Running with or without music
Ajasper83
Posts: 107 Member
Yesterday was my first day running without music, W9D1. I forgot my headphones so I just turned my ap on and checked it every once in a while. I noticed I paid much more attention to my breath and that sometimes I hold my breath a long time before I exhale again. Anyone else noticed their breath more or other changes without music? Anyone prefer to run without music?
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I'm almost at that same point, W8D3 but I had to re-do D2 once. I haven't tried without music, but I imagine I would pay more attention to different things. I ran a couple times without it but just played the music through the speakers, tucked into my bra. :blushing: :laugh:
I find myself breathing every 3 or 4 steps each way regardless. Now, if I ever add any speed :grumble: I'm sure that will change...0 -
Under 10k, I often run without music. I can pay more attention to the physical sensation of running, which is a good practice to get into once in a while. For races I never bring music. Being able to make changes to your breathing or gait is important to be able to do!0
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I am going to finish out W9 with no music and see how I do. I also ran my fastest pace yesterday. Generally I listen to upbeat, faster tempo music, but if it slows down so do I. I'll see how I finish the week out. Laurayinz, I didn't notice any changes to my speed until W8 and now running for the 30 minutes I have a distance set for myself I want to complete in that time and it has really pushed me!0
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I'm on W2D2 and have not used music yet for the very reason you stated. I need to learn to breath better while running, plus I want to hear what's going on around me. Cars, people, etc.. when they pass. I figured when I get used to it, I can crank the tunes.0
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I don't have music because I don't have a mobile music-playing-device. I find it very meditative though. I think about the running, but then about stuff going on as well, gives me time to mull. I like it so far.0
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When I took up jogging a few years (and a few kilograms) ago, I ran with no music as this was in the city and you have to watch (and listen) out in this city.
Recently, when I took up C25K, I tried running with music and did not like it - it was messing with my rhythm and breathing and proved to be more of a distraction than help overall.0 -
Its interesting how different we all find it.
My c25k podcast has music in the background which I think is meant to help your pace, especially when starting with walk and run intervals. I made it to the end of week 6 and couldn't cope with the "cheesy" music any more. So I did the next run with my own music, and timings running in the background letting me know every 5 minutes that passed so I would know when my 25 minutes was up. This worked well for me, and I had my best time yet, covering more distance than usual.
Some of my route is on quiet country roads with no footpath, so I run with one headphone in and quiet, so I can hear any cars but still hear my music and time prompts, my breathing just fits in with my pace. I love being outside and that is part of the fun of running for me. (Did I say fun and running in the same sentence - I would never have thought so a few weeks ago!)
Who knows, I may try without music, but as a beginner to running, I find I appreciate the timings and the enjoyment of running to some of my favourite music.0 -
I tried running with music one time but found it very distracting. Without it, I feel more relaxed.0
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When I was going through c25k, I never listened to music - I was too focused on just running, and like you said, concentrating on what I was doing, etc.
Now I almost always run with music (finished the program in March), unless it's a race, or it's raining.
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It's interesting to see people talk about music messing up their timing when I use music exactly for that purpose. The key is to find music that is all within a small BPM range that matches what you're trying to accomplish. When I first started on C25K, I used 160 BPM. Breathe in 2, out 2. Eventually 160 was too slow and now I do 170. Your stride pretty much stays the same, so you automatically run "faster" because you're taking more steps per minute. From the reading I've done, it would appear that world class marathoners typically run in the 180 BPM range.
There are websites out there that will give you a list of music at a particular BPM range. Here's an article talking about it:
http://lifehacker.com/5646941/how-to-build-the-ultimate-beats-per-minute-optimized-running-playlist
I have found that running to music like that has been invaluable. When I get fatigued or feel like I can't go on, I just keep telling myself to stay with the beat... left, right, left, right, stay with the beat. If I allowed myself to "slow down", it would all be over. Of course, everyone is different and what works for some might not work for others.
Good luck runners!0 -
It's interesting to see people talk about music messing up their timing when I use music exactly for that purpose. The key is to find music that is all within a small BPM range that matches what you're trying to accomplish. When I first started on C25K, I used 160 BPM. Breathe in 2, out 2. Eventually 160 was too slow and now I do 170. Your stride pretty much stays the same, so you automatically run "faster" because you're taking more steps per minute. From the reading I've done, it would appear that world class marathoners typically run in the 180 BPM range.
There are websites out there that will give you a list of music at a particular BPM range. Here's an article talking about it:
http://lifehacker.com/5646941/how-to-build-the-ultimate-beats-per-minute-optimized-running-playlist
I have found that running to music like that has been invaluable. When I get fatigued or feel like I can't go on, I just keep telling myself to stay with the beat... left, right, left, right, stay with the beat. If I allowed myself to "slow down", it would all be over. Of course, everyone is different and what works for some might not work for others.
Good luck runners!
Thanks for the link, I am going to check this out. I am going to start the 5k to 10k app at some point and I know I will need music. My brain wonders around too much and I'll do a lot of negative self talk if I don't occupy my brain.0
