I listen..... sometimes.
OK, there are more than two kinds of runners, and there is more than one definition of listening when coming to running. The kind of listening I am talking about here is the type that is piped into your ears, usually by some type of audio device.
I am a listener with many broad avenues. I will sometimes listen to something, and other times I will not. I will not listen to anything when I am running a race, but not because we are "not allowed" but rather because I like to fully experience the race and those I am running it with.
When I do listen, many times all I listen to is the radio. I will tune in a number of different stations and just hit the road. When I am listening to the radio it is usually for background noise and not for a specific purpose. My two favorite genres are Country and Classic Rock.
Other times I listen to audio books, or podcasts. I am amazed at how well I can focus on what is being read when other times when I am listening to music I can't even tell you what had just played. Right now I just started listening to the Bible which I am trying to listen to in it's entirety over the next year using the Daily Audio Bible Podcast.
So........
What do you listen to? Do you listen to anything other than the sound of your foot-falls and heavy breathing?
I was recently contacted by a company working along side the running music producer AudioFuel and the Virgin London Marathon. They are looking for people to vote for their favorite running tracks. These votes will help build this years soundtrack for the London Marathon which will later be available on iTunes. If you are interested in helping Music and Motivation create this soundtrack make sure you stop by and vote no later than February 1st.
Are you interested in what this soundtrack is like? They have also provided a free fuel sampler which can be downloaded here.
Once you have voted why not chime in.... Are you a listener? If so, of what?
Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow blog - virtual4now
given the choice, I'll almost always listen to music for background noise. in theory, I like listening to podcasts as well, but I notice that I'm a little slower when I do and I don't retain all the information like I normally would.
ReplyDeletehope you're staying warm and dry in this weather!
-beth
I do understand Beth. When I am running harder or with more focus it is hard to retain what I am listening to.
ReplyDeleteSome days I am warm.... but not as many as usual :)
I listen almost exclusively to podcasts, but only during long runs or recovery runs. For my tempo/interval/hill workouts and races, I no longer listen to my iPod, mostly for the reasons you mentioned. I also leave it at home during any dark (early morning or night) runs.
ReplyDeleteI am both. It depends on my mood and phase...listen or not. It also depends on if I run with people or not. Up till 2 weeks ago I was listening on every run and now I've stopped. My first long run without was harder and I think it was because of not having the music and just my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteHey, Tim! Been following your blog for a while now; very entertaining and interesting. Had to comment on this post: I used to NEVER listen to anything, but I bought the Nike Plus doohickey for my Ipod Nano, and it does seem to help. I like the audio updates of pace and such, but even then, it is much safer to listen to some sort of spoken word, because you can still hear traffic!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. I didn't mention, but was prompted to remember by the last few comments. When I run in high traffic areas or early in the morning or late at night I run with only one ear pod in. That way I can hear all that is going on around me as well. This usually doesn't cause any issue when I am listening to spoken word because early in the morning means really early to me and not many cars are out and about in our area.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. I didn't mention, but was prompted to remember by the last few comments. When I run in high traffic areas or early in the morning or late at night I run with only one ear pod in. That way I can hear all that is going on around me as well. This usually doesn't cause any issue when I am listening to spoken word because early in the morning means really early to me and not many cars are out and about in our area.
ReplyDeleteI am both. It depends on my mood and phase...listen or not. It also depends on if I run with people or not. Up till 2 weeks ago I was listening on every run and now I've stopped. My first long run without was harder and I think it was because of not having the music and just my thoughts.
ReplyDelete