WWW.RunningCenters.com : Running With Headphones

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Running With Headphones

A direct quote from the Carlsbad Marathon Website states:
"For your safety and the safety of your fellow participants, you are encouraged NOT to use iPods, MP3 players, or similar devices during the race. However, if you choose to use such a device, it is recommended that you keep the volume at a level at which you are aware of your environment and any emergency situations which may arise."

What do you think about running with headphones? I'm sort of on the fence about it. I admit to running with my iPod sometimes, but I'm careful. I don't want to become dependent on my music in order to enjoy a run. It may sound corny, but I like interacting with the environment around me with all of my senses.

I run in the evening, and often I can smell somebody's dinner cooking. The other night I smelled liver and onions! I hadn't smelled that since I was a kid. It brought memories of my childhood and my mom making liver and onions, and I thought about her as I ran past.

I like watching people in the distance. Perhaps they're walking their dog. These days it's usually a small dog on short legs running a frantic pace to keep up with his owner. Last weekend, at Dog Beach, a little blond wild-haired dog came out of nowhere running toward me. Seriously, this dog had hair, not fur. And it was frizzy wild. Not far behind the dog came a petite woman wearing a hat with wild frizzy hair hanging long below it. She was holding the dog's leash, and I marveled at that old cliche about dogs looking like their owners.

I like feeling the night air against my face, and if I'm running with a friend, I enjoy talking to him or her. Even if I'm running alone, I often pass someone, and it's nice to be able to say a cheerful, "Hello!" and hear that other person's response.

All of these things are diminished when I'm wearing my headphones. Listening to music while running puts me far away into my own head. I say hi to the sign twirler because he looks like he said, "Hi," but I can't be sure because I couldn't hear it. And I can't tell what he says in reply. I've also been nearly hit by a car because I was so far in my own world of music. I didn't notice that the guy was going to roll through a stop sign turning right into my path. During marathon races, I've been accidentally stepped on and/or pushed by people wearing headphones. I'm also guilty of bumping into someone else during a race while wearing headphones. I said I was sorry, but I could tell...it would have been better had I left the iPod at home and paid attention to what was going on around me.

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