To MP3 or Not MP3...

Back in the late 80's when I first started running I vaguely recall trying to go out for a training run with a "walkman". For those of you who are under the age of 20, a walkman is a portable cassette player, and the first ones that came out were nearly the size of bricks (this was before Sony came out with that smaller, yellow sports-walkman that you could strap to your arm). Suffice it to say that the run went horribly because carrying the walkman was cumbersome and having to constantly fiddle with the buttons and wires made me miserable for the rest of the run. At the end of that run I swore off audio devices and became a running "purist".

That is, until this past Father's Day when I received a SanDisk Sansa m230 as a gift. This MP3 player is a lot cheaper (you can find them for $30 on the web) than an iPod (starts at $70), mainly because it "only" holds about 140 songs, which is fine with me because I don't think I could name 140 songs if my life depended on it. The Sansa also has an FM radio tuner and a voice recorder, and it's as light as a feather. One AAA battery is good for about 18 hours of playing time.

After poking and prodding it for a while, I strapped it onto my arm and went out for a 2-hour run. It was wonderful! I went back and forth between different genres of songs and BBC Radio. I really enjoyed catching up on the latest world news during my workout and I found that music really enhanced the entertainment value of the run. And it actually made the run a bit easier by taking my mind off the exhaustion and discomfort.

I know running with an MP3 player is not for everyone (in fact, one of my training partners has already scolded me for "stooping so low"). But I think it's worth a try if you can find someone who will lend you one for your next run.

By the way, I also discovered that listening to techno music can really get you fired up during a run. Hey...don't knock it 'til you try it!