The truth about music and running

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I used to play music during running.

Actually, because of my new found passion, I remembered that my brother and I have an mp3 player. I got disappointed when I borrowed it from him – it is only 128MB. I forgot about that, too.

But I still used it and placed dance music. Better have the 128MB than never.

In a matter of weeks, I was able to compile my running playlist.

I had to listen to all of them carefully to hear if they would jive with my foot strike.

Or if it will make me faster.

Name it, I had the who’s who of foreign music in my list – Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, and yes, even Justin Bieber.

I also had to get my CDs and rip off tunes of Justin Timberlake, Pussycat Dolls, and yes, even Paris Hilton.

I enjoyed singing along with my playlist – but not that loud.

But even if I do most of my runs inside our village, I kept my mp3 player volume low.

You see, that is also the time when I get to greet our neighbors.

I loved the combination of music and running, I made sure my mp3 player is in my belt bag during races.

You could say that I am a runner with covered ears during runs.

There has been a continuous debate on whether to listen to music or not while running. Others do not recommend it because a number of runners met accidents because they did not hear danger coming.

On the other hand, others say it’s better to hear the music brought by nature. A runner with no music at his ears will be more attuned to his surroundings.

Both have points.

But I think, whether or not you love to combine music and running, you are still the one responsible for what you do.

For now, since getting back from a layoff, I have not brought the mp3 player with me. I do counting by myself for my run-walk.

During my last 5K race, I have also tried listening to an audiobook that lasted me up to the finish line.

It did not only keep me going; I also learned a lot while running.