Photo credit: Peter van der Sluijs licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
NPR host Peter Sagal, author of “The Incomplete Book of Running,” makes his case against running with headphones. Sagal talks about how he always used to train and run races wearing headphones but gradually stopped wearing them.
There is support for Sagal’s sound evidence. Too many people turn up the volume enough to drown out ambient noise, which usually means the volume is high enough to damage hearing. I have been unable to find any published evidence that music helps improver performance, except, perhaps, in rhythmic activities.
I don’t run anymore–my orthopedic surgeon said I had grade III microtears and would need a knee replacement if I did–but I walk early almost every morning. I don’t listen to music as I walk because I walk in the street, so I need to listen for cars. But as the sun rises, I hear the birds and the squirrels, reminding me of nature in the city.
And before the sun rises, before the birds start to welcome the day, I just luxuriate in the quiet and my own thoughts.
You might try that, too.
