Being a bit hard core, headphones have never been my thing (at least for racing). Running a marathon last year, however, has made me revisit the whole headphone topic. Generally I'm a strong believer in socializing for a long race or just focusing on running fast for a shorter race. The marathon was tough though, the first 18 miles were fine. I just randomly found people to talk with, but the last 8 miles or so I was on my own. The last 6 miles were just plain brutal, and I so wished that I had some tunes to keep my mind occupied.I mentioned all this to Nick and he surprised me with my very own ipod shuffle! Awesome, right? I did have an older ipod, but this one is tiny and sleek and awesome! Oh yeah, I already said that. Anyway, my strategy will be to socialize as much as possible and just listen to music for the last 10K (you know, the part of race where you ask yourself what you were thinking).
Just out of curiosity, I surfed the web for what fellow runners thought about racing with headphones. Wow. Apparently headphones are extremely controversial. They were even banned by the USATF a few years ago, but they've lifted the headphone ban largely due to the uproar it caused. There are lots of people who feel strongly that headphones shouldn't be allowed. They often sight safety as the primary reason. I don't disagree that safety could possibly be a concern, but I've never heard of anyone being hurt in a race due to headphones (and I haven't seen any sighted examples). Many people speculate that the rule was really to eliminate a competitive advantage for elite runners. Given how the rule has been re-written, I can see how that speculation came to be.
The whole issue just seems silly to me. I've never seen an elite runner running with headphones. And even if they chose to do so, I don't think that music (or their coach's voice) is going to carry them over the finish line. That's just me though. Do you feel strongly about headphone usage in races?
Here's where I share last week's training:
Monday: 5K row at 6:24 pace + 40 minute bike
Tuesday: 5 mile run at 8:40 pace
Wednesday: 7.5 mile tempo run at 7:12 pace
Thursday: 85 minute bike
Friday: 6 x 1600 meter row getting progressively faster (6:33, 6:32, 6:31, 6:29, 6:27, 6:18) + 22 minute bike
Saturday: 15.1 mile run at 8:56 pace
Sunday: Off
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4 comments:
I always wear headphones while out for a run. I listen to both music and podcasts. I had my ipod for my marathon last year, but never listened to it. I figured I would at the end, but for some reason, even though I was in a lot of pain and needed a distraction, I just didn't want it.
I always wear headphone when I run - I listen to podcasts on slower runs, and music for speed. However, I have never been able to race with headphones. Like you, I socialize. I absolutely love to encourage struggling runners, listen to conversations and partake into them. Racing with headphones is distracting to me. When I am in pain I need to concentrate even more, encourage myself or distract myself, but music would not do it for me. As far as the ban goes, I agree, it is pretty silly. Plus, it's always a rule that gets broken at races.
Awesome training! Your tempos are v long:) Ana-Maria
I am extremely anti-headphones! I think it keeps me from paying attention to what I'm doing, even in the marathon. In fact, I've never wished I had music while running. And while I haven't seen too many headphone related incidents (although sometimes on the streets of Philly, I will see people veer into traffic because they aren't paying attention), I was involved in a headphone spat at the Broad Street Run. A girl cut me off at a water stop and stopped short right in front of me. To catch myself, I had to move off to the left really quickly. She had ducked in front of me, so I lifted my water cup over her to avoid hitting her in the head. Well, she knocked into my arm and my cup of water spilled all over her head - in her ears and right into her headphones! She was really mad, but the race rules are pretty clear - if you wear headphones, it's at your own peril! I apologized and she yelled - luckily, she couldn't keep up with me! But truthfully, it was her own fault - not only did she not follow proper water stop protocol, but she shouldn't have been wearing the headphones. That's my two sense - I'd much rather talk to people or notice the scenery around me. But if it works and gets you running, then it can't be bad - just be careful!
Thanks for the comments. It's interesting that Michelle and Ana-Maria didn't use headphones during their races even though they train with them.
And Nadine, your story made me chuckle a little. I'm not surprised at all that you'd be anti-headphones (given that you ran competitively in college). Could you imagine someone stepping up to the line with headphones on? I have to say though, I feel like headphones or not, some people just pay no attention to those around them.
I'm still a little unsure of what I'll be doing for the marathon. I'll probably decide that morning.
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