Podcasts anyone?

well, here's the deal.  i weened myself off the ipod last year about this time when i was working.  some people like to listen to music when they're are in the gym or out for a run.  I'm split between the two.  allow me to explain.

let's start with the ipod, mp3 player or what have you.  maybe you still have one of those Sony sport CD players that are supposed to absorb impact or excessive shaking or an old school Walkman cassette player.  transistor resistor radio?  anyways, what ever you have doesn't matter.  my point is that the mp3 player has created quite a trend in how we approach fitness.  they are small and unobtrusive if worn correctly, which some people spend about an hour trying to get the headphone/ear bud cable in the right spot so it doesn't get caught on every handle, hook and person on the way to the weight machines or treadmill.  me?  after spending eternity unravelling a handful of spaghetti,  i like to run the cable down my back and inside my shirt.

then there comes the choices in music.  what gets people, who choose to listen to music when they workout, motivated?  what pumps them up?  is it hard hitting heavy metal?  more often than not, for me, when i lift weights i prefer rock music.  could it be dance music?  you know, something with a consistent beat and very steady rhythm that you can set a pace to when on the run, studio cycle or, elliptical.  there's plenty to choose from.  I'm always curious to know what people listen to when they workout because it can definitely influence your mood.  my choices may be way different than someone else.  regardless of what anyone listens to is not important.  it's about keeping yourself motivated and keep you moving.

while we're mostly talking about being in the gym right now.  let's continue there.  it's about the only place where i may choose to turn on my music playing device.  as i have said before, i am more likely to listen to some hard rock/heavy metal.  there's just something about it that gets me pumped and makes me feel more aggressive about getting at the workout and take that aggression out.  sometimes it's hip hop or maybe even country.  the thing is for me, sometimes it depends on my mood.  also, what drives me to put in my headphones is largely dependent on the music being played in the gym.  there's music that i just don't care for.  if i wanted to hear music in a dance club, I'd go to a dance club.  so, i just put something on to block it out.

music can also be very distracting.  every once in a while one of "my jam's" will come on.  I'll start singing along with that and forget that my rest between sets is over.  not good.  i feel it breaks up the rhythm and i lose focus.  so, i just suck it up and mentally block out the monotonous pulses of the dance music being played all around the gym.

speaking of distracting.  music has been detrimental to my running.  i tried to run with the rhythm of the music.  i've tried music with a wide range of beats per minute.  i've realized that it's pointless because while have rhythm to spare, no matter what i do i can't sync my foot strike.  not everyone can maintain a rhythmic pace through out an entire workout.  there are hills to consider.  there's distance to think about.  there's plenty there to throw you off of your game.  you speed up and slow down naturally in different parts of a run.  then there's music that just doesn't work for running.

at the beginning i said that i had to ween myself off my ipod.  in turn, my runs became better and more consistent.  i could focus more on my body, form, and breathing.  it's also a bit safer to hear things around you.  it's also helpful to turn the volume down as well and run against the traffic so that you can see cars coming or stay on the sidewalk far side from the street.  however, the sounds i hear in macau are less than attractive.  there isn't much to get away from as you would in most other places like a place with scenic views and wind blowing through the trees.    so, i find myself sometimes needing to block out some of the sounds from time to time.

calling in the podcasts.  i never really listened to them before. i thought i'd give it chance and catch up with some sports talk while i was at it.  so, far i don't have to worry about listening to music that i may catch on and try to run to the beat and throw of my pacing.  it's less obtrusive.  i can still hear my surroundings, but i still won't listen at a high volume.  if you ever seen how people drive and act around here, you'd do the same.  so, i'll keep on with the experiment.  i can listen to the scott van pelt show, page 2, jim rome is burning, real time, page 2, and the absurdity of "the onion".  i'm going to keep on looking for interesting things to listen to especially when these runs start to get longer.  i hate coming up with musical playlists.  genius on itunes is okay, but it puts songs i don't really want on a list sometimes.

what do you listen to?