running with or without music?..

2

Replies

  • Lolamako
    Lolamako Posts: 89 Member
    Treadmill, haaaaaave to have music.

    Outside;NEVER. One, I don't like it. Two, it's too dangerous. I think people take their safety too lightly, there are a lot of people looking to prey on someone, I just try to give my self one more layer of safety by being able to hear what's going on around me. That is if I'm not huffing and puffing so hard I can't hear anything :)

    I don't know if Sherry Arnold was listening to music when she was kidnapped, but it's still a good reminder to be aware.
  • jenniebean1680
    jenniebean1680 Posts: 350 Member
    I NEVER run w/ music outside. I tried it once in all my 15 years of running (OMGIAMOLD), and I hated it.

    I love the sound of the outdoors, my feet hitting the pavement, the wind in the trees, kids playing, birds singing...

    Oh, and I like being able to hear cars and dogs and potential attackers trying to grab me. It's SO much safer to run w/o music, or to have it on so low that you can still hear everything else. RunnersWorld just tweeted that pedestrians w/ headphones are getting struck by cars more and more as years pass.

    I def recommend using your outdoor running time as a chance to strip off all the noise and hubbub we subject ourselves to day-in and day-out (willingly or otherwise). Tune into nature. Get lost in your breathing. Say "hi, squirrely!" to the squirrel yelling at you from a tree branch. (ok, so that last bit might just be what I do.)

    That said, do NOT try to put me on a treadmill or elliptical or bike indoors without some Loud Effing Music. I will kill.

    That is all.
  • IronmanPanda
    IronmanPanda Posts: 2,083 Member
    Without. When I first started running I was running on a treadmill and couldn't do it without music but as soon as I made the transition to running outdoors I found I never needed or wanted to run with music.

    There is something very meditative about running without music especially on my long runs.
  • Clare_F
    Clare_F Posts: 76
    I always run alone and love to run with music and get lost in my own thoughts :)
  • Mios3
    Mios3 Posts: 530 Member
    I guess it depends.

    If I am at the gym on the treadmill I HAVE TO have the music going, and LOUD.

    If it's in the evening on the trail then once again I like music. However if it is morning time and I am on the trail I prefer to listen to the nature around me...
  • cicilya
    cicilya Posts: 4
    music all the way. It takes my mind off of what Im doing so I can run further and and faster without stopping.:smile:

    15082671.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • jenniebean1680
    jenniebean1680 Posts: 350 Member
    I have to have music. I like the earbuds that loop around your ears. Also, even when I run outside, I blast it. I run at night, and on a well lit street that is beachside, but, I take my dog and she hears EVERYTHING.

    OMG this scares me... Please consider turning down your music outside, ESPECIALLY at night, dog or no dog. Do you really want to leave it up to your dog to protect you from a car or an attacker? I say turn it down and look out for the both of you.

    ...just sayin.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
    No music for me thanks. Whether I'm doing a 4 mile run or a 14 mile run, I like to get lost in thought and just enjoy my run. I used to listen to music but I much prefer to run without it these days.
  • MaryDreamer
    MaryDreamer Posts: 439
    Definitely WITH and I'm a speed walker/jogger combo. It makes me move faster and burn more calories.
  • Amy_B
    Amy_B Posts: 2,317 Member
    I usually listen with one ear bud in and one out. Usually when I run with someone else (only a handful of times), I don't listen to music.
  • jenniebean1680
    jenniebean1680 Posts: 350 Member
    When I started running I needed music to keep me going. It took my mind off the pain, and I ran faster in time with the beat. Now I really don't like having music. I like seeing the world in a way it is harder too with an unnatural sound in your ears. Also I run along some busy roads and need to hear the cars coming, but mostly I just like the quiet. I think when I run, and sort things through in my head, I can't do that with Lady Gaga blaring away at me!

