Do you wear headphones while running outside?

[Anonymous]

I'm about to start running and think it would be a lot more fun With some music. My husband thinks it isn't safe though. I'll be running during daylight. What do you think?

[Anonymous]

Always.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I do, but I don't think it's safe.

[Anonymous]

I do - the only I don't is if I am running some kind of race or if I am running with a friend and we're trying to chat a bit between gasps. If he's nervous, you could run with one earbud in and one out. or just turn the volume down so you can still hear other people, bikers, traffic.

[Anonymous]

Agree with your husband that it's not safe. On a trail, you need to be able to hear cyclists and other runners and be aware of your surroundings. And I know women who have been assaulted and flashed in daylight. On sidewalks, you need to be able to hear other runners, sometimes cyclists, cars around you, etc.

My recommendation is that you try running without music first, for safety and so music doesn't become a dumbo's feather to you.

All that said, in summer when the humidity is killer and I don't want to go out, I sometimes take my ipod with me. I put one ear bud in at low volume and tuck the other earbud into my sports bra.

[Anonymous]

No, absolutely not. Only if I'm on a track in broad daylight.

If I'm on a busy street like Connecticut and pretty sure I wouldn't get raped, there's turning traffic and cyclists to consider. If I'm elsewhere with little traffic, then there's rapists to consider.

I agree with immediate PP, don't get hooked on running with music at first. It's like the pacifier, it's a crutch and it's hell to wean off.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not. I run daily and have for 15 years. Last fall I was running against traffic on a road to a national park and was hit by a car in broad daylight. It had to cross an entire lane of traffic to hit me. Turns out it was a teenager on her phone. I never have run with headphones and the only reason I only broke a few ribs was I heard the change in the car's location and turned around in time to move off the shoulder and into the grass.

Besides it being unsafe, if you ever enter a race where ipods are not allowed, you will be screwed. Running with music is much easier because it occupies your mind. Without you just listen to yourself trying to breathe and focus on how tired you are. It's better to train without it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. I run daily and have for 15 years. Last fall I was running against traffic on a road to a national park and was hit by a car in broad daylight. It had to cross an entire lane of traffic to hit me. Turns out it was a teenager on her phone. I never have run with headphones and the only reason I only broke a few ribs was I heard the change in the car's location and turned around in time to move off the shoulder and into the grass.

Besides it being unsafe, if you ever enter a race where ipods are not allowed, you will be screwed. Running with music is much easier because it occupies your mind. Without you just listen to yourself trying to breathe and focus on how tired you are. It's better to train without it.

This is horrible, but it had nothing to do with wearing head phones as you weren't wearing any.

I ran for years without and have started running with in the last few months. I keep the volume low or one ear in and can hear my feet on the pavement so I know the volume is very low. I don't tune the world out, but can sing along. I think this is OK.

[Anonymous]

Yes, i do, but i set the volume low so that I am able to hear my surroundings still. I usually also run on a trail, so i do not need to drown car noise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. I run daily and have for 15 years. Last fall I was running against traffic on a road to a national park and was hit by a car in broad daylight. It had to cross an entire lane of traffic to hit me. Turns out it was a teenager on her phone. I never have run with headphones and the only reason I only broke a few ribs was I heard the change in the car's location and turned around in time to move off the shoulder and into the grass.

Besides it being unsafe, if you ever enter a race where ipods are not allowed, you will be screwed. Running with music is much easier because it occupies your mind. Without you just listen to yourself trying to breathe and focus on how tired you are. It's better to train without it.

This is horrible, but it had nothing to do with wearing head phones as you weren't wearing any.

I ran for years without and have started running with in the last few months. I keep the volume low or one ear in and can hear my feet on the pavement so I know the volume is very low. I don't tune the world out, but can sing along. I think this is OK.

Not the PP you're quoting...I think her point was that, had she been wearing headphones, she would not have had the warning of hearing the car's movement and she would have suffered far worse than broken ribs.

[Anonymous]

Been running for 20 years with headphones. It's safe, you just have to be intelligent about it. On trails you stay to the right and look before turning around mid-trail. I run everywhere with headphones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. I run daily and have for 15 years. Last fall I was running against traffic on a road to a national park and was hit by a car in broad daylight. It had to cross an entire lane of traffic to hit me. Turns out it was a teenager on her phone. I never have run with headphones and the only reason I only broke a few ribs was I heard the change in the car's location and turned around in time to move off the shoulder and into the grass.

Besides it being unsafe, if you ever enter a race where ipods are not allowed, you will be screwed. Running with music is much easier because it occupies your mind. Without you just listen to yourself trying to breathe and focus on how tired you are. It's better to train without it.

This is horrible, but it had nothing to do with wearing head phones as you weren't wearing any.

I ran for years without and have started running with in the last few months. I keep the volume low or one ear in and can hear my feet on the pavement so I know the volume is very low. I don't tune the world out, but can sing along. I think this is OK.

Not the PP you're quoting...I think her point was that, had she been wearing headphones, she would not have had the warning of hearing the car's movement and she would have suffered far worse than broken ribs.

Exactly. If I hadn't been used to listening to the traffic behind me I wouldn't have known. There was a step down off of the shoulder into a drainage thing so my ribs were even with the bumper. If I was still on the road it would've hit my femur and pelvic bone, as well as the damage when I hit the ground. Even with one headphone in, if it was in my right ear I wouldn't have noticed the difference in normal traffic and her drifting over.

[Anonymous]

Nope.

[Anonymous]

I cannot run without music. I can't even walk my dog without my earphones in. I have it on fairly low and I always, always run in my well-traveled neighborhood. I never go into the park alone or run in deserted places.

[Anonymous]

While I would much prefer to run with music, I don't because:

1) I want to be aware of my surroundings at all times, to not only fend off an attacker, but just to be aware if someone is coming up behind me, even if it's just another runner or walker.

2) I don't want to get dependent on listening to something. I have a good friend who is a nationally ranked ultra-marathoner- she regularly runs 20 miles or longer as her training runs and she doesn't listen to music b/c she said her races don't allow it and she'd prefer to train under the same conditions as she races. Plus, she needs to concentrate on where to put her feet next so she doesn't fall.