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JOIN NOWMusic. It has constantly been around us and can contribute so much to how we feel daily; it can really boost your motivation to get through errands, set the mood while preparing your dinner or just some background sound for your ‘me time’. But running with music has been an idea that works for some and not for all.
Is it safe? Does it improve your running? What type of music should you listen to? Discover the reasons as to why running with music can be a good idea for those who struggle to stay consistent and strong during their runs, as well as the risks of running outdoors with headphones.
It is a great feeling achieving a running session with the partial aid of some sound in your ears. However, there are a few risks when running with headphones outdoors; for example, if you’re tunnel visioned while jogging across a quiet area, it will be very difficult to hear any oncoming motor vehicles – which can be catastrophic. More potential dangers include running with music in badly-lit or isolated areas by yourself.
There is a new style of headphones which are quickly gaining popularity and could be a solution to the risks associated when running with music: bone-conduction headphones. What are they? Well, they are headphones which sit on your cheekbones rather than your ears; they have a unique open-ear design so you can remain aware of your surroundings while enjoying your favourite songs.
These headphones use patented bone conduction technology to send mini vibrations through your cheekbones to your inner ear, allowing your ears to be open to ambient sounds, for maximum situational awareness and safety. Shokz is currently the leading brand for bone-conduction sound technology and here are a few options that are highly recommended.
A good running watch will provide you with useful information both during your run and afterwards, helping you track your progress and plan your training. Some watches also have the key features of GPS and music, which give you more of the ultimate running experience. Running watches can also educate you on how to run faster by working out your cadence, heart rate zones and VO2 max levels as you run.
More common smartwatches like the Apple Watch will suffice for those who run casually, but if you’re looking to train more regularly or for a long-distance event like marathon, or longer distance, then you’ll want to look at a dedicated running watch like a Garmin. The main focus of these watches is solely on running (or multi-sports), and on your progress. Here a few options which have the music feature as well as many other useful attributes to contribute to your runs:
From all the explanations and research surrounding this topic, we can certainly determine that running with music benefits performance in a number of ways. People use music to make jogs more enjoyable and allow them to focus on their health: a win-win, right?
If you practise running with music while maintaining a good level of focus on your surroundings (so having the volume at a reasonable level), then you shouldn’t encounter any issues. Just be sure that you stick to a safe environment, or try using the treadmill for a practise run and see how you get on. Give it a go!
Rain Murphy JrJanuary 20, 2024 at 1:23am
I usely train listening to music. I did not know that you were allowed to listen to music while running in a 5k race. My next 5k I will use my earbuds and listen to my music. Thanks. Rain Murphy Jr. ReplyAnnJanuary 24, 2024 at 4:30pm
Hi Rain,
Many thanks for your comment. Very glad to hear you found this blog post useful. Every event organiser should provide information on the type of headphones approved during a race. So I would double check if the rules apply for the event you're doing. A great and supported option would be the bone-conducting sports kind – with open-ear technology, like Shokz.
Good luck and enjoy your race!
ReplyAnn