Running with Audio books

GlindaGoodwitch
GlindaGoodwitch Posts: 157 Member
edited November 15 in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone run with audio books instead of music? Suggestions?

I'm thinking of trying it with something like Mindy Kaling/Tina Fey - where it should be funny, and read by the author. My hope is that it keeps me distracted from the running, and more focused on the story :)
«1

Replies

  • exwilson
    exwilson Posts: 154 Member
    I've done it. The two I've used so far was "James Madison: A Life Reconsidered" which was an excellent bit of writing. The reader is very good even if the subject matter is a bit dry.

    The other one I used was "World War Z" by Max Brooks which I HIGHLY recommend. It's vignettes of personal accounts of a Zombie war. Each section is read by a different person with some great actors lending their voices like Nathan Fillion, Martin Scorsese, Simon Pegg, Alan Alda, Mark Hammill, Rob Reiner, Alfred Molina, F. Murray Abraham and many more. Very suspenseful and great fun on a run.
  • GlindaGoodwitch
    GlindaGoodwitch Posts: 157 Member
    That's awesome!! I'll add that to my list!
  • jessiruthica
    jessiruthica Posts: 412 Member
    I use podcasts but mostly because they're free. Music really doesn't do it for me, but that's because of my crappy taste in music :)
  • GlindaGoodwitch
    GlindaGoodwitch Posts: 157 Member
    What podcasts do you enjoy? I haven't gotten into those just yet!
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    I listen to podcasts, mostly financial ones and some relating to my hobbies.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I have been using the Zombies, Run! app. It's a combination of a story and the music I have stored on my phone.
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    I have used different Podcasts, Dole a Whipped, a Disney one, The Nerdist and a Cast of Thrones, Game of Thrones recap podcast. Many many eons ago, I vaguely remember walking on my lunch breaks, and I think I listened to the Harry Potter books on CD while walking a track. They are read by Jim Dale, and really well done.
  • AgentOrangeJuice
    AgentOrangeJuice Posts: 1,069 Member
    I have all the star wars books on audiobook format and I'm listening to them chronologically.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    edited March 2015
    I have listened to dozens of books during workouts! I love to read and audiobooks help me multitask my workouts and reading.

    I listened to all of Gillian Flynn's books recently - Gone Girl, Dark Places, Sharp Objects. I loved Donna Tartt's 'The Goldfinch'. Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins was fun and suspenseful. Others I've liked by a variety of authors: The Lost Sisterhood, Where'd You Go Bernadette, The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, The Diviners, Wild, The Night Circus.
  • WWnot
    WWnot Posts: 141 Member
    I listen to mysteries...they're good at grabbing my attention and distracting me. And i only allow myself to listen to the story when i'm running. A engaging book is great motivation to hit the streets! (I download them from the public library so they're free)
  • SemperAnticus1643
    SemperAnticus1643 Posts: 703 Member
    This might be an interesting thing for me to do. I have tried listening to audiobooks at work but I find myself not paying much attention. Music is my "white noise" I suppose. Something to fill the silence. I have always been one to have something going on for as long as I could remember. Even when I did homework I had headphones on. When I had children, they were always playing or the tv was going. Silence is deafening for me. :) But audiobooks when I run might actually do the trick. Thanks for the "suggestion".
  • Neonbeige
    Neonbeige Posts: 271 Member
    I listen to audiobooks all the time. I heard "The lies of Locke Lamora" recently and now I listen to a Cody McFadyen novel. Has to be thrilling or funny to keep me interested and focused
  • annaheyoolay
    annaheyoolay Posts: 100 Member
    I listen to podcasts. They're free and I can download and add them to a playlist. Some favorites: 99% Invisible, Wits, Strangers, Criminal, and Stuff you Missed in History Class.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
    I’ll do podcasts and occasionally an audio book, but mostly when I’m walking. I am more into music when I jog/run.

    Podcasts:
    - Ben Greenfield
    - The Tim Ferris Show
    - Hardcore History
    - Sparten Up
    - Barbell Shrugged
    - Wodcast Podcast

    Audiobooks:
    I’ll usually listen to non-fiction, biographies. I’m currently listening to one on Thomas Jefferson.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    I don't run but I listen to podcasts a lot (I have problems sleeping). Favorites:

    Science:
    Quirks and Quarks
    The Science Show (the Australian one)
    Astronomy Cast (you can start with Episode 1 and learn a ton about the universe)
    The Naked Scientists (of course that's British)
    This Week in Cosmos (from the magazine)
    Nature (also from the magazine)

    History/other:
    In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg (BBC)
    BBC Documentary - they have a few different podcasts like Documentaries, DocoftheWeek and DocArchives
    The History Bomb


    And of course:
    The Moth
    This American Life
    Radiolab
  • jessiruthica
    jessiruthica Posts: 412 Member
    GlindaGoodwitch wrote: »
    What podcasts do you enjoy? I haven't gotten into those just yet!

