Music: Is it a help or a hindrance to your running performance.

I like listening to music when I run, although lately I have switched to listening to podcasts, to help the time and the miles fly by.  There always seems to be a lot of discussion about listening to music when running either in training or while racing.  I didn't listen to music for my first couple races because I thought it was against the rules, but everyone else was so I started to also.  I think it helps me stay motivated and to find motivation during a race when I am struggling.

Pros of running with music

1. Music can be motivating.  It can help push you harder, faster and farther.
2. It can relax the mind and elevate positive emotions and feelings while diminishing bad ones like fatigue.
3. It adds fun to the run
4. It can make the time fly by faster.
5. It can reduce the perception of how hard you are running by 10%

Cons of running with music
1.Music stimulates you and can push you harder faster, and farther, which can result in injuries.
2. It will relax your mind.  What's so bad about that?  Injuries once again.
3.It can lock you into a certain tempo, then when the song changes and there is a new tempo you body can    revolt!
4.There is the whole safety issue.  You may not be able to hear that truck coming up behind you.
5.You may not ever achieve any serious result.  It takes focus to train.  You will probably have noticed elite/professional runners do not run or train with music on.  They instead focus on their bodies and the training. When you run with music you don't hear your breathing or footfalls, you get cut off from your running.
6. You may become dependent on the music and lose sight of what is truly motivating to you about running.

sources Fitbie,
Posetech

RW: So how can runners use music to their best advantage?

PRO: The benefits from music tend to occur at low to moderate running intensities. I would say it's best to use on your easy running days. We've also been investigating the synchronous application of music. This is where an athlete consciously ties in his or her stride rate to the rhythm of music. This can actually result in more efficient oxygen use during running. To do synchronous running, you figure out your stride rate for your pace, then find music with beats that are slightly above that stride rate—one or two beats per minute higher than your normal stride rate should do it (thebpmbook.com; ez-tracks.com). We've also found that the optimal method is generally two sessions with music for one session without. If you use music for every workout, you can become desensitized to it or rely on it in races. source

Another website that will give you songs by beats per minute is found here

Tell me your thoughts.  Do you run with music sometimes, all the time or never and  why?

I do for races, sometimes on speedwork  although less and less lately, I listen to it at the end on long runs for a little motivation.  I do notice that the more I run the less music I listen to.  I do listen to a lot of podcasts though and so I think I my new goal will be to do one run a week with no music or podcasts so I can pay more attention to my body, how I am feeling and my form.