This is interesting. I find that my brain determines if I run with music or not, that and my safety. Some days I just want to get out there, sing loudly along with whatever I’m listening to and let it be my guide. Some days I will want silence, which is actually just hearing the birds, distant train whistles or other sounds of the area I’m in. For years for my own safety, I didn’t run with music. I needed to be conscious of everything around me. But in recent years, safety is less of a concern so I allow it on days that I just really want it.
You bring up an interesting point that I thought about shoehorning into that piece, which is you can reach a level where you're not actively engaging or *relying* on a distraction to get you through a run. Can it help? Yes, absolutely. Is it necessary? That feels like a tipping point for me.
Like David, I fully expect to be wearing headphones when I log some treadmill miles this winter.
One nice thing about DC (and probably just city life in general) is the addition of random noises that I might not get if I lived in the suburbs or anywhere a little quieter. One thing I have enjoyed about running without music is that in DC, there's always so much going on where I normally run. I generally run downtown near the Mall where all the tourists are, so there's always different people and events, so even if I'm running the same route every day, it always feels a little different just based on what's going on that particular day.
This speaks to me! I used to run with ear buds and listened to music on my phone (strapped to one of my arms). Early in the pandemic during the panicked, I don't want to be touching anything anwhere stage, I stopped bringing my phone on runs. Probably not the most logical reasoning, but it's paid dividends. It's not been 2.5 years of no music on outdoor runs. If I have to do a treadmill day, I'll use music because the treadmill is so brutally boring, but those are rarities.
I think the biggest help in training has been when I'm trying to maintain my pace, it likely helps me focus on that. Before with music I never focused on pace, I just sort of ran. So I'm happy with that.
This is probably the single greatest thing that running and specifically trail running has given me. If you remember, you gave me some advice on dipping my toe in trail running in the spring. Since then I have picked it up and kept going. Now that I live in Vermont, I can run 4 or 5 times a week on incredibly beautiful and fun trails right by my house. I still struggle to run on pavement, especially without distraction, but on trails I find the total opposite. It unlocks something in my brain where I feel so much more comfortable with my own thoughts and worries. I can process them clearly but don't have to actually do anything other than run and not trip over roots and rocks. My current routine involves early morning running and it's hard to overstate the benefit it has had on my mental health to start my day in this space. Thanks for being some of the inspiration for me to start what I hope to be a lifelong habit, hobby, and joy!
John, I can't like this enough. Thank you for sharing this. It brings me great joy and happiness that trail running has put you in such a positive headspace.
This is interesting. I find that my brain determines if I run with music or not, that and my safety. Some days I just want to get out there, sing loudly along with whatever I’m listening to and let it be my guide. Some days I will want silence, which is actually just hearing the birds, distant train whistles or other sounds of the area I’m in. For years for my own safety, I didn’t run with music. I needed to be conscious of everything around me. But in recent years, safety is less of a concern so I allow it on days that I just really want it.
You bring up an interesting point that I thought about shoehorning into that piece, which is you can reach a level where you're not actively engaging or *relying* on a distraction to get you through a run. Can it help? Yes, absolutely. Is it necessary? That feels like a tipping point for me.
Like David, I fully expect to be wearing headphones when I log some treadmill miles this winter.
One nice thing about DC (and probably just city life in general) is the addition of random noises that I might not get if I lived in the suburbs or anywhere a little quieter. One thing I have enjoyed about running without music is that in DC, there's always so much going on where I normally run. I generally run downtown near the Mall where all the tourists are, so there's always different people and events, so even if I'm running the same route every day, it always feels a little different just based on what's going on that particular day.
I love this.
This speaks to me! I used to run with ear buds and listened to music on my phone (strapped to one of my arms). Early in the pandemic during the panicked, I don't want to be touching anything anwhere stage, I stopped bringing my phone on runs. Probably not the most logical reasoning, but it's paid dividends. It's not been 2.5 years of no music on outdoor runs. If I have to do a treadmill day, I'll use music because the treadmill is so brutally boring, but those are rarities.
I think the biggest help in training has been when I'm trying to maintain my pace, it likely helps me focus on that. Before with music I never focused on pace, I just sort of ran. So I'm happy with that.
Glad it does. I don't want to be preachy about it, but it's more fun this way.
This is probably the single greatest thing that running and specifically trail running has given me. If you remember, you gave me some advice on dipping my toe in trail running in the spring. Since then I have picked it up and kept going. Now that I live in Vermont, I can run 4 or 5 times a week on incredibly beautiful and fun trails right by my house. I still struggle to run on pavement, especially without distraction, but on trails I find the total opposite. It unlocks something in my brain where I feel so much more comfortable with my own thoughts and worries. I can process them clearly but don't have to actually do anything other than run and not trip over roots and rocks. My current routine involves early morning running and it's hard to overstate the benefit it has had on my mental health to start my day in this space. Thanks for being some of the inspiration for me to start what I hope to be a lifelong habit, hobby, and joy!
John, I can't like this enough. Thank you for sharing this. It brings me great joy and happiness that trail running has put you in such a positive headspace.