Listen up to these 'thon songs

Here's some music to a runner's ears: Those tunes you listen to actually can help keep you going.

"When you hit a wall, it motivates you," said Amanda Pezzullo, personal training manager at Equinox in the Gold Coast. Pezzullo, a former gymnast who began running about six years ago, said running plugged-in isn't for everyone, and high-performance runners sometimes prefer to focus on how their bodies feel. But for others, it can be the perfect way to quiet the pain of running.

As 45,000 people descend on Chicago this weekend for the 35th annual Chicago Marathon, many will be running with their buds-ear buds, that is. Organizers changed a policy in 2009 to allow runners to use headphones, iPods and similar devices

"The thing about running with music is, it makes you feel like you aren't working as hard," said Nancy Fudacz, director of personal training at East Bank Club in River North. Fudacz said that listening to music can drop a person's perceived exertion rate by 10 percent. Music can eclipse the sounds of heavy breathing and hard footsteps.

Registered dietitian Melissa Dobbins uses music to get fired up when she runs. The former ballet dancer is used to pushing her body, but she only began running recently. Dobbins completed her seventh 5K last month, and she's a fan of listening while running. She says the music also can be a great way for runners to maintain a pace, and that some runners choose to listen to the same song on repeat to maintain a constant speed.

Research suggests that listening to faster music can increase an athlete's speed. A 2009 Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science at John Moores University study focused on 12 male cyclists who were asked to pedal at a rate of their own choosing. When researchers sped up the music, they found, the participants covered a greater distance per unit of time.

But just like the decision of whether to listen while running, the matter of song selection is very personal. Dobbins said that there's one song that always gets her energy level up: "Born to Hand Jive" from "Grease." Pezzullo prefers house or pop music from artists like Avicii or Deadmau5 because the beats of those songs complement her strides. But frenetic pacing may not always be the way to go: Fudacz acknowledges that marathons can be nerve-racking, and she said sometimes calming music helps.

Listening to music may be the best way to make a hard workout seem more bearable: It's motivating, distracting and energizing; it may even push you to work harder without trying. Pezzullo said any fitness class takes on a new tone and atmosphere with the help of the right music. But runners should keep in mind that exercising with headphones isn't without drawbacks. It's important to maintain an awareness of what's going on, both in the body and externally.

Marathon runners may be allowed to listen to music, but they also should be able to hear ambulances, announcements and the crowd. After all, there's no reason to drown out the sound of a cheering crowd.

Zara Husaini is a RedEye intern.

zhusaini@tribune.com