Running with Music?
Some of us like to run with music occasionally and then there are those that only ever run with music, but when running a marathon many believe that it’s best to just savour the sounds of the race.
Whilst there are many benefits to running with music, which we discussed in a previous blog “can music improve your running” when it comes to race day there is a lot to be said about leaving your ipod at home.
Why free yourself from music on race day?
Immerse yourself in the atmosphere – By listening to music and blocking out the sound of the event you are missing out on the full experience that the marathon has to offer. All those cheers of spectators the sound of other runners and the sounds that may capture your attention to interesting sights on your way round the course. You can listen to music anytime, but you can’t run that marathon anytime!
Save weight – Even if you have a tiny digital audio player, the extra weight of it and your headphones and the carrier will all mean extra energy expenditure; which can be measurable over the course of a marathon.
Less Faff – No matter how good your running headphones or mp3 holder, we’ve all experienced those times of tangled headphones, fumbling sweaty fingers trying to find a certain song or playlist and dropped iPods and phone while running! These are all unnecessary worries that you shouldn’t even have to think about when doing a marathon. So the most certain way of eliminating the possibility of them occurring is to eliminate the music altogether, but that’s a bit drastic! Why not invest in some wireless running headphones.
Situational Awareness – All those people running around you can create hazards, the more aware of the surroundings you have, the less chance you’ll have of tripping over, running into someone or maybe missing an important announcement.
Motivation – This is particularly significant at larger events, such as the London marathon, as you’ll have thousands of people cheering you on, which can be a very powerful motivational boost; even more powerful than pumping “eye of the tiger” through your headphones!
Friendliness – You and all of the other runners are in it together, so having other people to have a few strained sentences with and or motivational shouts with can boost morale and make you realise you’re not in it alone. Also, you never know, you may let the relationship of a lifetime pass you by if you’re stuck in your own little pain cave with your headphones in!
So these are a few good reasons why not to listen to music when you run your marathon, if you can think of any more, or disagree completely then why not leave a comment below?
Here is the final blog article in our marathon series: