Running without music

[katyintx]

Are any of you non-music-listening runners?  I am, and I'm finding myself getting increasingly bored and even a little negative around the middle third of my run.  What do you guys do to combat that?  

[labbie]

I occasionally run without music, but generally do listen to something. 
I listen to audio books all of the time, but had never done so while running- for the last couple of weeks 1 day a week or so I've been listening to audio books during my runs and it's worked out well. Depends on the book, and I always have music with me as a "backup".

[al320]

I never run with music, i find music really distracting and very, like claustrophobic, if that makes snese. The headphones i mean, it feels caved in to me.

I rarely get bored. I look at pretty houses, let my mind wander, think about whatever.

If you mean ont the trad,ill though, yeah, i cant help you. Nothing makes a treadmill not boring for me. Nothing.

[Susie]

I only run without music during triathlons, where headphones aren't allowed, or if I'm running with a friend.

[Deleted]

I can't run without music, making every tri I've done close to torture. Running is still a mental challenge for me, so I have to zone out and music helps that. H always wants to go running with me but those runs are the hardest because I think/talk about running the whole time and I hate it. For a few months I thought I hated running and was going to stop, but I realized I was always running with H and no music. It's not that I don't love my husband! I just don't wanna talk or think wile I run.

[hannahb]

I'm 50/50 with the music thing. When I don't have it I usually end up planning dinner in my head or make to do lists. Sometimes I just zone out. Those times are the best as long as I watch where I'm going. I once ran into a parked car!

[coconutbug]

I often run without music and usually do a combo of zoning out, planning my day/week, attempting to translate whatever I see or think into another language, varying my pace or aiming for a certain pace for that lap, etc.

[bella9280]

I almost always have music on, once in awhile I'll do a short run without it.

[Deleted]

I got used to running without music when I lived in South Africa, so that's all I do now. But I never run for more than an hour, so I don't get bored. I just talk to myself in my head the whole run.

[Wines Not Whines]

I run both with and without music. When I'm without, I usually go through my to-do list for the day, and I think about issues that have been on my mind. It's my time for introspection. Sometimes I have songs running through my head, too.

[Brit]

Mar 30, 2014 10:03:56 GMT -5 @sessalee said:

I can't run without music, making every tri I've done close to torture. Running is still a mental challenge for me, so I have to zone out and music helps that. H always wants to go running with me but those runs are the hardest because I think/talk about running the whole time and I hate it. For a few months I thought I hated running and was going to stop, but I realized I was always running with H and no music. It's not that I don't love my husband! I just don't wanna talk or think wile I run.

Post hijacking...

I am in a phase where I am not enjoying running with my H. He runs with me about half the time right now and it tends to be my crappiest runs of the week. I feel kind of bad about it, but he had a phase when he hated to run with me... Of course he forgets that now...

[Deleted]

Mar 30, 2014 11:08:38 GMT -5 Brit said:

Mar 30, 2014 10:03:56 GMT -5 @sessalee said:

I can't run without music, making every tri I've done close to torture. Running is still a mental challenge for me, so I have to zone out and music helps that. H always wants to go running with me but those runs are the hardest because I think/talk about running the whole time and I hate it. For a few months I thought I hated running and was going to stop, but I realized I was always running with H and no music. It's not that I don't love my husband! I just don't wanna talk or think wile I run.

Post hijacking...

I am in a phase where I am not enjoying running with my H. He runs with me about half the time right now and it tends to be my crappiest runs of the week. I feel kind of bad about it, but he had a phase when he hated to run with me... Of course he forgets that now...

I feel ya. And they take it so personally! H asked if I wanted company on my 10 today (I swear I"m going soon... any minute now.... annnnnyyyyy minute...) and I thought "oh HELL no that sounds terrible" and politely said "nah, I'm alright, you go do your 10 and I"ll see you when I'm done."

[mollyjean]

I never run with music. If I'm just training I will simply absorb my surroundings, think about my day, focus on upcoming tasks, listen to the natural sounds around me, make mental grocery lists, remind myself why I love to run, etc. If its during a race I will start the positive self talk long before the negative has time to sneak in, even when it hurts. The last two miles of my marathon I simply repeated "left right left right. I am strong. I feel good. Left right left right" over and over, lol. It worked!

