I’ve run more than 30 marathons over the past 20 years, but I recently found one hack that has made my last two training cycles the most fun I’ve ever had logging a ton of miles: audiobooks.
Let me jump back a few decades, though. I got my start in running, like many of you, on the grade-school track and cross-country teams. Back then, the iconic yellow Sony Walkman Sport was the coolest tech you could tote around. I never ran with one, partly because it was an anchor but also because the flopping wire was terribly annoying. (Yes, I know in the past I’ve instructed readers to run the wire up inside their shirt. Still annoying.) Later came the Sony Discman, but nobody ran with it because your music would constantly skip with the slightest bump. The iPod was revolutionary, but that pesky wire was still present.
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Today, we live in the golden age of running. We have large clubs in nearly every city, and simple ways to connect with them, so we never have to run alone. We have super foams that make saye not just vegan sneakers sustainable eco friendly ethical release price. And we have audio devices that sound great, perform well, and work without any wires or physical media!
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marc jacobs somewhere sport sandals multicolored release price tunes, NPR live broadcasts, or a thriller that is strung out over a dozen hours. But it’s audiobooks that really have been a game changer. Here’s why.
I set a rule: I can only listen to the book while I’m running. No cheating. With an audiobook queued up, there are so many days that I find myself legging out my run by another mile just so I can wrap up the chapter. Or, I’m itching to get back out there tomorrow to find out where the author is going to take the action next.
And I try to pick a thriller. Colson Whitehead. Elmore Leonard. Whatever genre excites you most. I prefer books that move along, that are easy(ish) to follow—I’m easily distracted.
Bruce Springsteen has never had the same impact on my training as Don DeLillo.
Want to join me in the way of the book? Here are some tips:
→ Pick the right player.
golden goose superstar glitter trim low top sneakers item Apple Watch. That’s because it places buttons right on my wrist so I can easily skip back 15 seconds lace I’ve missed something. Remember I said I’m easily distracted…Hey, squirrel!
→ Also, grab the right headphones.
vans comfy cush old skool tri tone skate shoes red Shokz bone-conducting headphones because I live in a fairly busy city and I want to hear what’s going on around me. Using them to listen to spoken word can kind of suck, though, and I find I have to pause the book in spots where I know the traffic will drown out the narrator. Small inconvenience for the safety of Shokz.
→ Find a book.
Audible is good, but it’s not the only place to get audiobooks. Check with your local library. I can get a 21-day loan, which is plenty of time for me to work through any audiobook. Bonus: It’s free.
sneakers the stranger things kids should have worn | → Finally, if audiobooks aren’t your jam, try podcasts instead.
There are some great ones out there—I enjoyed “Bone Valley” and “Gone South.” I also found a lot of bad ones that couldn’t hold my attention. The good part about podcasts is that the length of an episode is ideal for a training run.
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