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

In an effort to spend more time outdoors, stay in shape, and be overall more productive, I try going for runs. Regardless if it’s a 5K, a long run, or a workout, there is always one constant: Music. I will always have my airpods in as a way to distract myself from the pain and fatigue. Another bonus is that if you play it loud enough, you can’t hear and hyper-fixate on your breathing. Here, I have chosen a few of my favorite upbeat songs that will always be queued when I go for runs.

love on the brain- rihanna

“Love on the Brain” is one of the best songs to queue, especially on longer runs. For me, I try to listen to this song earlier in the run while I still have steady enough breathing to sing, or at the very least mouth the words.

Every single note that Rihanna holds gives me life and the energy to carry on with my run. Also the attitude and style with which she sings many of her songs makes me feel unstoppable on my runs. It’s like I’m the only person in the world for those 3 minutes and 44 seconds. It’s also a slower song on this list, so it helps me to feel relaxed and establish the pace I will run at.

Cruel summer- taylor swift

This classic from one of Taylor’s best albums, “Lover,” is a very upbeat and singable song, which contrasts Rihanna’s more mysterious and deeper sounding song. This song is best queued closer to the middle of your run. You’re beginning to feel tired, and this song will postpone that feeling. To me, it just radiates positive energy and will always make me smile.

This song has one of the most amazing bridges of all of Taylor Swift’s songs. Every time I hear it, it pushes me to run a little bit faster or make it back to the pace I was originally at. The faster lyrics during it will time and time again cause me to try to speed up, at least until the song is over.

tongue tied- grouplove

“Tongue Tied” by Grouplove is the epitome of happiness. It’s best to play this song closer to the end of your run purely because of how upbeat and high energy it is. For me, this song is the most effective for increasing my pace and just for my overall mindset during the run.

By the end of runs, I’m usually so tired that my mood goes down a little and I can only think about being done. This song can be even more effective when I am having a bad run and am being hard on myself for doing bad. The vibes of this song are so amazing that even on bad days it can’t not make me reminisce and make me immediately happier.

I genuinely hope you all love these songs as much as I do and add them onto an amazing running playlist!

honorable mentions

  • National Anthem– Lana Del Rey
  • Bad Idea Right?– Olivia Rodrigo
  • The Color Violet– Tony Lanez
Rachel is a new member of the St. Bonaventure Her Campus Chapter. She enjoys publishing weekly articles about pop culture, everyday life, and other passions of hers. Rachel is a first year student studying psychology and biology. Prior to Her Campus, she was extremely involved in her high school community in Buffalo, New York. She was secretary of her school's chapter of 1st Amendment 1st Vote as well as members of math team, the Environmental Awareness Committee, and more. Apart from Her Campus meetings, she is a member of SBU's Honors Program, Psychology Club, SBU for Equality, and Concert Band. In time away from her academics, Rachel enjoys spending time with her friends, finding new movies to watch, and listening to music. She also enjoys spending time outdoors, especially walking her two dogs, Jasmine and Finn. Rachel loves to talk about the current TV shows she's watching and Lana Del Rey's music. If you are around her, she will likely be playing a song from NFR or Lust for Life.