The Headphone Question

When people meet me in a running context, or learn about my running in an outside contest, the question that almost inevitably comes up (besides the "Why do you run?" question) is: "Do you wear headphones/listen to music when you run?" Following that up is the also inevitable "Why not?" or "How do you not go crazy without music?"

There are two primary reasons I don't listen to external sources of music while I run. Note the careful phrasing there, since it is critical to the second reason.

The first reason is put in perspective by an occurrence on my run today. I was, as is my routine, running along the creek on my lunch break. I had spotted a girl running in front of me several minutes prior, and had been steadily catching up. When I did, we were on a relatively narrow (track and a half?) stretch of trail.

Just before I went to pass her, she moved aside for two people running in the other direction. I dutifully said "coming by on your left!" and to my surprise, she failed to move and continued running down the center of the path. This seemed to me very odd, and forced me to run up off of the trail, something I try to avoid doing, and pass her on the right, also something I try to avoid doing.

As I passed, I noted that she had headphones in, and was therefore blissfully unaware, and (most likely unintentionally) discourteous to me.

That is the first reason I do not wear headphones while I run, or do anything else other than sitting on the bus or at work. Headphones removes you from your situation. It isolates you in a way that most people are generally unaware of. When I run, I often am forced to run in cities, and therefore have to deal with traffic. Being able to hear the traffic is critical to my safety and to others'. Even on trails, as demonstrated today, headphones isolate you from outside feedback, such as other runners (or bikers!) coming up behind you.

Added to this, and part of the same reason, is that when I run, I love to get the whole experience. I do not like to be removed from the environment in which I am running. Hearing the birdsong, the wind, the traffic, other people, is a critical part of my run. And combining it with the sights, smells, and even the tastes completes the experience.

The second reason simply negates the last question. The assumption people make is that, without an external source, I am without music on my runs. The simple fact of the matter is that I cannot remember the last time I ran when I did not have a song of some sort running through my head. I always have music, it just doesn't always come from outside.

In a simple form, I do not wear headphones when I run because I do not need them, and I find they detract from the run. I run because I love running, and I do not need, or want, anything to distract me from it.