IN PRAISE OF THE LONG PLAY
An album takes you on a journey of discovery, says Running Punks founder Jimmy Watkins
We all know what happens if you have too much sugar or caffeine. You take flight, then you fall back to earth with a bang, like Icarus on his lunch break. Playlists have a similar effect on me.
The way they deliver hit after hit, with every one designed to make you feel good, can be perfect if you’re doing something that requires intense focus, such as fishing or a 5K time trial. But I prefer to follow the journey of an album when I’m running. This includes all the highs and lows of a narrative that reaches across the tracks and holds it all together. An album provides a soundscape where I can mix my own life experiences with the ideas of another artist. It helps me understand myself and others. It’s a great way to add meaning to your run.
I see lots of people running to playlists with a particular bpm because they want to settle into a rhythm. I’m the opposite. I run to shake myself free from the rhythm of daily life, with its consistent flow of chores at home, the chiming of social media and the rising cadence of money worries and concern about the future. Running to albums can take you away from all that, and help you find new meanings and different perspectives on the world you live in.
When I was a kid, I mowed lawns to earn money so I could buy albums. Getting hold of an album required a lot of work. I’d jump on a train for the 60-minute ride to the nearest record store, then I’d listen to my new record as soon as I got home. Sometimes I wouldn’t like it at first, but I’d persevere because of all the effort I’d put in to get it. That persistence would pay off and eventually something I didn’t enjoy at first would go on to become one of my favourite
A good running album is one that makes you feel positive
albums. It felt as though the music had rewarded me for not giving up.
Today, it’s much easier and quicker to get hold of an album, so it’s difficult to resist turning something off if you’re not blown away on the first listen. And our hunger for new music is fed by Spotify and other streaming platforms. One way to resist the urge to quickly consume and forget is to take an album on a run. You might not enjoy it immediately, but as you put the effort in on your run, you may notice that, just as it did when you were younger, the music starts rewarding you for taking the time to properly listen.
Running to albums has made me appreciate genres I’d never considered before. It’s good to not always take the easy option of a playlist designed for you. Challenge yourself by listening to a new album. Songs don’t have to be upbeat or the right tempo to motivate you. When you’re running, a lyric that resonates or a gentle fade-out will fill you with a happiness and wonder that propel you along.
A good running album is one that makes you feel positive, but it doesn’t have to be full of uplifting anthems or cheesy choruses, or have a bpm that matches your stride. Positivity can be found when a band or an artist displays freedom through the confidence they have in their true identity or unique vision of the world. I love running to something that I’ve never listened to before because running and discovery feel like the same thing.
It’s always good to run to something that’s been recommended by a friend or family member. Find out what it is about that music that has made them think of you. I read a lot of music reviews, and if an album is said to have a unique quality to it, no matter what the genre, I’ll take it for a run. The way I see it, the continuous high of a playlist is like hitching a ride with a wide-eyed and hyperactive android, whereas the changes in theme and tempo of an album are like a journey across many types of terrain with a human companion who is full of compassion.