[clseale]

Ditto everything, al320 said. I hate running with music. I enjoy zoning out & hearing all of the stuff around me. My mind wanders everywhere & nowhere. One time, after a long run, I thought "what in the hell did I just think about for almost 3 hrs?!" No clue. I just kind of get lost, and I love it.

The negativity, in my experience, can happen on any run, music or not. You just have to work on positive self talk. Not every run is going to be great, or enjoyable. Sometimes we just have to gut it out. If you think music might help though, why not give it a try?

[taratru]

I can only do short runs without music. It's not really the music I need though; half the time I'm not even listening. I need the background noise. Even at home if I'm reading or working, the tv or radio is on. I'm not a fan of quiet.

[G22]

I'm about 50/50 on whether I run with music or not. When I take the dogs with me, I don't because I like to hear whats going on around us. I like to do long training runs with music because it helps me keep going. I like looking at scenery, but when its the same routes over and over I get bored.

I didn't run my marathon with music though, because it was supposed to rain the whole time. I thought I'd hate it, but I really didn't mind. I was able to take in the surroundings and excitement of the day.

[mrshandy]

Only at night and during really long runs. I will do half with music and half without since I usually start it in the early morning and it breaks up the run.

[mollyrunner]

I'm 50/50 on the music. But I try to plan my route so that I have something to look forward to at low point...like a water fountain or sculpture or fun distraction.

[katyintx]

Mar 30, 2014 9:40:32 GMT -5 al320 said:

I never run with music, i find music really distracting and very, like claustrophobic, if that makes snese. The headphones i mean, it feels caved in to me.

I rarely get bored. I look at pretty houses, let my mind wander, think about whatever.

If you mean ont the trad,ill though, yeah, i cant help you. Nothing makes a treadmill not boring for me. Nothing.

Ha I'm going to have to agree here.

I've been running without music since I moved here just over a year ago, and I just don't think I can go back.  I'm having problems being able to zone out on my long runs lately, which makes the middle parts of my runs loooong.  My 5 yesterday was great, but miles 4-7 out of 11 today were sucky.  

[bostonmichelle]

I need my music. Most of the time it is on quiet so I can hear cars and such but I just need background noise. Except for work though I always have music or the tv on, I grew up that way and it feels weird to have silence.

[psyri]

I taught myself to run without music and found that I actually enjoy it. Sometimes my mind just wanders. I get a lot of good thinking done. I can work on my mental skills. There is a difference between using music as a crutch and using it as a tool. I use music on the treadmill and sometimes on very long runs (over 15 miles), but even now I can manage without music.

[tuggyruns]

I always ran without music until I got to my 18,19,20 mile runs marathon training. When I was by myself on those 18+ mile runs, I usually would flip on a book or some music. Otherwise, I only run with music on the treadmill- at any distance- and if I'm on the treadmill, it's not going to be pretty anyway.

[venice2007]

I don't run with music anymore and love it. I swear my runs fly by. I just let my mind wander and totally space out. Sometimes if it does get boring I play mind games and count certain turns, steps, houses, etc. lol

[archaeominx]

I'm 50/50 on running with music or just not bothering. I phase out and think of all sorts of random things, work issues, what to make for dinner, stuff going on with my kids, if I could take a trip to anywhere, what would it be, blah blah. (Of course, I tend to do that with music going as well!) Whoever said about headphones feeling claustrophobic, I totally agree, they drive me insane. One of the bonuses of living in the middle of nowhere is I don't bother with them at all, I just crank the volume up. There's never anyone around except the random cyclist and this way I can hear cars.

[libbygrl109]

I will sometimes go without music on shorter runs, but for the most part I have music. I think it usually tends to help me zone out and think about whatever is on my mind and take in what's around me, but will come back into focus when things are getting rough and I need a pick-me-up.

[cole]

I run without music. I run primarily in the city and feel safer when I can hear cars and people, particularly at intersections where cars roll through without stopping. I zone out, think about the day, upcoming weekend plans, count steps, etc.

[AAM2012]

I never run with music. Every time I've tried it's been more of a pain with my ear pieces falling out, dropping my ipod etc. I just get "in the zone" and so it's not even something I think about.