Before I started running a few months ago I was definitely one of those people who thought running was REALLY BORING.
I honestly couldn’t imagine what people do, or think about while just out there running along…well now I know! Ok, well I don’t know what other people do, but I can tell you what I listen to!
While I understand that running outdoors with headphones is a controversial topic due to safety concerns, I have to admit that I do always run with my headphones on. That being said, I’m always conscious of the volume and make sure that I can hear “outside” noises over whatever I am listening to.
Here’s what I may be listening to on a run:
MUSIC
On most of my shorter runs (anything under 5 miles) I usually just listen to music. I have a few playlist on my iPhone, but I tend to use Pandora on my runs because I love that I can listen to ANY type of music depending on my mood (Country, 80’s, Dance Cardio…) and I never know what’s coming next!
PODCASTS
If you’ve never listened to a podcast on a run you should try it! I had actually never even listened to podcasts before I started running but I’ve found they are actually one of my favorite things to have on, especially on a long run. I find that with music I still think about the fact that I am running (how long has it been? how far have I run? my feet kind of hurt…), but with a podcast I’m more focused on listening and I tend to just get in a rhythm and run and not think about it as much.
AUDIO BOOKS
Ok, I know some people think this one is weird, but yes…sometimes I listen to audio books while I’m running. I’ve only listened to one or two books, and honestly I thought I would like this more than I did. I find that when I have on an audio book I tend to zone out and find that I’m not actually listening and then I have to keep backtracking to follow what is going on. Maybe I just need to try it with a different book…I may actually try this again on my long run this weekend.
NOTHING
A couple of weeks ago I was out on a long run and my phone battery was getting REALLY low (this was when I was using it for my RunKeeper & music before I got my Garmin), so I had a decision to make – turn off the music or turn off RunKeeper. Since I had a general idea of how much longer I needed to run I seriously considered turing off RunKeeper because I couldn’t imagine running without music or something to listen to, but I figured it was more important to track my mileage and have my training data, so I ran my first “silent” miles…
Surprise, surprise I actually enjoyed it! It was sort of peaceful and meditative – I mean how often do we have time with our own thoughts?
For my long runs I like to plan out what I’m going to listen to so I don’t have to think about it or mess with my iPhone while I’m running. So far for my 20+ mile run this weekend (over 3 hours 30 minutes of time to fill!) I have three 30 minute podcasts and I’ll probably split the rest of the time with music and some “quiet” time.
Any podcast suggestions or other good listening ideas are always appreciated!
Live, Run, Grow 
WDW Radio! I can’t tell you how many times I listened to that podcast on my long runs.
On my last long run I actually called one of my best friends, and we chatted for an hour and a half. Since I was running slowly enough, I didn’t have to worry about losing my breath, and we fully caught up.
Oh, I LOVE the idea of calling and chatting on the phone! Watch out people, you may get a call from me this weekend trying to kill some time on a 20 mile run!
First – can I just say that I love that a 5 mile run for you is a “short” run? My long run is 6 miles, but I usually keep it at four! hahah!
Secondly, I have never thought of listening to an audio book while running! That’s a great idea! I may actually do that and maybe I’ll do a longer run!
I would love to hear some podcast ideas. Did you listen to Jeff Galloway podcasts? Does he have some?
Hi Pam! Yes, I listened to The Extra Mile Podcast Galloway Edition on a lot of my runs. That series is over, but you can go back and listen to the older episodes.
You can find podcasts on just about any topic that interests you – I love Disney so I often listen to The DIS Unplugged and Lisa from Healthy Disney suggests WDW Radio.
Hope that helps some!
So I listened to the WDW Radio Show from dec 11 yesterday during my long run and really enjoyed it! I did 4.5 miles cause I kind of ran out of road… I have to map out a longer route. Thanks for the tip! They were discussing the WDW marathon. It sounds awesome! Definitely the marathon to choose for a first. I want to do a half marathon there for sure now. Can’t wait to hear how your 23 mile run went.
I haven’t listened to the one about the marathon yet, I’m going to have to listen to it before I go down to get excited!