The beauty of running sans headphones is that you get to finally be alone with your thoughts. This is also the horror of running without headphones: what if you don’t want to be alone with your thoughts?
Running without music may not be as bad as it seems. Look at it as your one chance to unplug during the day, if the rest of the time you’re always glued to a screen or some kind of digital input.
On the other hand, if you’ve been reveling in the sounds of nature or city life every single time you go running, maybe you’d get a boost from a little pump-up music?
I need music when I’m on the treadmill or if I’m running intervals; running hard hurts, more mentally than physically, and music helps to keep me in the groove when I’d otherwise start talking myself into quitting. On the other hand, if I’m running easy in a place with great scenery, it’s nice to soak it in without any phone-based distractions.
When do you run with, or without, music?
Comments
One response to “Do You Run Without Music? ”
Without music. It’s a chance to disconnect and see and hear the world without interruption.
Running without music would drive me nuts. A soundtrack pumps you up. There’s nothing like running to the theme from rocky or anything like that. But I see the point of being alone with one’s thoughts.
Definitely run without music. I time my breathing very deliberately with my steps, to prevent stitches in my chest and to regulate my breath intake (so I’m not holding my breath or hyperventilating from breathing too often). It’s an even, timed cycle that keeps my running in rhythm and makes sure i’m getting the best out of my body when i’m exercising. Have definitely tried running with music on, but the differing beats of the music throw my steps and breathing out of time. So, I run without music.
Also, phones are getting MASSIVE nowadays! If you don’t have a small, portable music player or smartwatch/headphones that store music, running with a phone is a pain, either a large weight on your pocket or a massive plate on your arm in an armband.
However, I do listen to music when lifting weights or doing other exercises, when the constant beat doesn’t matter as much and putting my phone in my pocket or on the ground/windowsill is much easier.