffic and other runners while your music or podcast plays.

That makes them a solid pick for road running or busy trails where situational awareness matters.

If open-ear designs sound like a good fit, you can browse open-ear headphones for running on Amazon and compare current options.

Sweat-resistant earbuds are the other common choice, and they tend to block more outside noise, which is why they suit quieter routes better than busy streets. Look for a secure fit so they do not work loose partway through a run, and keep the volume low enough that you can still hear your surroundings.

You also need somewhere to carry your phone. Holding it in your hand for an entire run gets old fast and can affect your stride, so most runners settle on a proper way to carry a phone while running instead, whether that is an armband, a belt, or a pocket built into your shirt or shorts.

A snug armband keeps your phone secure and your hands free to swing naturally. If you want one, you can check running phone armbands on Amazon to see current options.

The bottom line

Match the audio to the run. Upbeat music suits tempo work and hard efforts, podcasts and audiobooks suit long, easy miles, and silence is the right call for races with headphone rules and any route where you need to hear what is around you.

Comfortable, secure gear is what makes any of those choices work well in practice.