rock

Three chords and the truth about mile 6

By Rob Gordon

Walking home from the Metro last Tuesday, ears still ringing from a noise set that was mostly feedback and regret, I had this thought: rock and roll is the only music that makes you feel invincible while simultaneously reminding you that you're completely mortal. Which is exactly what running does, if you're doing it right.

Here's the thing about rock for running—it's not about the BPM chart some algorithm spat out. It's about the fact that when "Sabotage" hits or when Tony Iommi's guitar comes crashing in on "War Pigs," something chemical happens. Your stride lengthens. Your breathing syncs up with John Bonham's kick drum. You stop thinking about the next mile and start thinking about nothing at all, which is the entire point.

I've got seven rock playlists in this category, and they're all over the map—grunge, hair metal, new wave, lovers rock. But they all have the same DNA: guitars that sound like they mean it, drums mixed loud enough to matter, and this undercurrent of controlled chaos. That last part is key. Rock isn't just aggressive; it's structured aggression. There's a pocket, a groove, even when it's Black Sabbath sludging through a tempo that should be mathematically impossible to run to.

The best runs I've had on the Lakefront Trail have been soundtracked by this stuff. Not the easy days—those need something else entirely—but the days when you're testing something. When you're seeing if you can hold 7:30 pace for six miles or if that nagging IT band thing is actually a problem. You need Nirvana for that. You need AC/DC. You need music made by people who understood that sometimes you just have to push through the discomfort and see what's on the other side.

Rock works for running because both are about controlled suffering with a purpose. And because Led Zeppelin exists.

40 playlists

Top 10 Rock Running Songs

These tracks appear across multiple curated rock running playlists.

  1. 1. A Favor House Atlantic — Coheed and Cambria
  2. 2. ATLiens — Outkast
  3. 3. About A Girl — Nirvana
  4. 4. Acid Raindrops — People Under The Stairs
  5. 5. All Downhill From Here - Live From Chain Reaction, Anaheim, CA/2013 — New Found Glory
  6. 6. Anthem For The Unwanted - Live From Chain Reaction, Anaheim, CA/2013 — New Found Glory
  7. 7. Attitude — Misfits
  8. 8. Award Tour (feat. Trugoy The Dove) — A Tribe Called Quest
  9. 9. Be All, End All — Anthrax
  10. 10. Bring The Noise — Anthrax

Frequently Asked Questions

What pace should I run to rock music?

Depends on the rock. New wave stuff—Talking Heads, The Cars—sits nicely in that 140-150 BPM sweet spot, perfect for tempo runs or steady-state efforts around 8:00-8:30 pace. Grunge and classic rock get heavier and slower—Nirvana, Black Sabbath—which sounds wrong until you realize that 120 BPM matches your stride rate at easier paces, and suddenly you're floating through mile 10 with 'Kashmir' as your anchor. Hair metal is for when you want to run faster than you should. Don't overthink it.

Is rock too aggressive for easy runs?

Look, if you're trying to keep your heart rate in zone 2 while listening to AC/DC, you're going to have a bad time. Save 'Back in Black' for workouts. But rock is a big tent—lovers rock and some new wave stuff is perfectly chill for recovery pace. The trick is knowing the difference between music that drives you forward and music that just keeps you company. Most rock wants to push; easy runs don't. Choose accordingly or pay the price in your next tempo run.

Which rock artists are best for running?

From this category? Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin are your foundation—heavy, hypnotic, locked into a groove that makes long runs disappear. Nirvana for when you need to exorcise something mid-run. AC/DC for intervals, no question. The beauty of rock for running is the range: you can go from the Ramones' two-minute sprints to Pink Floyd's ten-minute epics, and both work if you match them to the right workout. Start with the grunge playlist if you don't know where to begin. It's honest music.

Does rock work for intervals and speedwork?

Short answer: absolutely. Longer answer: it depends on the subgenre. Hair metal and punk are built for intervals—short, explosive, ridiculous amounts of energy. You want to run eight 400s? Throw on Mötley Crüe and stop asking questions. Classic rock is trickier because the tempo shifts, but for longer intervals—1200s, mile repeats—something like 'Immigrant Song' is perfect. You need music that peaks when you do. Rock has more dynamic range than EDM or hip-hop, which means you have to be more intentional about playlist sequencing, but when it hits, it really hits.

Why does rock feel better for running outdoors than on a treadmill?

Because rock is designed for space and consequence, and a treadmill has neither. When you're running outside—wind, weather, actual ground moving under you—Led Zeppelin's sprawl makes sense. The drama of 'Whole Lotta Love' needs a horizon line. On a treadmill, you're just a hamster with good taste. That said, grunge works indoors because it's claustrophobic by design; Nirvana sounds right in a basement or a gym at 6 AM. But if you're running the Lakefront with Lake Michigan on your left and 'War Pigs' in your ears, that's the whole point of both activities.