    /truth. absolutely!
  • Legally_Natural
    Legally_Natural Posts: 101 Member
    If I don't have music then running (or my running is the elliptical machine) is not happening. I use the music to help with my pace and my breathing.
  • karismalynn
    karismalynn Posts: 39 Member
    I've found that with music I can still keep my mind on other things, such as why I'm doing this. My mind wanders a lot but if I didn't have music the silences in my head would annoy me. I even listen to music when I go on walks, but I live on a dead end road so it's pretty safe because there's hardly any traffic and plenty of dogs to warn me of cars coming.
  • tessa3r
    tessa3r Posts: 7 Member
    Since I just got back from my run, I listen to music when I'm by myself. It's at a level which still lets me hear what's going on around me since I run on rural roads without sidewalks. I want to know when those cars are coming or there is a dog or something else around. I run during the day because there are no street lights around and poeople tend to drive fairly fast on my curvy and hilly road.
    When I bring my young boys, there is no music. They don't know enough road etiquette for me to be anything but super vigilant.
  • Natural
    Natural Posts: 461 Member
    started with music, now i go without. sometimes i listen if i'm on the treadmill, but when i have to crank up the speed, all that noise has to stop.
  • Chibs82
    Chibs82 Posts: 10 Member
    Short Version: Yes I need to listen to music. :)

    When I do my cardio I generally throw my gym towel over the display so I can't see how long I have left to go. I'll then just divide up the time loosely by 4, twenty minutes is 5 tracks on my iPod. I then count how far along I am by how many tracks are left. After all the tracks have finished, I'm allowed to look under the towel :)

    Sound stupid but it let me focus on other things when training. Also let me go from being unable to go for 10mins at new year to running 40mins every day now (work has gym).
  • ElleOQuent
    ElleOQuent Posts: 429 Member
    Music is what keeps me going. Without it, I would give up as soon as I hit my mental wall.
  • DanMason007
    DanMason007 Posts: 8 Member
    Good post, we just had a female attacked while walking or jogging at nigh here. It is not safe, becarful!
  • HOSED49
    HOSED49 Posts: 642 Member
    I have music because I cant stand to hear my breathing as it would make me focus on it, I like to mouth along the words as I run showing that I am at a pace I could comfortably carry on a conversation at .....and it takes my mind off the run
  • nelson_anna
    nelson_anna Posts: 3 Member
    Without. I run outside and I listen carefully to my breath to keep it steady. Music only makes me want to run/breathe to the beat and that screws my body up. Also, my TMJD is so bad that I can't have anything in my ear canals or it will throw my jaw off.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    I should add, I almost never listen to music anyway. Only in the car. I am a singer, and I can't separate myself from the music, so I can't have it on in the background, because either it's just noise, which is annoying, or I am listening to it and not getting on with anything else. I can't listen to music and concentrate on anything else. Also, it usually clashes with the constant music in my head.
  • Faintgreeneyes
    Faintgreeneyes Posts: 729 Member
    I run without music. I have found that my mile time is faster, and I like listening to the sounds around me. I also can focus more easily on my breathing and making sure I am pacing myself correctly. I have been able to achieve 'runners high' only during runs without music.
  • gorgeouss9
    gorgeouss9 Posts: 221
    I'm starting to get sick of having music blasting in my ears.. nowadays I love walking or jogging with a partner, sans music.
  • thunderlight7
    thunderlight7 Posts: 72
    I wouldn't be where I am with my health if I didn't have music through those loooooooonnnnngggg cardio bouts. I hate to say it, but its a necessity.
  • 76tech
    76tech Posts: 1,455 Member
    Running outside, without. Takes away from the experience.
    Inside on treadmill, 50/50. Longer, less intensity, I listen. Shorter and/or harder intervals, no music. I'll just stop listening to it anyway.
  • CourteneyLove
    CourteneyLove Posts: 246 Member
    WITH music. lots of bass and techno. I can't stand even the sound of machines at the gym... let alone people.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    I have to have music wherever I run or work out.

    If I'm running outside in an area that's not well lit or I'm worried about traffic, I'll pause the music and remove my headphones.
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    With music. It pumps me up.
  • suttercm
    suttercm Posts: 189 Member
    I always listen to music, but I also always have a dog with me who alerts me to anything coming around.
  • SabrinaJL
    SabrinaJL Posts: 1,579 Member
    Music. Fast, angry music. :laugh:
This discussion has been closed.

Categories