The Scoop on Running Without Music

The truth is, man invented portable music for a reason. And we should respect that and use it to our advantage. Not to put ourselves in danger from potential traffic or unheard dogs. But running without music is long and painful.

How do I know this when I listen to podcasts while I run? Because the battery on my ipod went dead exactly halfway through my run today. So I had to 'guesstimate' 2.5 minutes of walking, 3 minutes of running, 90 seconds of walking and 5 minutes of running.

I'm not really sure if I did more running or less running than Monday's run. But it was only my ability to focus on a point and say "Yup, I am running at least to the turn and that should be 5 minutes" that kept my legs moving until what could be said to approximate the distance I ran Monday night. After I got going on that last 5 minute run I had the realization that if I ran faster I could be put out of my misery a lot sooner. So I ran faster.

Good thing Wayne didn't drive by.

When I am listening to good music, I focus on the music and my breathing and not so much on the "one foot in front of the other" stuff. Although I still have to focus on that so I don't fall on my face. But music makes running a much more enjoyable and refreshing event. You get a sort of mental freedom from whatever is eating at you and you can just enjoy the physical exertion and the mental block.

My advice for the day: keep your ipod charged.