Clear and present danger: running outdoors with headphones
(Not the movie starring Harrison Ford as CIA agent Jack Ryan)
Safety
Headphones 2Running with headphones results in reduced awareness of your physical surroundings. If you’re running on the treadmill, press playlist. When you are outdoors, being less than fully aware of your physical surroundings compromises your personal safety. Like it or not, all runners (especially women) should run defensively at times. Hearing aid wearers range from being less attentive to completely ignoring other people, cars, and dogs, all of which are potential attackers that pose a real threat to a runner’s physical safety.
Last month, Runners World Online published a story about a teenager wearing headphones who was hit by a car and seriously injured. He was running a 10K night race and took a wrong turn, veering off course and onto an open road. He didn’t hear the runner behind him yelling a warning.
A little closer to home: Last year, my teenage daughter and I argued about wearing headphones while running. She insisted that she could hear what was going on around her, with or without headphones. I waited until she left the house to run. I put on my running shoes and went after her. I ran after her. She was absorbed in her music, unaware of my sudden presence. I tapped her on the shoulder, startling her away. She’s lucky; Dad is a confident guy.
What is my body telling me?
When you are in tune with the melodies, you are not in tune with your body. When we run, our bodies provide us with valuable information. We learn what a certain beat feels like, how our breathing, heart rate, and muscles respond, especially when the beat is pushed. We continually integrate this data, making the appropriate physical and mental adjustments in response as we run. When we run and receive the same cues that we experience during training, we can stay calm and in control because we know that we have previously experienced the discomfort of running faster and dealt with it. Headphone users can easily miss the subtle cues from their bodies and the race-day lessons that follow from them. It’s hard to listen to music and your body at the same time.
Am I missing a beautiful experience?
Last May, my wife and I volunteered as race stewards at the Toronto Women’s Half Marathon. The off-road course traversed a section of Toronto’s scenic park system. An old woman was walking past me. She stopped and slyly observed, “Those women (referring to some of the racers wearing headphones) are running through the beautiful nature but they won’t enjoy the song of the birds and the smell of the flowers.” Yes, she was right on her first point…and probably on her second point as well.
“I run from the feel of the textures of the earth beneath my feet. I know of no time when I am more alive or intimately connected to the physical world.” Roger Robinson, columnist and author.
The sounds and smells of running outdoors in a natural setting, one of the great joys of running, are no match for iPods.
Hopefully, some readers will think twice before reaching for their headphones when they’re out for a run.
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