Headphones

In the business world one is always advised to avoid discussion topics that are sensitive in nature, especially politics and religion. For runners, the simple utterance of the word "headphones", elicits such a strong reaction that I normally avoid the discussion altogether. A recent incident made me think again about the use of headphones while training or running races. I was driving in downtown Minneapolis and saw a runner passing through the outside courtyard of the Federal Reserve Building. She was running with headphones on and I looked at something coming fast behind her. It was a deer, running at full speed, slipping every once in a while on the bricks and it was headed right for her. It made a leap and almost landed on top of her and she made a turn and continued running while the deer ran across the street. She never saw the deer, never heard the deer, and I watched while she continued briskly along with her pony tail flopping in the wind as she ran.

Granted, this was pretty much a freakish occurrence, but I have witnessed many other incidents from people running with headphones. The time I watched a woman running with headphones along Kenilworth trail with her dog, she couldn't hear a dog barking at her dog and was completely oblivious as her dog darted away and ran right in to a sign. Or during Go Saint Louis Marathon when a guy running with headphones stopped to tie his shoes and then ran right into my path, nearly sending me for a fall. He was completely unaware of people around him and could not hear the footsteps of oncoming runners.
Now before you start assuming that I just don't get it and that headphones are a tool that helps motivate you by the songs you listen to while you train and race.........I do get it. I used to be one of you. From 2000 until about 2005, I listened to either a radio or MP3 player at every marathon I raced and for virtually all my training runs. I remember the exhilaration of listening to James Taylor singing "Gaia" as I crossed the Franklin bridge during the Twin Cities Marathon and I remember the "mixes" I put together for my runs around the city lakes.
So why did I stop? I was in San Francisco and decided to do a long run with Nike Club Run San Francisco. There were over 400 people, divided up in to pace groups with water stops, each group having two pace leaders. Once we started, I saw that virtually everyone had an iPod or other MP3 player and was wearing headphones. The run was a disaster, with no one listening to directions, people oblivious to traffic, and no ability to converse whatsoever. It had not even occurred to me to bring music and headphones for a group training run through a fairly complicated route, and after that day, I rarely, if ever, train with music. I found that I enjoyed the sounds of a city, the rustling of the wind, or the waves breaking on the shore as I ran around a lake or along the ocean. I also found that it is fun to say "hi" to people as you encounter them on the running paths. It is great to have that instant bond I get with fellow runners and far preferable to the blank stare that I get when I say "hi" to someone wearing headphones. My current mix is "the sound of nature and the running community". No download required.