Not only did I not think I’d run on a regular basis, but I never thought I’d run without headphones. “You can’t hear yourself breathing (dying).” “It’s distracting from the activity you’re actually doing.”
When I first joined R4R, I would put my headphones on and run, but that defeated the purpose of attending R4R. After deciding running didn’t work for me at the end of the day, when I attend R4R, I usually find somebody to talk to along the way and walk instead of running. When my park run buddy got injured and couldn’t run (temporarily), I decided to try running without headphones. For those that haven’t been to a park run before, there are anywhere from 200-500 people at a park run.
You’ll be pleased to know that I haven’t died from running without headphones, and I’m starting to enjoy it. (Running is still incredibly hard without headphones.)
Not having headphones increases my awareness and presence at that moment. I feel safer because I can hear what’s happening around me, and when fellow park runners or friends I pass along the way, I yell out my name or say hello.
In a world full of distractions, I’m embracing the suck that comes with going for a run. I wouldn't say I love running, but I love the feeling of when I’m finished, and I have accomplished something that I know is good for my fitness and something at one point in my life I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do again.
By not having a distraction, I’m getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.
What habits/distractions do you want/need to ditch?
Boom! Well done Clare and great read. For me, the habit I want to get into most is planning out my day the night before. The habit I want to shake the most is doing “busy work” instead “top priority work”
This is great! I stopped using headphones in my early 20s after a headphone accident triggered permanent tinnitus. I used to think exercise would be horrendous without them, but got used to it and find it quite meditative now. Even on 2+ hour runs. I think it is good for our brains to be bored sometimes.