I love music and I love running. And I have run with nothing in my ears, wired earphones, and over ear headphones. So let me break it all down. But for me there’s no benefit in wired earphones. I would always wear over ear headphones. Let’s dig in.
Why don’t people run with over ear headphones?
Because it can get sweaty, but if you just wipe them and keep them clean, it’s fine; I always run with over ear headphones on. I need my motivational running music!
Can you run with headphones?
Yes, you can run with headphones. I’ve been running with headphones for years. A run can be completely changed depending on whether you listen to music.
Can you run with over ear headphones?
Yes, you can run with over ear headphones. That’s what I wear when I’m running regularly. I find over ear headphones far easier. I’d never go back to running with wired earphones because they fell out.
It’s frustrating when your earphones fall out when running
When you’re wearing wired earphones, it’s really annoying when they fall out. You lose your rhythm, your motivation, your place and beat in the song, your train of thought. Everything pauses. And you have to likely physically slow right down or even stop running to make sure you don’t trip up over the wire and put the earphones back in your ears. No runner wants that. I got the Kvidio headphones as a Christmas gift; follow that link for a review. (Not sponsored!)
What’s it like running with earphones?
When you run with earphones, it’s almost like your very own personal gig. You’ve got some of the greatest names of all time motivating you, and you alone, through every step you take.
Some of my personal favourites include The Human League’s ‘Being Boiled’, Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ and Jess Glynne’s ‘Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself’. Oh, and needless to say you’d be mad not to shuffle to the classic Rocky Balboa song in your last few minutes. Let the legend walk you through the finish.
When you run, variety is definitely the spice of life. You need Eminem in the moments where you doubt how much you want to own this run. He asks you what you’d do. If you had one shot, one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment – would you capture it or just it slip?
Good headphones are great for long roads
On those flat but endless roads, that’s where The Human League help you out. If you can focus your mind on the beat of the bass, it has the ability to push out the endless ‘to do’ lists whizzing around your mind. It will get you steadily through to the end of the road.
A great bass to get you flying down the hills that you conquer. And the God of running… It’s about how much you can take and keep moving forward, that’s how winning is done!
Just imagine Rocky giving you the “man up” talk and you’ll soon reach the finish line. So, in the afternoon, use the beat of your earphones to zone out the rush of the traffic and power you through the rest of your day. It energises you in a way you don’t even realise most of the time.
Can you run without headphones or earphones?
Yes, absolutely. I’ll often go running in the morning and not wear headphones. A morning run without headphones does exactly the opposite of energising you, and this is a good thing. I dreaded the first time I ran without any music because I was convinced the bass of ‘Tainted Love’ was what pounded my legs through miles.
I was sure the uplifting voice of Bruce Springsteen telling me I was ‘Born to Run’ was what sparked off my endorphins. Spotify kicked my inner fighter into action up the hills and straight over that finish line, I swore it. But yesterday, I was proved wrong.
When you run with no music, that’s the Universe’s way of forcing you to listen. Not listen to lyrics. Not hear the *DUSH-DUSH-DUSH* in your earphones that makes your legs swing. Not even to smile at the words that can empower you. No, that’s the job of the afternoon run.
Running without headphones forces you to listen to the nothing of the world. Hear the silence of a main road pre-rush hour and enjoy the rarity of it being without a single car. It’s the quiet that brings you the peace you need for the day. The most interaction you find is in the smiling nod of another likeminded runner or dog-walker. Ironically, a morning run opens your eyes and ears to the things you deliberately shut off from in the afternoon.
A real life example of running without headphones
6:40am one morning, I ran into my local town and it was like a ghost town. The traffic lights changed, but no traffic screeched through. No bleeping pedestrians crossings. Just me and the sun, creeping our way into the world together. And that’s when I reached my reward; a sunrise.
It is one of the most simplest things in life. In a weird sort of way, it makes you feel like you’re on holiday. All at the same time, you feel overwhelmed and peaceful and feel a deep sense of relaxation. You suddenly see the same park in a different light. You appreciate the sheer beauty of the way a burning ball of fire in the sky can somehow make trees glitter with greenness.
From a distance, their edges are irregular yet perfectly shaped as they draw the horizon around the lake that shimmers for the ducks. The sun rising and shining is such a natural thing. But sometimes we can forget how stunning it is. It is such a shame that it takes our breath away with ease yet we only really remember to appreciate it when we go for a spontaneous camping trip.
So, do you wear headphones for a run or do you not?
It’s up to you – that seems like a cop-out of an answer. But it just depends how you want your run to make you feel; on cloud nine and ready for the rest of the day’s tasks or simply happy, a real genuine feeling of content. All I know is that either way, you feel good. And if you do choose the early morning run, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed, because it is totally worth it
