Sports scientists have developed a new musical mobile phone app to help runners more effectively reach and maintain their pace or heart rate goals — using songs to help them achieve a kind of physiological “cruise control” during their workouts.

The “Cruise Control” app, developed by biomedical specialists Max Donelan and Mark Snaterse from the Locomotion Lab at Simon Fraser University, helps runners of all levels select and then sustain an optimal running speed and intensity. It works by matching a runner's pace to a musical tempo, keyed to a selected song playlist.

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"It feels like your favorite band is right there with you, timing their kick drum to drive you faster and further," Snaterse said.
The idea is an outgrowth of experiments showing running speed and intensity can be timed to musical tempos that not only keep athletes moving at a particular pace, but also make workouts more enjoyable, the researchers said.

"This works much like cruise control in a car, where sound takes the throttle's role," explained Donelan. "You can set the preferred speed for your run — say, 10 [kilometers] in 50 minutes — before you head out.

"During the run you just need to synchronize your steps with the sound, almost like you're dancing. The tempo of the sound is automatically adjusted so that you reach your running goal. Given that you can keep up, of course."

Cruise Control, which is available at the Apple App Store, automatically taps into "good running songs" from the music on a runner's phone into the app. Runners can also receive recommended songs for running on twitter (by following @CruiseCtrlRun) or by checking www.cruisecontrolrun.com.