Whew I am bit behind getting around to things this evening. The good news Wes and I had a great time tonight celebrating his birthday, and that is what most important!

The day started off with an easy 6 miles. This run felt much better than Sunday, but that is to be expected.

6 Miles

6 miles with an average pace of 9:07. I think I was supposed to aim for a 9:01, but that was close enough. I am not too concerned about it.

 

Today during my run I did something very different for me. Normally I am a slave to routine when it comes to my running. Get up, get dressed, put on the Garmin, hook up my iPod and out the door I go.

Today about 3 miles into the run I just got sick of listening to my music. Maybe it was the fact that I haven’t updated my music in a month, but I just got sick of the same songs. At that point, I completely turned off my music.

 

This may seem so simple to some, but looking back on it I realized that this is something I hadn’t done in forever. I hadn’t just ran without music and listed to all that was around me. Aside from the hustle and bustle of the traffic going by me, it was also so nice to just listen to the sound of my feet and breathing and relax.

Running unplugged can be very calming and relaxing for the body. I know there are some of you who never run with music, and while I don’t think I am quite at that point yet I do know that I need to make this more of a habit.

What I love running without music:


You can process everything. 

I’ve always said that running is one of my biggest stress relievers. It is. However, sometimes when you are training you get caught up in what you need to get done for the day that you forget to just relax. If you can’t relax and enjoy running then for me I am doing something wrong. Taking out my headphones and just running allows me to sort through things in my head. I can think, de-stress and just enjoy running for the JOY it brings.

 

Increase Mental Strength

Running is 80% mental. No matter how good you are at some point during the race you are going to be required to dig deep and getting mentally tough. One of the things about ditching the music is that it helps you learn to be mentally tough without any help. Music sometimes can push me through, but since I don’t run with music during the marathon itself it enables me to really hone in on my mental strength.

 

Enjoy Some Time with Others

While most of my workouts and training runs are done alone, on warm ups and cool downs I sometimes will run with others. Taking out the music allows me to talk and enjoy the time running. You can meet some of the most amazing people through running, and sometimes when you are hiding behind headphones you miss out on these opportunities.

 

From here on out at least 1 run each week is going to be without music. It is time to go back to remembering what it’s like to just enjoying a run for the simplicity of it. No matter how far I get into training, that is something I never want to lose!

 

Also, check out this article from The Active Times which I was interviewed for about running safety.

 

Do you run with or without music?

Do you race with or without music?

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