product review: audiofuel - move to the beat

back in december i was contacted by audiofuel in regards to sampling some of their running mixes. i let them know that i honestly don't run with music most of the time, but that i'd take the tunes out for a spin when i got a chance. i've never been big on running with music, but occasionally i need a little extra boost on those exciting treadmill runs.

thanks to daylight savings and the recent (ridiculously) cold temps, i've spent a little extra time on the treadmill lately. lucky for audiofuel, that meant more time to see what their beats are all about.

audiofuel is based in the uk, and essentially compiles tracks specifically for running. the music is designed to match your stride and push your pace. the claim is that other music has too slow of a beat for running. i can boogey down to my share of upbeat, new hits out there on the radio, but there is also something about this (audiofuel) running music. while a new jay-z song does pump me up, you can't exactly run to the beat of your favorite hip-hop songs. (c'mon, you've never tried to match your stride to the beat of a song? i know it never works out for me.) while the audiofuel tracks didn't allow me to practice my rap skillz, their beats jived with my leg turnover effortlessly. the less likelihood of tripping up on the treadmill the better.

audiofuel tracks are categorized into one of three intensities: blue for walking/jogging, green for average/easy pace, and red for those fast, intense runs. available in each of these intensities are compilation tracks (with or without coaching voiceover), long run tracks designed to prepare you mentally and physically for a marathon, and individual tracks ranging in length from 3-to-7 minutes that can be made into your personalized playlist.

i was sent three compilation-style tracks - excelerator dj mix (red), adrenaline junky dj mix (red), and rollercoaster dj mix (green). i haven't yet sampled the rollercoaster dj mix, but i enjoyed both the excelerator and adrenaline mixes.

excelerator dj mix – very soundtrack-y. i felt like hollywood was filming a video montage of my training. i find this song good for steady-state runs; the music doesn’t stop for an hour and your brain can zone in and out, leaving you plenty of time to imagine your upcoming feature film.

adrenaline junkie dj mix – great for speedy runs. this track had the coaching voiceover – which provides information like the beats per minute (bpm), how long the section is and when you should really push it. it also gives common tips we can all be reminded of mid-run like “focus on your breathing” and “keep your shoulders relaxed”. it would be great for a fartlek run because you could use the different paced pieces of music to divide up the easy/hard minutes of running. i think it may also work for an interval workout. as with the excelerator, the music never stops but the coach’s voice breaks up the pieces whenever the pace changes.

audiofuel surprised me with this new "running music". i always thought i needed some upbeat hip-hoppyness to get me going. it's nothing i would car-dance to, but it can hold it's own out on the roads (or treadmill).

to shop audiofuel go here. prices are in euro's, but upon checkout you can pay via paypal or credit card. for a free audiofuel sample go here!