Running in Bad Weather
May. 29th, 2011 10:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebI'm sort of in the habit of going for a jog once a week, but lately it's been so warm that I give in after only 20 minutes. I'm just not as macho as I used to be.
(I know, in most of the country, summer is the time when you can finally go running outside. But this afternoon when Robin was thinking about working on his car, he decided to put it off because it was 99 degrees. In May. Is this going to be an extremely long summer?)
I may be joining a gym again soon, and the ones I'm considering do have air-conditioning and treadmills. But treadmills are so boring. Normally I can stand them only when reading a book, which I can do while walking but which I suspect I cannot do while jogging. I can't remember whether I've actually tried before, but I certainly don't read when I jog to the bus stop, though I do read while walking to the bus stop.
So then I got the idea that maybe I could join the 21st century and get one of those new-fangled music devices with earphones. They are lighter than the Sony Walkman of the last century, plus they hold more songs. Robin explained that the iPod Touch costs only a little more than twice as much as an iPod Shuffle. And those come with a million extra functions.
But now I'm wondering whether I would even like such a thing. First of all, the best thing about listening to music is singing along. And that would defeat the whole purpose of having earphones to keep from inflicting one's music on everyone else. Would I like jogging along to music without getting to sing? I don't know. If not, could I find a compromise quiet humming that would be fun enough for me and inaudible enough for my unfortunate treadmill neighbors?
I also often don't like having things in my ears. It's not as bad when I'm not chewing (earplugs at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema are protective but feel weird when I'm eating). I think modern earphones are probably fairly comfortable. But even when you're bouncing up and down? Even in sweaty ears?
So, I have a question for those of you who jog or run: What do you do when the weather's bad (and/or when running indoors)? (Feel free to answer related questions, too, which I should have thought to ask. Or just tell me anything you like.)
(I know, in most of the country, summer is the time when you can finally go running outside. But this afternoon when Robin was thinking about working on his car, he decided to put it off because it was 99 degrees. In May. Is this going to be an extremely long summer?)
I may be joining a gym again soon, and the ones I'm considering do have air-conditioning and treadmills. But treadmills are so boring. Normally I can stand them only when reading a book, which I can do while walking but which I suspect I cannot do while jogging. I can't remember whether I've actually tried before, but I certainly don't read when I jog to the bus stop, though I do read while walking to the bus stop.
So then I got the idea that maybe I could join the 21st century and get one of those new-fangled music devices with earphones. They are lighter than the Sony Walkman of the last century, plus they hold more songs. Robin explained that the iPod Touch costs only a little more than twice as much as an iPod Shuffle. And those come with a million extra functions.
But now I'm wondering whether I would even like such a thing. First of all, the best thing about listening to music is singing along. And that would defeat the whole purpose of having earphones to keep from inflicting one's music on everyone else. Would I like jogging along to music without getting to sing? I don't know. If not, could I find a compromise quiet humming that would be fun enough for me and inaudible enough for my unfortunate treadmill neighbors?
I also often don't like having things in my ears. It's not as bad when I'm not chewing (earplugs at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema are protective but feel weird when I'm eating). I think modern earphones are probably fairly comfortable. But even when you're bouncing up and down? Even in sweaty ears?
So, I have a question for those of you who jog or run: What do you do when the weather's bad (and/or when running indoors)? (Feel free to answer related questions, too, which I should have thought to ask. Or just tell me anything you like.)
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no subject
on 2011-05-30 04:08 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-05-30 05:44 am (UTC)I used to do music, but I would inevitably end up walking in time to the music, rather than whatever was best for me physically. Also, don't like the sweaty ear thing.
no subject
on 2011-05-30 02:28 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-05-30 03:48 pm (UTC)If you find yourself giving up after 20 minutes, but you're currently only jogging once a week, you can also just jog 20 minutes (or whatever) on more days of the week.
Jogging on more mornings of the week would also mean only having to get up like 30 minutes earlier than usual to fit the exercise in.
If you go the treadmill route, I think the audiobook suggestion sounds like a great idea. Many gyms also have TV you can watch as another distraction. Do you have a friend you can recruit as an exercise buddy? Conversation while jogging is another good distraction.
-sally
walking and listening
on 2011-05-30 04:46 pm (UTC)When I'm exercising (not at Jazzercise, where my sometimes singing along is drowned out by the volume of the music and the others' voices and clapping) on the elliptical machine (in the cardiac rehab room at work, after hours), I do listen to the radio on my iPod nano. I also have an iPod Touch, purchased later from my brother, and I love it. I thinking having just the Touch would be fine. But I do like the tininess of the new Shuffle, and the fact that it also clips on! In any case, might I recommend podcasts as an alternative to listening to music? There are so many wonderful, free podcasts out there.
As for any of those reading devices: buying books for those devices is expensive, and then there are all the ownership laws (details on this are fuzzy for me, since I eschew the entire thing, but I understand that the book isn't :yours" like it is when you have a hard copy... you can't lend it to somebody, for example). The public library has some content viewable on such devices, though. Might want to check into that.
As for reading when walking (treadmill or out and about in the world), I can't do that very well (other than checking my smartphone or looking something up briefly). Definitely couldn't do it while jogging on a treadmill!
It's great that you'll be able to try out some devices before buying one.
Re: walking and listening
on 2011-05-30 06:20 pm (UTC)As far as headphones go, I find the fuzzy kind that sit on your ears make my ears sore (because of my glasses, I think) and earbuds fall out too much. I like these:
Sony vertical headphones (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Lightweight-MDR-W08L-Vertical-Headphones/dp/B00005N6KG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1306779416&sr=8-2)
They're extremely lightweight and comfortable. For me the sound is plenty good. They don't last forever (I've had mine in a ziploc bag in my backpack for most of the year, using them almost every day, and they're finally starting to degrade) but for $8 I don't need them to either.
(Tam)
no subject
on 2011-05-30 09:50 pm (UTC)I do have Robin and Di to go to the gym with; they often talk to each other and it's hard to hear. I do also like TV (with subtitles) (especially when the Simpsons is on).
Audiobooks might be good.
no subject
on 2011-05-30 09:53 pm (UTC)With a kindle you at least don't have to worry about keeping the book open, though you'd still have to scroll, and I'm not sure how well it would work with the bouncing. Thanks for the idea.
no subject
on 2011-05-30 09:54 pm (UTC)Re: walking and listening
on 2011-05-30 09:58 pm (UTC)For reading devices, from what I understand, old beyond-copyright classics are easily available, legal and either free or cheap. And I've still read hardly any classics.
Re: walking and listening
on 2011-05-30 09:59 pm (UTC)Thanks for the headphone recommendation!
Re: walking and listening
on 2011-05-30 10:37 pm (UTC)You're right about the classics being available free.
And those earphones Tam posted a link to do look great! One objection I had to earbuds when walking out and about (on streets/sidewalks) was that they completely block out all noise, which might seem ideal to some, but which seems dangerous to me.