Why I Ran A Marathon With No Headphones

Last year, I ran my first marathon and I spent 42km and 4:40 hours in my head. That’s a lot of time. There were breaks in between where I chatted with my running friends and got distracted by my cheering friends and family or the entertainment along the route. But the majority of the time was spent with my mind. Why would you do that, you’re probably asking yourself. If you’re like most people, you probably run with headphones, am I right? Let me tell you about my personal experience and also what science has to say about this. And maybe we’re just asking the wrong questions along the way. 

When Did I Start Running With No Headphones?

There was a time when I really didn’t want to spend a minute alone with my mind — too many heavy thoughts, a bit of anxiety, and lots of what-ifs. I used every run and walk with my dog to listen to podcasts and sometimes music, but that didn’t really distract me from my thoughts. But along the way, it got better; some personal things were resolved, my thoughts got lighter, and my brain was less cluttered. I started to realize that I actually needed these runs and walks to give my brain a break from the noise. I wanted to be alone with my head, let thoughts pass through, reflect on some issues and then let them go. This is probably my own personal way of meditating.

What happened next was that 1) podcasts and music started to feel like noise and sometimes totally overwhelmed me, and 2) when I took my thoughts and challenges on a walk, I often solved them. When I got hung up on a tricky email, I often found the right words on my walks and runs. In the absence of distractions, I often find clarity along the way. Some call this creative problem-solving. 

When I’m running and training, there’s another problem: I can’t listen to my body when I’m constantly being bombarded with content and music. I don’t hear my breathing and natural rhythm, and I can’t find the same stride. Listening to my body helps me understand my own pace, improve pace control, and breathe better.

All of this leads me to say that I’m more present when I am not listening to anything. But there are times when I still enjoy a good podcast. Most recently, I listened to a few episodes of Mel Robbins's podcast while running. I guess my mind was just very clear and receptive to content. :)

What Does Science Say About It

To be honest, I knew that most people were not in my corner, but I was sure that science would support my arguments about mindfulness, being in the moment and listening to your body. However, quite the opposite is the case. Numerous studies have shown that music boosts your mood during a workout, increases your concentration, lowers the perception of effort, and improves physical performance. 

The University of Edinburgh conducted a study on the effect of running with music when one is mentally fatigued. Music might actually be the key to improving one’s performance and getting you going. 

According to a study in which the running performance of young male adults during a 6-minute was observed, “listening to your preferred music can have positive effects on exercise performance during a 6-minute run, such as a greater total distance covered, faster running speeds, and reduced blood lactate levels but has no effect on the pacing strategy.”

During my research, I stumbled upon Jasmin Hutchinson, a Professor of Exercise Science and Sport Studies at Springfield College. One of her research focuses on “Effects of music in sport and exercise.” Her research shows that listening to music while exercising at an intensity that feels good can boost both physical performance and mental well-being, helping improve endurance and cardiorespiratory fitness. Choosing your own music seems to enhance these benefits.

Here is an article that determines how you fully take advantage of music. Jennifer Hutchinson is cited a few times in this article. 

So if you’re aiming for a strong physical performance and a personal best, you should probably be listening to music. I love that my research contradicts my personal opinion; I learned so much in preparing this article.

Why Do You Run? 

Maybe I just asked the wrong question. The more important question here might be why we run. Is it for performance and improving our personal best? Is it for our mental health and well-being? Or is it to spend time with friends?

For many of us, it might be a mixture of all these. If I had to choose, I would probably say it’s for my mental and physical health, much more than achieving a new personal best. The connections I’ve built through running are also very special to me, and I usually look forward to catching up with my friends during a run rather than setting a personal best on a Sunday run at 9am.

Last Food For Thought

Perhaps this article will inspire you to incorporate a music-free run into your routine. Every third run or every short run could be a run without music. This gives you an opportunity to experience a new running workout. During this session, you could focus more on your body, your breathing, your overall form and efficiency.

After all, we always learn something when we vary our training routines.

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I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this topic and whether you are team music or team silence when running. :)