A few months ago I took part in a relay in Lapland. I was running a 15 mile section with two women I’d never met before. As we waited for the baton to be handed to us, we chatted nervously about our stage. Two cyclists sped towards us, handed us our baton and we were off running through an amazing setting. I turned to my companions to continue our chat, but they’d both put their headphones in.

It hadn’t occurred to me to listen to music – I knew I’d be running with other people and I was running somewhere beautiful. I didn’t want to block that out, I wanted to absorb my surroundings as much as possible and get to know who I was running with.

I’m not anti running with music. My runs to work are accompanied by a mix of tunes that leave me dancing at traffic lights without realising it. I have playlists for when I need a bit more help getting in the rhythm of an early morning run and one for when I want to relax, slow down and enjoy it. But I believe there’s a time and a place for running with music.

sunset relay running

I don’t listen to music when I’m running with other people. If I’ve chosen to run with a friend (or a stranger) I see it as a social occasion, like meeting for a coffee or going to the pub. I want to chat to my running buddy, catch up with them and discuss things we see along the way. Imagine meeting a friend for a coffee and then both sitting there listening to your own ipods. Sounds strange, right? That’s what I’d feel like running along with a friend with my headphones in.

I don’t listen to music if a race has asked me not to. In fact I rarely listen to music in races at all. I’ve run 14 marathons and of those I’ve only listened to music in two. I like to listen to the crowd, to hear them calling out my name and telling me ‘well done’. These perfect strangers have turned out to wish the runners well and I think it’s the least I can do to hear their encouragement. I listen to the music of the bands that line the route and I talk to other runners as I go round. I listen to my breathing to check I’m not running too hard and the sound of my feet to make sure they’re not too heavy.

I’ve seen outraged runners complain that they aren’t allowed to wear headphones in their race. I’ve also seen runners with headphones oblivious to the emergency vehicles behind them needing to get through to someone in need further down the course. I believe that if you enter a race, it’s your responsibility to adhere to the rules that the organiser sets – music or no music, it’s up to them.

I ask the runners who come to my running groups to leave their headphones at home, and there’s a few reasons for this. I need them to be able what I’m telling them, to hear any coaching feedback that I give them or any safety instructions. Running with headphones on an athletics track is a big no-no; there’s too many people running fast and you need to be aware of what’s going on around you. I like my runners to talk to each other and to encourage each other on during the session.

Sometimes I come up against runners who tell me “But I CAN’T run without listening to music.” Of course, it’s not true. If you can run 5k with your headphones in, you can run 5k without. But, as the Henry Ford quote goes, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” There will be a time when your music will let you down, when your battery dies mid-race, you drop your headphones or you forget them all together. What will you do then? Stop running and go home?

If you think you can’t run without music I’d urge you to try. As well as being prepared for that day when your ipod goes on the blink, you might just find you enjoy it. Those cheers from the crowd in a race can motivate you as much as any song can.

Before you plug in your headphones consider this…

  • Are you running with a friend?
  • Is it safer to run without your headphones? Will you be aware of what’s going on around you?
  • Are you doing it because you think you NEED to?
  • Does the race you’ve entered allow headphones?

Tell me what you think.