I run without headphones in.
It gives me the bandwidth to reflect on life, at least until my internal voice takes over, questioning my sanity.
‘WHY are you still running when everything in your body tells you to stop, and there’s no life threatening situation you need to escape from?’
After running a certain distance, this internal voice gets louder and does nothing but trying to convince me to stop running and take a break. And this is where the real benefit of running without music in your ears comes in.
It teaches me to recognize my internal voice when it tells me I should choose a short term benefit (relax yourself!) over a long term benefit (feeling fit and energized throughout the day) – it teaches me to listen to it and ignore it.
Music distracts you from this internal battle and makes it easier to last longer, but you’ll lose an opportunity to improve your mental strength.
Take the pain as it is. It’ll make you stronger.
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