04: John Richards
The KEXP Morning Show host and experienced marathoner discusses training to classical music, creating playlists for runners, and the one song he played 13 times during his NY Marathon.
I’m Arielle Gordon, a music journalist and (very) amateur runner. Running Up That Hill is a newsletter in which I try to connect those two things by interviewing folks in the broader music world about their running habits, tips, and tricks.
John Richards might spend his weekdays sharing a seemingly endless well of new indie rock with KEXP listeners as the host of The Morning Show, but the experienced DJ has shaped the programming and sound of the legendary Seattle station far beyond the hours of his own bloc. During his tenure, Richards has built out programming that highlights the physical and mental health benefits of music. He’s not only helmed programs like Music Heals, which connects musicians, music fans, and mental health resources, but has also started the Runcast, a podcast series in which he crafts playlists to guide runners through challenges of various levels and lengths, from a shorter jog to a full-out marathon. In our interview, he discusses what equipment he can’t live without, why he ran his best at the NY Marathon, and how he crafts playlists for the natural highs and lows of a good run.
When did you get into running?
I got into running in 5th grade. I was doing track, baseball, tennis and never ran long distances. There was a girl I liked who said I should join cross country so I quit football and did just that. Turns out every time I ran, I felt better in my head and my body.
Can you describe a typical (or average) running schedule for you in a given week?
During covid times it’s the first time in my life I don’t have a race I’m signed up for to train for, so I’m not my usual self, but I am keeping the week at 25-30 miles. I usually run 4-5 days a week. One day is my longer 6-8 mile run and the rest are 5-6. On my other days I bike, weight train but it’s all tied into running. I’m hoping fall 2021 to get my marathon back on so I won’t have to ramp up too much.
What’s the run you’re proudest of?
It sounds a bit cliché but my NY Marathon. They say it’s not the place to get your PR (personal record) but it sure was for me. I was made to elbow through crowds in one my favorite places on earth while hundreds of thousands of people cheer you on. I was trying to be my PR from 20 years earlier at the Portland Marathon. I was truly racing myself and I won!
Do you have any running goals?
Boston. It means REALLY ramping up my time though. It makes me a bit nervous but like all running goals you have to start somewhere. The other goal is take our Ragnar team and make an Ultra team as well. That means instead of 12 runners you go to 6. It would be amazing to travel somewhere and run that much with your best running friends in a van.
Do you have any advice for new runners, or casual runners looking to work up to a marathon?
Start early. Ramp up slowly. If you have a 4-month training plan, make it a 6-month training plan. You also should know the course and train for it. You want to mix in speed work and hills...you should also make sure to ramp down before the race. This one took me a while to figure out. I felt lazy and that I was going to be out of shape by slowing down the week prior, but it’s the best thing I ever did.
What, if anything, are you thinking about as you’re running?
It is one of the few times I can clear my mind. Running is a moving meditation and my head is the most clear it ever is when I run so to be honest, when I run I think about running.
If you could go on a run with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be?
Joe Strummer. No question.
Do you have any running equipment that you’d recommend?
Brooks Ghost Shoes. I don’t run in anything else. I also have one of those belts you wear inside your shorts for your Gu or any other personal supplies. Get one and train with it.
What inspired you to start the Music That Matters Runcast?
I realized every running or training app I listened to had nothing but club music and people yelling at me to run faster. Fuck that. I need some inspiration and flow so I put it out there and people seemed to like it!
Can you tell me a bit about how you craft each playlist? What running distance or pace are you imagining for your listeners? Are there any genres or musical styles you return to repeatedly? Any you avoid?
I want up and down and...start slow, end chill, and peak in the middle. But don’t peak just once, come in and out of energy….I run about a 7:40 - 8:00 so not that, I usually think like 9-minute miles in my head but it doesn’t matter, I mostly think of you outside hanging out with me as your running buddy. I don’t avoid any styles. I once trained for a marathon ONLY listening to classical music, it was great.
You listened to the same IDLES song— “Colossus”—13 times while running the NY Marathon. What about that song made it so great for marathon running? Was that pre-planned or something you chose in the moment?
Not planned but my favorite running song of all time is Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” so when I find a song that works, I just keep playing it until I can’t anymore. But yeah, that song’s energy and build totally powered me when I needed it. It’s like a “in case of emergency break glass” song.
Follow John Richards on Twitter.