Reading while running

Rusty Cogs 08

OK, not literally but one thing that has suffered while I've been training is the amount of reading I'm doing (or not). As I was out for +2 hours on Sunday (with a MPG player on the fritz) I wondered could I absorb a spoken word book while running.

My usual route wouldn't be very technical so I wouldn't be negotiating six lanes of traffic whilst delving into the nuanced conceit of Finnigans Wake.
So has anyone tried this ?

RoyMcC

Rusty Cogs 08 wrote: »

OK, not literally but one thing that has suffered while I've been training is the amount of reading I'm doing (or not). As I was out for +2 hours on Sunday (with a MPG player on the fritz) I wondered could I absorb a spoken word book while running.

My usual route wouldn't be very technical so I wouldn't be negotiating six lanes of traffic whilst delving into the nuanced conceit of Finnigans Wake.
So has anyone tried this ?

I've hummed and hawed about trying it Rusty but (1) there's nothing really that grabs my fancy and (2) they're flippin expensive. Be interesting to see if anyone else does this though.

I'll stick to podcasts/music on my LSR, can't be bothered clipping everything up for short, morning runs.

asimonov

i've done this. I went through a phase of listening to light business books (like the malcolm gladwell ones) while running last year and my OH still does.

I found i ended up zoning in and out and then i'd suddenly not have any idea where i was in the book. Meanwhile, my OH is capable of running, listening to books and then writing reviews of them, goddamn multi-taskers....

I don't use an ipod that much now, but when i do its either music or adam&joe podcasts.

misty floyd

I don't do this when I'm running but I got Stephen Kings - The Stand and put it onto the MP3 player. I've been finding it hard to get to sleep these last few weeks so rather than turning the light on and read, I listen to a few minutes of the audio book. I haven't a clue what is going on and I must have listened to the first chapter about 5 times. Point is, its great for falling asleep.

There is no way I could concentrate on the story when running.

Peterx

bit of a tangent but reading whilst running is one of the training techniques used by orienteers (or so I'm told, they could be just messing with me )

Running Bing

I do it the odd time. I have a strange interest in American politics so its mostly stuff about that or biographies (I find there's plenty of this stuff to be found on the net).

Funnily I could never see myself listening to "literature" out on a run. Its ok with cold facts but there's something about reading a good book that just doesnt translate for me.

I dont make a habit of it though, I think it can be good to try and focus on the running itself, your form etc. so I make an effort to go out without the earphones.

Peckham

Slightly off topic....but there's a guy who often gets the same train home as me in the evening and walks a similar route home from the station (around a mile). He manages to walk, read and smoke at the same time - pretty impressive multitasking.

goofygirl

i listen to the RTE documentary on one sometimes via podcast sometimes when i'm running