    Mostly NPR stuff: Invisibilia, TED Radio Hour, Radio Lab. They're fun and interesting. They're also about an hour so sometimes I extend my workout to finish them :)
  • SBRRepeat
    SBRRepeat Posts: 384 Member
    I love podcasts, that's always my choice.
    Examples:
    The Moth, Radiolab, Serial, This American Life, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Invisibilia, Criminal, Stuff You Should Know.
    All free, because I'm cheap.
    I'm also a fan of the comedy channels on pandora.
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
    Are you familiar with the Overdrive App? It allows you to download Audio books from your local library. The selection is not unlimited, but it's good enough that I can almost always find something worth listening to. I just finished listening to Volume 3 of Manchester's biography of Winston Churchill (remarkable) and Ian Buruma's Year 0 (depressing, but good) and am now listening to John Lewis Gaddis' history of the Cold War (less than remarkable).
  • carrotsandtea
    carrotsandtea Posts: 3 Member
    Running with audiobooks is the absolute best. Kill two birds with one stone-- reading and running. I have found, however, that running to classic books (the heavier ones) can be a bit of a drudgery. The best ones I've found are the Jim Gaffigan books (beware of laughing on the trail...) and Tina Fey's. They are lighthearted enough to compliment exercise. I've also listened to the Kite Runner books (his series) and those were really gripping. Books, unlike music, really draws me in, so it makes running all the more pleasant.

    I have a subscription to Audible.com which I find is definitely worth the pay. You can always return a book if you don't like it, and there are a lot of good deals.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    GlindaGoodwitch wrote: »
    What podcasts do you enjoy? I haven't gotten into those just yet!


    I LOVED the Serial podcast. While I was listening to it I accidentally ran 5 miles because I was so into what was happening I wasn't paying attention to how far I was going. It was GREAT.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    SBRRepeat wrote: »
    I love podcasts, that's always my choice.
    Examples:
    The Moth, Radiolab, Serial, This American Life, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Invisibilia, Criminal, Stuff You Should Know.
    All free, because I'm cheap.
    I'm also a fan of the comedy channels on pandora.

    Is, "This American Life," As good as Serial?!
  • GlindaGoodwitch
    GlindaGoodwitch Posts: 157 Member
    I'm seriously going home from work, excited to run, just so I can try these out! Thank you all for sharing!!
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    I generally listen to podcasts - adam corolla, alton brown and dave ramsey are my "go-to" ones, and I also listen to audio books.

    I am currently listening to A Janet Evanovich book. I only allow myself to listen tot he book while actively working out...it helps motivate me to get moving so I can listen more!
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    I love it, although sometimes I need the extra motivation I get from music. I've listened to "The Spy that Came in From The Cold", "Warbreaker", "Tinker Tailor...." and a few others.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    SBRRepeat wrote: »
    I love podcasts, that's always my choice.
    Examples:
    The Moth, Radiolab, Serial, This American Life, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Invisibilia, Criminal, Stuff You Should Know.
    All free, because I'm cheap.
    I'm also a fan of the comedy channels on pandora.

    Is, "This American Life," As good as Serial?!

    I believe that Serial was a..project?..of This American Life?
  • SBRRepeat
    SBRRepeat Posts: 384 Member
    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    SBRRepeat wrote: »
    I love podcasts, that's always my choice.
    Examples:
    The Moth, Radiolab, Serial, This American Life, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Invisibilia, Criminal, Stuff You Should Know.
    All free, because I'm cheap.
    I'm also a fan of the comedy channels on pandora.

    Is, "This American Life," As good as Serial?!

    It's the parent show to Serial and Sarah Koenig and Ira Glass work on both.
    - It's absolutely fantastic. I've listened to it on NPR for years, now it's on my queue for weekend long runs.
    If you liked Serial, Radiolab and Criminal are similar, as well.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    I love TAL and Radiolab, but I hated Serial. I was so mad from the first episode that I couldn't listen to anymore.

  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    I'm not a huge audio book fan, but if you want something Kaling/Fey-esque, check out Amy Poehler's book! I hear the audiobook is fantastic, but I read it as a regular book. I did listen to the Princess Bride recollections (Cary Elwes wrote/compiled, I think) and that was a fun audiobook!

    I do listen to a TON of podcasts though. Faves: Invisibilia, Gilmore Guys (only worth it if you are a major Gilmore Girls fan, though), Stuff Mom Never Told You, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Happy Sad Confused, and Criminal. And of course Serial, but that is over for now. I listen to half of these at my part-time job and half of these when on the run. I just let them stack up through the week :)
  • DaFibble
    DaFibble Posts: 152 Member
    I find audiobooks and podcasts are great for long walks, shopping and housework. None of that stuff ever has to be boring if I've got something to listen to. However, I love and almost need music to make (indoor) work outs fun. Audiobooks don't give me that enthusiasm boost and rhythm to keep me going that music can.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Oh audiobooks is all I ever did during walks and runs.

    I did the whole Harry Potter series and loved that the chapters were just long enough for a session (30-40 minutes). I also listened to Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! which was a lot of fun, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Physics of the Impossible, The Metamorphosis (who knew I would sympathise with a cockroach!), The Little Prince, Sofie's World, Good Omens, The Westing Game, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, The Goldfinch, The Time Traveler's Wife and more (you can see how random my taste in books is).

    I'm currently listening to The Twilight Zone radio dramas.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories