Sound vs Silence

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  • Hi everyone,

    I always listen to music while training. Listening to my favourite tunes while running is great.

    I ran my 1st half marathon last year in Glasgow and my 1st full marathon in Edinburgh this year. I found that during a race I did not want to listen.

    So its music while training and silence while racing.

    Good running everyone.

    Colin in Dundee.image

  • I am with Colin

    racing is different

  • Evening all

    Ive never read back thru all the posts so sorry if someone has said this before:

    I prefere to run without any music in my ears.If im going to get taken out by any mode of transport i'd much rather give myself the chance of getting out the way before being flattened.

    Im probably lucky in the sense that I live on the coast and do a lot of training along the seafront,so cutting out the inner city runs.There's always something happening to take your mind of the hard slog of a run.

  • Just to add my voice, for what it's worth - probably repetitive: no music or anything else for me, thanks. Quite happy to run with my own thoughts, birds singing etc. Can just about see the appeal if for some reason I would do a treadmill session (very very rarely), but other than that - freedom for ears!
  • I blame Steve Jobs.....

    In t'old days you could run for miles without hearing a sound except for the rattle of the shuttles in t'mills and t'sound of pit widows being separated from their kids.

    In the 1930's who would have run for a hobby or pastime or sport? Not many as life was different then.

    These days we have endless opportunities for free time and the use of such time. My grandad might have said that I was a dilettante and a slacker for just having the time to run at all - whats that about?

    If someone wants to run with an Ipod I won't gainsay them, particularly given that 95% of us (possibly) run for fun/recreation and have no prospect of ever winning a race. 

    I respect the right of race organisers to apply rules to the races they organise, but as they say, rules are for the guidance of the wise and for the adherence of fools - or something like that. Look at F1 for instance (wonders if lewis H listens to Ipods or car stereo when he drives and if so whether this is grounds for disqualification.) 

  • Well I am for ipods, and such like, as I have said previously, although using an ipod does not make you a fun runner, I am more of a club runner, and other club runners use ipods too! although we have some old school members who have strong opinions on the use of mp3 etc, and stop watches and hrm's.


    See my thoughts, technology some people just dont like it.

    But I have posted quite a strong opinion myself, and I would obide by the rules if a race said no ipod's, as long as it was a short one, 10 miles or less, I would race in it, if it were longer no chance!

    I dont always listen to the music enroute of a marathon or half, it is nice to hear the atmosphere, but when I am struggleing I like to focus on something else, but when I did london it rained, and my earphones stopped working at the crucial point so I had to do it alone, and it isnt as scary as using technology for the first time! LOL it was great to hear the crowd, cheering me on!

    My only strong opinion is forced opinions, get it I have a forced opinion about that my self! chunner chunner, we are not communists so lets leave it to choice, but can you in the current political state of uk thats another thread believe me!!!


  • johnny blaze, hello!

    well lewis doesnt use ipod, those white earphones are for communication to the pit!!!

    my hubby is an avid F1, knows everything about the engines etc, watches the races twice!!! I know, a bit like me and running, proper nerds arent we

    imageimage nice weather today

  • Most of the time I run without music but, occasionally, I find I need a 'lift' to actually get me out of the door. But I guess I use my ipod shuffle one out of every 10 runs. And i've found that when I'm flagging towards the end of a long run a great tune picks up my legs a bit (if that makes sense). Currently listening to Paul Weller's 22 Dreams (it's very good pop pickers...). One word of caution - I was stretching at the end of a run a couple of days ago with earphones in and stepped out backwards(don't ask) onto a road. The oncoming car missed me.... Oh and also be careful where you 'place' the new ipod shuffle. I had to send mine back for a replacement because it seized up through "excessive moisture."
  • Hi Husky,

    I'm also a F1 fan and I think LH's earphones are from his iPod as the comms headset is built into his helmet along with a mic which is absent from his white headset.

    Most of he drivers are not listening to music though but to their mental coaches, NLP practitioners and motivational gurus etc.  

  • Even as a spectator at F1 you can't hear yourself speak!!! 

    The noise of the cars can be heard from a distance as you drive towards the race track, chuck in a few copters (lots) and you wear ear protectors not ipods!   

  • cars have other ways for the driver to see aroudn them - maybe someone could invent an iPod with wing mirrors image
  • CorinthianCorinthian ✭✭✭

    Ipods and running.

    Firstly, let me declare an interest.  I’ve run with Ipods when they were called ‘Sony Walkman’ and before the advent of personal music players, if I’d been strong enough to carry an 8 track around 26.2 miles I’d have ran with that!  I love music and I really do feel that music can motivate you through those sticky patches during a long run.

    These days I don’t run with music for a number of reasons, mainly to do with a gradual decline towards deafness and I find that using any type of headphones aggravates a tinnitus condition I’ve developed.  I’ve no doubt whatsoever that my much reduced sense of hearing has more to do with a) playing live rock/blues music in a band and b) gunfire from my military service, than any music coming from my Walkman in the 1980s; in fact, the hearing specialist has confirmed that I suffer a pattern of partial deafness as a result of trauma, rather than it being cumulative.  However, I’m convinced that running with an Ipod in a race is an exercise in personal selfishness.

    ‘Personal selfishness?’  That’s a serious charge – what do I mean by that?

    Well, the human body has evolved to interpret and act upon external stimuli in order to survive. The majority of us have five senses that gather this information and the system works pretty efficiently.  I’m convinced by voluntarily restricting the effectiveness of one of our more important senses (hearing) we are relying upon the actions of others who’ve not restricted theirs to make allowances for us and to, in effect, tacitly cover our backs.

