This is the bullshit report, a regular POSSESSED department written in the voice of Philip Baker Hall. This month’s running-related issue of contention: running with (or without) music.
It’s not really a contentious issue. No one has lost an eye yet arguing for or against listening to music while running. However, there are runners who think that listening to music while you run makes you a lesser runner or something. They never say it out loud, but you can hear it in their voice, and you know they’re thinking it. ‘Oh, I never run with music,’ they say, folding their arms and leaning back to close their eyes and purse their lips. Wankers. But let’s take a look at the reasons why these ‘purists’ might prefer running without music, besides the undue feeling of superiority it affords them.
One of the main advantages of not listening to music on your run is the freedom and joy of being completely unplugged from the modern world. We spend most of our waking life engaged with our phones, computers, televisions, etcetera, bombarding our senses with, let’s be honest, completely inconsequential horse shit; so, going for a run is a chance to switch that all off and just be. Running without music and a phone in your pocket is like giving yourself a mental reset, a bit of ye olde quiet time like we had twenty-five years ago. Man, it was peaceful back in 1999. You could easily go a whole day just reading a book and feeding your Tamagotchi. These days, though, no one can survive an hour without watching a video of a frog wearing a cowboy hat—unless they go for a run without music.
Another good thing about running without music is you can hear everything, like road vehicles in urban settings or wolves if you’re running in the woods. Safety first. You can also hear your breathing, the hypnotic rhythm of your feet turning over, the twittering of birds, and the sound of any trees that happen to fall over in the forest. Running without music is an opportunity to clear your mind and simply be 100% YOU with no added extras (besides a watch—if it’s not on Strava, it never happened).
Running in silence can also be a time to collect your thoughts, solve problems, and even come up with brilliant ideas. For example, I went for a run without music last week and came up with the idea for a tribute band called Fleetwoody Guthrie (hit me up if you can play the banjo)—so imagine what you might come up with! Who knows, maybe you’ll invent edible sunglasses or an app that converts farts into new songs by Tool.
But here's the bit where I call bullshit. Sports scientists refer to non-music runners as ‘associators’ because they wish to be associated with and fully engaged in the activity, while runners who choose to listen to music on their run are branded ‘dissociators’ because, according to these nerds, they don’t enjoy running and are trying to disassociate from it. This, my friends, is simply not true. I’m sure there are some runners who use music in a bid to tune out, but I guarantee you most runners are using music to augment the experience—to feel the run even more—and my guess is none of these so-called ‘scientists’ have ever gone on their Sunday long run with Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ on repeat. Listening to music on your run can distract you from fatigue and improve your performance, and that has to be a good thing, right? But wait, there’s more.
A study conducted by the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that runners who listen to music have better blood flow than those who don’t, and—get this—musical runners clear lactate faster and more thoroughly than non-musical runners. Apparently, music allows runners to ‘relax, reducing muscle tension, thereby increasing blood flow and lactate clearance while decreasing lactate production in working muscle. The combined results of this study,’ said the study authors, ‘suggest the introduction of music has a psychobiological impact on the exerciser demonstrated by changes in perceived effort, lactate, and norepinephrine.’ So, there you have it: Runners who listen to music are better off than those who don’t.
Now, you—especially you—might be tempted to say that that means listening to music is cheating. But if that’s the case, you better get yourself a pair of huaraches, boy, because you’re breaking your own rules in those dang Alphaflys. Get outa here. What’s the matter with you.
In closing this installment of The B.S. Report, I’d just like to say that it is my firm belief that running without music is good, but by no means better than running with music, and vice versa. I’d also like to add that running with music wins because of the lactate stuff from that study I mentioned. Also, I’m dating your sister.
Got something you want bullshit called on? Get at me here.
