...since I've run with earphones. When I first started running I used to always listen to music. In fact if my iPod was out of battery I'd use it as an excuse not to run. Eventually I weaned myself off the music. Part of running is about being mentally strong and I wholly believe running without music builds the mental toughness. There's no crutch, it's just you and your thoughts and how you deal with them.
An additional advantage I've found is that there's more interaction with other runners during training and racing when you're sans music. Plus I'm pretty sure it's against the rules to race with an iPod in triathlon here in Australia which is why I went music free.
However yesterday I had a three hour run on the cards. I tried to do it Sunday, but had to call it a day after 50 mins, I just wasn't feeling right. And so I was feeling a little broken. Like I needed some sort of pick me up, the promise of coconut water this week just wasn't enough.
So checked out the fitness podcasts available on iTunes and opted for Jillian Michael's. Not a bad way to pass three hours. I found it entertaining, without having concentrate intently. She covers different health topics, takes calls from listeners and encourages positive change. I'd definitely listen again and in truth the time passed pretty quickly.
Sun; run: 52:18 | 8kms | 6:32/km. Tried to do my long run, but when my body screams like it did I stop and listen. There's pain and then there's no energy and dead legs. I have time one my side and will try again tomorrow.
Mon; run: 3:02:02 | 28kms | 6:30/km. This is pretty much the pace I want to run the marathon at. That said I could go no further today. I had to walk the last 4kms home. I was done. I had absolutely nothing left. My nutrition was off today, I didn't have enough calories at all.
I weaned myself a while back- you can't rely on headphones in triathlon! But after a while I realised that I genuinely LIKE listening to music, and often the main time for doing so is when I run. So I try not to do it ALL the time, but I like to rock it out a little occasionally.
ReplyDeleteNice work on the big run- we all hit the wall a bit occasionally. You might need to look at your calories for the days leading up to your long runs- you don't want to go carb crazy, but don't want to restrict too much to get through the runs either!
I think you're so right in terms of calories before lead up to big runs. It's such a fine line because really, I do have the tendency to eat more rather than less. Come taper and race week I usually put on weight - that's no help!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on listening to inspirational podcasts. Sometimes I do get bored of listening to the same music while going for a run. Haven't updated my music on my ipod for ages. I think this will help inspire me to do a long awaited update.
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