WHAT WE HEAR WHEN WE RUN

This month, we run slow on purpose.

A Murakami Long Run · ~2 hours · Kite Beach · Saturdays

There is a version of long-distance running that asks for less urgency and more patience. Not pace as performance, but pace as method. That is the spirit behind this month’s long run playlist.

In What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami writes about marathon training in a way that feels unhurried, repetitive, and deeply physical. The music around that world is not built for surges or splits. It is built for rhythm, for repetition, for the kind of motion that becomes quieter the longer you stay with it.

May in Dubai asks for the same thing. The heat arrives earlier, the effort rises faster, and the smartest runs are rarely the loudest ones. So this month, we slow down on purpose — conversational pace, Saturday mornings, Kite Beach, long miles with enough space to think until thinking disappears.

This playlist follows that logic. Nearly two hours of records that lean into ease, repetition, and familiarity. Not music to attack a run with, but music to stay inside it.

The Playlist

Phase 1 — Warming In

The opening miles. Breath settles. The body remembers the road.

01. The Lovin' Spoonful — "Daydream"
An easy first step. Bright, loose, and unforced — exactly how a long run should begin.

02. The Beach Boys — "Wouldn't It Be Nice"
Light on its feet and instantly familiar. A reminder that warmth does not need to mean speed.

03. The Lovin' Spoonful — "Do You Believe in Magic"
Still gentle, still playful. Early-run energy without any pressure attached to it.

04. The Beach Boys — "God Only Knows"
Soft, melodic, and open. A good track for settling the chest and finding a calmer breath.

05. Eric Clapton — "Travelin' Light"
A deliberate shift into a more grounded rhythm. The run begins to take shape.

06. The Lovin' Spoonful — "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind"
Loose and easy. The legs are warm now, and the stride starts to move on instinct.

07. Creedence Clearwater Revival — "Lookin' Out My Back Door"
Uncomplicated momentum. Nothing dramatic, just the pleasure of moving forward.

08. Eric Clapton — "Believe in Life"
Longer, smoother, and more settled. The opening phase ends with patience rather than lift.
Phase 2 — Finding the Groove The body opens up. The pace becomes repeatable. The run stops negotiating.

09. Creedence Clearwater Revival — "Up Around the Bend"
A clean forward push. Enough drive to lock in, but never enough to rush.

10. The Rolling Stones — "Sympathy for the Devil"
A longer groove, more measured than explosive. It holds attention without pulling the pace upward.

11. Creedence Clearwater Revival — "Down on the Corner"
Short, light, and direct. The kind of track that keeps the cadence honest.

12. Red Hot Chili Peppers — "Snow (Hey Oh)"
A steady pulse with enough motion in it to carry a longer stretch of road.

13. The Beach Boys — "I Get Around"
A brief flash of brightness. Good for the point where the body feels fully awake.

14. Creedence Clearwater Revival — "Born on the Bayou"
Slower, heavier, and more atmospheric. The groove deepens without losing control.

15. The Rolling Stones — "Street Fighting Man"
More edge, more texture. The run is fully alive by this point, but still measured.

16. Gorillaz — "Feel Good Inc."
Rhythmic, familiar, and easy to sit inside. It gives the middle of the run a little shape.

17. The Lovin' Spoonful — "Summer in the City"
A subtle nod to heat, place, and movement. Sharp enough to wake the legs, never too much.

18. Red Hot Chili Peppers — "Otherside"
Smooth and introspective. A good bridge into the quieter mental stretch ahead.
Phase 3 — The Void The long middle. Thinking fades. The run narrows into rhythm.

19. Eric Clapton — "Reptile"
Dry, steady, and grounded. It holds the centre of the run without asking for anything extra.

20. Creedence Clearwater Revival — "Who'll Stop the Rain"
Simple and reflective. A track that feels made for long roads and repetitive motion.

21. The Beach Boys — "Sloop John B"
Melodic and familiar, but with enough melancholy to suit the middle miles.

22. The Rolling Stones — "No Expectations"
Exactly the right title for this part of the run. Relax the effort and let the distance come to you.

23. Eric Clapton — "Got You on My Mind"
Smooth, unhurried, and low-stress. The pace continues without friction.

24. Red Hot Chili Peppers — "Scar Tissue"
Open, sparse, and slightly weathered. Good music for the quieter part of the road.

25. Creedence Clearwater Revival — "Have You Ever Seen the Rain"
A familiar long-run companion. Enough feeling to keep the mind engaged, never too much.

26. Gorillaz — "Clint Eastwood"
A laid-back pulse with room inside it. The body keeps moving while the mind drifts.

27. The Rolling Stones — "Salt of the Earth"
Heavy in the right way. It gives the late-middle section depth rather than intensity.
Phase 4 — Coming Home The final stretch. The body is tired, but the rhythm stays clean.

28. The Beach Boys — "Surf's Up"
A beautiful change in tone. The finish begins to come into view.

29. Eric Clapton — "Modern Girl"
More movement again, but still controlled. Enough to lift the closing kilometres.

30. Red Hot Chili Peppers — "Soul to Squeeze"
Warm, loose, and deeply familiar. The kind of song that makes fatigue feel manageable.

31. Gorillaz — "On Melancholy Hill"
Gentle and reflective. The run is almost done, and the effort softens around the edges.

32. Creedence Clearwater Revival — "Long as I Can See the Light"
A near-perfect closing track. Calm, human, and full of distance. The right way to end a long run that never needed to prove anything.

Why This Works This is not a playlist for chasing pace. It is a playlist for staying with the run long enough that the run starts to carry itself. The sequencing moves from bright and easy into something steadier, then quieter, then slightly more reflective on the way home. No big drops. No false drama. Just enough motion to keep the body honest and the mind occupied until it no longer needs to be.

For May, that feels right. Kite Beach. Saturday morning. Conversational pace. A long run not built around pressure, but around continuity.

This month, we run slow on purpose.