Masters Running

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running w/ vs running w/out ipod (Read 358 times)

    Hey guys, I'm SURE you all have discussed this before, but hope some of you will humor me.. I've been training for several months for the 1/2 next week and, sadly, I've become somewhat addicted to my tunes on my ipod. Most races now prohibit such indulgences....just wondering how my master buddies out there do.... do you disobey and run w/ an ipod anyway, or do you say "who needs it? I can run on my own!" Facing my first long race in several years, I'd love to hear your comments.
    TammyinGP


      I run with my mp3 player on a TM, but have never used it outdoors nor have I used it in a race. However, I do see people use them in races, even when the rules bar it. I think most people either use just one earbud so they can still hear, or they keep the volume down. But if the race you are in is strict about that rule, then it's best to just to leave it at home I guess. However, just remember that the addiction you think you have to your ipod, is really just a mental addiction. Just like so many runners can't imagine running w/o their garmin, but when push comes to shove, you CAN do it and you might just find you enjoy the simplicity of running w/o all the techno stuff that we start becoming dependent on while we run. I have found that when I run outdoors and don't have the distraction of music, I can really focus on how I'm feeling, my breathing, the sounds and sights around me, the chit chat that goes on as runners run side by side for awhile during a race. If I wore an ipod during a race, I never would have met some interesting people at races as we kept pace together for awhile and made small chat. And at least for me, being a social person that I am, it's the short conversations with strangers that I remember most about races I've been in, like a new runner in a 5 mile race with me that had never run that distance before and had lost 40 lbs and was just getting into running. I loved giving her encouragement and seeing her believe in herself. Or the woman I met at one HM who was about 58 and had run Boston earlier that year and she told me about her wonderful experience there. These are all things I would have missed out on had I tuned out those around me so I could tune into my music. So my recommendation is to intentionally leave your music home, even if you think the RD's probably wouldn't care much if you wore your ipod.

      Tammy

        Thanks Tammy, Guess I need to change my attitude (and my breathing). It is difficult, almost impossible for me to carry on a conversation while I'm running. I know I should be able to, but I can barely breathe as it is! Is it something I will ever be able to do? I've been running for 5 years.


        King of PhotoShop

          To me the reason why you shouldn't use an iPod or anything else like it during a race has nothing to do with traffic or conversing with people. It is about concentration. You train for the race, you pay the money, you should run it as well as you can. This means paying close attention to everything about the race, where you are, your pace, how you feel, the tangent of the road, who is around you, etc. I like to be fully engaged in the race. There is no room for an iPod. My wife disagrees with this and will use hers in her upcoming Half. She knows my opinion about this so I just keep quiet about it. To each his own. Spareribs
            I agree with Ribs. I use an MP3 player all the time when training alone, but never use it during a race. Even if you're not talking with anyone, there is just so much to see and experience during a big event that, for me, listening to the player would be a distraction. I really use it mainly to relieve the boredom of long training runs, but without it I am never bored during a race.

            Doug, runnin' cycling in Rochester, MI

            "Think blue, count two, and look for a red shoe"

            coastwalker


              We had a meeting two weeks ago with the police chief from one of the towns our half marathon course passes through. He said the biggest problem his officers had in last year's race was that runners with earphones either ignored their direction, or never heard them. He, along with the USATF, is pretty much mandating that we seriously enforce the ban on earphones this year, or risk not being able to run the race through his town in future years. From a competitor's perspective, I absolutely agree with Ribs in that you really need to be able to concentrate on every aspect of a race during the race, and earphones get in the way of that concentration. From a race organizer's perspective, we have a responsibility to do all that we can reasonably do to ensure that everybody has a safe race, and evidence has shown that at least some people who wear earphones are putting themselves at greater risk. So this year, we are making it very clear that anybody wearing earphones in our race will risk disqualification. I am well aware that there are a lot of people who disagree with the USATF rule on earphones. If you do, then get the rule changed, rather than assume that it just doesn't apply to you. Jay

              Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.

                Ditto ribs. For each of my training runs I have tunes in my ears, but I've yet to race with one.

                Lou, (aka Mr. predawnrunner), MD, USA | Lou's Brews | lking@pobox.com


                GreenMan

                  Somedays in training I like to Ipod, if its long especially, some days not. In races of 50M or more, when the time comes I might consider tunes for the long,lonely, painful parts. But marthon -50K, I'm not a racer, just a survivor, I prefer to chat. Shorter races, task at hand only. jjj
                  Iron Mt. Trail Runners blogsite .... JJJessee blogsite ....Spring is here. Go outside and play.


                  #artbydmcbride

                    I've done both, but I definitely race better without the ipod. Smile

                     

                    Runners run

                      I also train about half the time wearing an ipod and love it. But, for racing, I agree with Spareribs. I've only run once using an ipod (second half of the Seattle Marathon a few years ago when I knew it was changing into a "fun run" for me. Wink). I carried it with me in my marathon a few weeks ago, but never took it out, running that course essentially all alone, too. I have to say, being able to do that made me kind of proud that I was able to keep that kind of focus. Try it. Think of how proud you'll be of yourself making it through without wearing it, too. Or carry it with you as a security blanket, so to speak, and try your very best never to take it out. I'll be proud of you, too! Smile
                        If you have any practice long runs left, give it a shot and see how you like it. I waffle back and forth about whether or not iPODS should be worn, but if a race prohibits it, I definitely don't wear one. It would be humiliating to get in trouble for something so seemingly trivial. Good luck with your race!

                        Leslie
                        Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain
                        -------------

                        Trail Runner Nation

                        Sally McCrae-Choose Strong

                        Bare Performance

                         

                          Since I routinely forget to start my stopwatch at the beginning of a race, and frequently leave home without my HRM chest strap, I don't think I'll ever get it together enough to show up to a race with an ipod. Smile I've never even thought about racing with one. That said, banging out intervals or hilly trail WO's with the right tunes can make the workout an absolute blast. I have a bear of a time with the earbuds, though...they slip out when I sweat.
                            Sigh. Sad This has been the closest experience to an intervention that I've had! Thanks for all the encouragement and common sense. I guess I will give it a try. I'm already planning on bragging about it in my RR. Big grin If you don't hear from me, you'll know I weakened at the last minute and just had to have "Rocky's Theme" carry me through. Blush BTW Sirwalksalot, they make some great earbuds that you have to order. The ones that come w/ ipods are indeed terrible.
                            TheSaint


                              I'll chime in since Ribs ratted me out anyway. I do all my solo runs with an ipod, most of the time I do audiobooks, but on the longer runs I go for the music. I've only done 2 halves and did not use the ipod, but after the last one I said never again would I be without it. I'm slow, there's no other way to say it, and it gets lonely at the back of pack. Of course if the RD said no ipods, I wouldn't try and sneak it in, but if there's no rules against it, I'll have it.
                                ... It is difficult, almost impossible for me to carry on a conversation while I'm running. I know I should be able to, but I can barely breathe as it is! Is it something I will ever be able to do? ...
                                Ok, I don't use an iPod for any kind of running (training/race/...). The above quote, however, seems to cry out for some advice. Is it appropriate in this thread, or would that be a hijack?
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