I've gone through a lot of stages in my running career. There was the run-fast-so-people-don't-think-you're-out-of-shape phase. There was the alternative stride phase. And of course, there was the running with tunes stage. That stage seemed to last the longest of all. I have to say, it was the worst decision I ever made.
Don't get me wrong, here. I don't mean to insinuate that this will apply to all runners. It won't. But I see so manny beginning runners religiously strapping on their ipods, and so many of them get pooped out. There is a very simple equation behind this. At least there was for me. It goes a little something like this:
Music=tempo and beat
tempo, beat, and volume=inability to hear your own breathing
heart rate out of whack.
Once the running with tunes phase ended, the enjoying running more than I ever have in my entire life phase was ready to begin. My pace was manageable, now that I could hear my breathing and pay attention to my heart rate, and my new shoes turned out to be a god send. Mentally I was stronger than ever, and my distances kept getting longer and longer. With music, the longest I could run was 5k, and I had to take walk breaks. This continued for the first few months of running...that's not a lot of forward progress.
Now, my longest run is 10 miles and I will smash that soon. I run 8 miles for fun, at a relaxed pace. And what's more..it has given me a whole new lease on running. With music, I enjoyed running. Without music, I really and truly LOOOVE running. I'm proud to say that, knowing it's truer than it ever was. I'm speach less with the joy it brings me, and the incredible progress I've made.
Something to think about if you run with music...
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4 comments:
I have never thought of that before! Being a beginning runner, I am going to try running without my i pod (I have to wait until the weather warms up here to run outside as it was -8 this morning) Thanks for the great post.
OK. I believe in a variety. So, I'll try running without my ipod. Thanks for the tip.
Pat
ARizona, USA
Interesting!
I feel I do much better when I can ignore my breathing and how tired I am. Music is a nice distraction. I always find myself pushing to the end of a song.
.......but I am a newbie :)
Jenn
If you like running with music, there is a podcast called PODRUNNER.
You can select what tempo you run at, then download the one that fits your running tempo. There are tons to choose from.
I have used one called "In The Zone" a couple of times. It is set at 140 bpm. It is techo music, so it really keeps you going.
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