To pod or not to pod.

Micilin Muc

Running to music upsets my rhythm, especially in terms of breathing. I much prefer to concentrate on my form.

TFBubendorfer

I think it's quite telling that we had quite a few runners saying they used an mp3 player/ipod for their first marathon and never since.

On the other hand there was not one single runner who claimed to have run their first marathon without music and subsequently changed their mind for the next one.

Cartman78

Surprised there aren't more pro-MP3 posts -- these types of threads are normally 50-50.

Maybe people are finally getting the message that being in a music trance in a mass participation sporting event ain't that clever?

pudgeydev

RoyMcC wrote: »

Even if the race rules disallow it?

Ipod's aren't banned for DCM as far as I'm aware.

From my point of view, to wear an ipod at the start of a race where there are crowds and people are vying for position is just rude and dangerous.
But i'm talking about putting on an ipod 20miles into a marathon, on a dual carriageway/area where there's plenty of room, when you're finding it tough and you want to change your mindset from concentrating on how tough things are to something different, and if an ipod helps then it helps.

The whole ipod usage in general thing is a different conversation, i'm asking if someone always uses an ipod for 18 weeks training and on race day you don't have that any more, surely that's a huge difference?

RayCun

pudgeydev wrote: »

i'm asking if someone always uses an ipod for 18 weeks training and on race day you don't have that any more, surely that's a huge difference?

Although your preparation for race day should try to mimic it physically - same clothes, same food, getting up at the same time - mentally it's a whole other thing. The buzz you get from walking to the start line, seeing all the other runners converge with you, standing around beforehand waiting for the gun, the sensation of running in a crowd... it's all very different from a training run. I haven't run a marathon before but even in a much smaller race, of just a few hundred people, running a race feels very different from a training run.
(this is one reason why it's a good idea to get some race experience in before the marathon, but it's too late now...)

If you really feel you're going to need the ipod, then bring it. But don't wear it from the start, keep it in your pocket. And then if at some point in the race you think you really need to drown out the rest of the world with some music, only then put it on.

Peckham

pudgeydev wrote: »

Ipod's aren't banned for DCM as far as I'm aware.

Correct, they're not banned....but they should be.

pudgeydev wrote: »

From my point of view, to wear an ipod at the start of a race where there are crowds and people are vying for position is just rude and dangerous.
But i'm talking about putting on an ipod 20miles into a marathon, on a dual carriageway/area where there's plenty of room, when you're finding it tough and you want to change your mindset from concentrating on how tough things are to something different, and if an ipod helps then it helps.

At 20 miles there are crowds and people vying for position, so this argument doesn't stack up. For example, the stretch from 21 to 22 miles, along the N11 dual-carriageway is actually run on the hard shoulder whilst the road remains open to traffic moving at 80kph. From what I recall this is about 10 foot wide, and can get quite congested in the middle of the field. Factor into this two sharp turns on the UCD flyover (with a couple of kerbs for good measure).

At the 25 mile point just before the course swings onto Westland Row, there is a stretch where the crowds are on the road, and you may have less than 6 foot of road to work with when you and those around you are dying on your feet.

There are points in the race where an ipod is less dangerous, but it's never safe.

pudgeydev wrote: »

The whole ipod usage in general thing is a different conversation, i'm asking if someone always uses an ipod for 18 weeks training and on race day you don't have that any more, surely that's a huge difference?

I use it for some training sessions, particularly long runs. However, what you don't have on training sessions is hundreds of people lining the road, and that's what makes a huge difference in the marathon.


You may feel like some of us here are having a go at you for wearing an iPod due to personal taste, but my main argument is simply that it's very dangerous, and in my opinion should be banned in all races.

pudgeydev

To me some of the responses have been over the top, you’d swear the second someone puts on an Ipod they start veering wildly around the road taking out runners like bowling pins. I do agree with some of the points mentioned, wearing an ipod at the start/end of a race etc but it's a different topic that I deliberately didn’t want to get into in this thread.

What I wanted to see from this is other people’s experiences, who have been using an ipod for their 18 weeks training, and who find it helpful for their long runs. Do you think/have you experienced, that the crowds and the fact that it’s a major event etc will mean that you won’t need your ipod or have you struggled without it considering that you’ve used it over all your training?

donothoponpop

<mod- Op this is going nowhere. You asked for opinions, you got them, its too bad if you don't like the opinions you've heard. Thread locked>