This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Emerson chapter.

With all of the exciting 5K, half, and full marathons coming up in Boston, it would be a shame to miss out. Make training easier with these tips on how to create a motivational running playlist that will get you on your feet.

Warm Up

Warm-ups are essentially the most important part of the workout. A warm up should direct blood to your muscles, preparing them for the amount of strenuous work being done. This prevents injury, as well as allows the body to prepare properly for the run.

When choosing warm up music, you should pick songs with a steady beat, however these should not be too fast. When stretching, it is good to measure the amount of time spent stretching by listening to the measures in the music. These songs should be stimulating and upbeat.

Recommendations for warm-up songs:

Lisztomania – Phoenix

Goodbye (Radio Edit) [featuring Islove] – Glenn Morrison

Another One Bites the Dust – Queen

Ride – twenty one pilots

See You Again – Miley Cyrus

The Run

While running, it is important to keep a steady pace. Many runners find that listening to interesting, fast paced music helps them focus. Correlate your running songs with the speed you tend to move. If you are jogging, perhaps a lighter beat would be more effective. The beat, however, should be steady.

Recommendations for running songs:

All My Friends – LCD Soundsystem

The Way We Are – Kate Boy

Daylight – Matt and Kim

AhHa – Nate Ruess

Bomb intro/Pass That Dutch – Missy Elliot

Sprinting

Sprinting should be done in intervals. To help with keeping steady intervals, select songs that have a build and a chorus that is exceedingly more upbeat and intense than the verses. When the chorus picks up, correlate this with the speed of your pace. Faster chorus, faster pace.