    Now, at this point there will be no doubt many of you up in arms declaring that you only have your volume low and are perfectly aware of the runner coming behind you or the shouts of the official warning you that there is an escaped alligator waiting to pounce at mile 16.  I’m quite certain that some of you have the volume turned down and will be almost as aware of your surroundings as someone not listening to music – and that’s the rub… you are almost as aware of your surroundings as the person who is not wearing the Ipod.

    This is forms the basis of my objection (albeit mild objection) to the practice of wearing an Ipod in a race.  That is, the tacit assumption that those who don’t voluntarily restrict their senses should change their behaviour in order to accommodate those who do choose to restrict theirs – that just isn’t fair.
  • I am still undecided about wearing ipods when runnning.  When I am on a treadmill in the gym I need to have music otherwise I would quickly get bored.  However when i un outside I do so without music and enjoy the experience and views.

    Recently I have been increasing my distance to half marathons and started wearing an ipod and found it helped I think with the distance.  I do not have the music loud and to be honest a lot of the times I am not aware it is there so I wonder if i should just go without, but at times I do enjoy the occasional song

    I know this is a debate that goes around and around and as a new runner it will be interesting to see where it goes.

  • GobiGobi ✭✭✭
    I use one in training but only sometimes.

    Racing is a no no, it is rude. In lapped course racing it is damn annoying when people don't move over when they cannot hear you.
  • I have a bit of a seasonal thing going on with my ipod.  I find in the winter I need it to get me through long cold runs (although not after dark as can be a little dangerous!) but in the summer, because most of my running is in the countryside, I love to listen to the sounds of the country side and I find the thumping music of my ipod just annoys me!  And although this sounds a bit revolting, I do find the headphones uncomfortable on sweaty summers runs!  But I do think each to their own, I don't really understand why some runners get really prickly about others running with music, it's almost as if they're accusing you of cheating!  As if!
  • I so much agree with the last post music really helps in the miserable winter long runs but equally I must share my latest 10k experience (Worthing 10k last Wed) where I felt i got the right blend of upbeat and in tune with pace music loaded on my ipod and boy did it make a difference! Someone said in the article it depends what temperatment you have and I agree some people just dont like the type of music that will give you a boost so theres hardly much point in listening to Affamation by Savage Garden (highly recommended) for instance if you are a folk fan.
  • While reading Corinthian's thesis something outside caught my eye. I looked up and watched a man cross the road right in front of a cyclist who swerved to avoid him. Neither were wearing ipods which goes  to show you don't need an ipod to be a moron.

    This argument about the dangers of running with iPods is without any substance. When you catch a ball you don't have to hear it coming because you can calculate your position in space relative to the ball and make hundreds of complex calculations per second to make sure your hands are in the right place at the right time to catch the ball (even children can do it).

    Now if you can't put one foot in front of the other, listen to music and look out for potential hazards then for everyone else's safety please take up an indoor sport like snooker and let the rest of us get on with our multitasking lives  image.

    xxx the league against busy bodies in sport xxx (just made that name up - good eh?)

  • CorinthianCorinthian ✭✭✭

    Now if you can't put one foot in front of the other, listen to music and look out for potential hazards then for everyone else's safety please take up an indoor sport like snooker and let the rest of us get on with our multitasking lives...

    Wonderful sentiments...

    With that thought in mind... my next marathon will be completed wearing a blindfold whilst juggling blazing tomahawksimage

  • Corinthian wrote (see)

    With that thought in mind... my next marathon will be completed wearing a blindfold whilst juggling blazing tomahawksimage

    That's fine as long as you're not wearing an iPod at the same time image
  • The One and Only XFR Bear wrote (see)
    Corinthian wrote (see)

    With that thought in mind... my next marathon will be completed wearing a blindfold whilst juggling blazing tomahawksimage

    That's fine as long as you're not wearing an iPod at the same time image
    and your running way behind me  image
  • CorinthianCorinthian ✭✭✭

    and your running way behind me 

    Very, very likely if you can go under 4 hoursimage

  • Corinthian wrote (see)

    Very, very likely if you can go under 4 hoursimage

     

    When you say under 4 hours you are talking about a 5K aren't you?

    image

  • I would just like to say that as a 17 stone runner who is struggling to get going, a bit of music certainly helps.

     Not the dance music I listened to in my uni days, but some more rockier tunes. A bit of Meatloaf, The Darkness, G & R and Green Day are certainly a help to my masochistic shenanigans.

     Does it matter if some people choose to listen to music or not anyway? I don't think so.

  • Martin Davies 17 wrote (see)

     Does it matter if some people choose to listen to music or not anyway? I don't think so.


    It only matters if others try to force you to listen or not to listen to music while you run. 

    xxx League Against Busy Boddies in Sport xxx

  • What a great topic!. There is no doubt that running  with music -the right kind of music  - can be a great benefit. I am absolutely sold on the specialist running music web site www.run2r.com. They are called run2rhythm.

    They have everything about the benefits of running with music and excellent music to download. Their music is all about Beats Per Minute and have specially composed music - it's good to run with because if you run in time with the beat you can run at certain given speeds thus completing your run in a time you aim for.

    Using run2rhythm music in an event is a definite benefit because it keeps your legs turning over at a steady pace. If you go to http://run2r.com/Technical+linking-bpm-to-running-speed-usa.aspx you can find the BPM that matches speed.

  • Nick I have to tell you that your post made me suspicious that you were promoting your site immediately. The style it is written in ......and twice giving the link ?

    The site started in 2006 and your only two posts are regarding it ...the first in 2006 and on RW.com

    I personally have nothing against the site promotion but you need to be more subtle!

    (Nike might be less happy.................) 

  • A bit more subtle like RW/Nike are being.
  • Just listed to some of the samples on the run2r site  -  cheesy music city  image
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