WHY THE HATRED FOR HEADPHONES?

Jerk Store wrote:

I'm not a serious runner. Just one that wants to avoid unnecessary injury. Do you like hurting other people? Who has the problem?

Have you ever been injured by a runner wearing headphones? Have you ever even heard of this happening? I'm having trouble imagining how this might occur.

Actually if you watch the DVD "Showdown" Meb is shown running with headphones on

how about the females???? wrote:

I know pro athletes that run with them!

Are they running in crowds on public running paths? Is Goucher wearing them running 5 minute miles in Central Park on a Sunday morning?

Do you know and strategies the "pro athletes" use to dodge idiots who are too stupid to pay attention when they are wearing them?

Does Goucher often train on paths with headphone wearing morons on bikes and blades?

Harry Kooter wrote:

Have you ever even heard of this happening?

I've read about it in the press multiple times.

why would I need headphones I love running, and being away from technology is one of the reasons for this, sure you can use headphones but arnt you missing the zen like feeling of running,

I've never been in the middle of a run and thought to myself, "you know what, I could use some tunes right now". Never.

I've seen people without headphones running obliviously. I don't buy the safety argument. I wouldn't wear headphones for a tempo run or track workout because of the different level of concentration required, but they're fun for fartlek or distance runs.

I can run with headphones and not be affected. Hearing is much less important to me than vision. My head's always on a swivel in traffic anyway.

I couldn't care less what all the no headphone nazis on letsrun think about me as a "true runner" or not for wearing them. Running is an individual pursuit anyway and if I want to listen to music doing it, why should you care?

I wonder if the same people who get worked up about penguins "running" marathons are the same that get all bent out of shape about headphones. It seems like there are a lot of people here who are only good at running and are insecure. They couldn't play any other sports and want to keep the exclusivity of their little club. There are a lot of rules about makes one a "true" runner and the group gets angry and upset if someone gets called a runner or receives any acknowledgment for running that is not a "true" runner according to them. That's why a silly thing like this gets so much attention.

Got delusion?

dmb wrote:

I can run with headphones and not be affected. Hearing is much less important to me than vision. My head's always on a swivel in traffic anyway.

Morons make similar arguments when defending driving drunk around here. "I can have 4 or 5 beers and I'm fine" they say.

And they are, until their luck runs out.

Did you really just compare a 120 pound guy running with headphones to a drunk person opperating a 1000+ pound vehicle. An average distance runner could run smack into you at 5 minute pace and you won't be injured unless you're a chemo patient or a small child. A car will crush you. Sorry, I just don't buy the safety argument. You might get yourself injured running with headphones, but that's really none of anyone elses business.

Harry Kooter wrote:

Did you really just compare a 120 pound guy running with headphones to a drunk person opperating a 1000+ pound vehicle. An average distance runner could run smack into you at 5 minute pace and you won't be injured unless you're a chemo patient or a small child. A car will crush you. Sorry, I just don't buy the safety argument. You might get yourself injured running with headphones, but that's really none of anyone elses business.

I could care less about you. If you got hit by a car wearing those things I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep.

How about a test. I'm 6'3" 200. Say I was running at a 6:15 pace and ran into you, who would win?

ezmc wrote:

I could care less about you. If you got hit by a car wearing those things I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep.

How about a test. I'm 6'3" 200. Say I was running at a 6:15 pace and ran into you, who would win?

I agree with your first point. You shouldn't care if someone else gets injured because they choose to wear headphones. I choose not to wear headphones for this reason.

As for your second point, I don't know what you mean by "win", but I probably wouldn't be injured, and that's what we're discussing. I mean in my football days I'd get hit by bigger guys who were actually trying to hit me and I was never injured. The human body isn't as frail as you think.

Also, I'm not sure how your hypothetical headphones would keep you from seeing me. Do you go blind when your ears are covered? Even more strange is the fact that you assume that I couldn't see you and would be unable to move to the other side of the sidewalk/path/street. So I guess you think that your headphones would also make me go blind?

True story from this summer on the running path. Overweight power walker stops on the path to adjust Ipod. Biker with ipod clips her, falls on to the path and takes 2 runners with him. 1 gashed his head, the biker had road rash up the side of his body and both left in ambulance. The power walker had a boo boo on her hip and went on her way.

So there is no safety argument there and nobody elses business on the path?

ezmc wrote:

Harry Kooter wrote:

Did you really just compare a 120 pound guy running with headphones to a drunk person opperating a 1000+ pound vehicle. An average distance runner could run smack into you at 5 minute pace and you won't be injured unless you're a chemo patient or a small child. A car will crush you. Sorry, I just don't buy the safety argument. You might get yourself injured running with headphones, but that's really none of anyone elses business.

I could care less about you. If you got hit by a car wearing those things I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep.

How about a test. I'm 6'3" 200. Say I was running at a 6:15 pace and ran into you, who would win?

I wouldnt be worried about you running at 6:15 pace because you are 6'3" 200 pounds so no worry if you hit me. Besides I could just jog away from you while you huf and puf to catch me! I would bet my pr's against yours anyday and yes the pro's need motivation to get out the door. They are just like normal people except they run faster then us. I recall ryan hall mentioning how hard it was to stay motivated when he went home to visit his family and still trying to maintain his 120 mpw.

I have been running all by myself for a long time and honestly some days I cant wait to go bang out a 2 hr long run by myself and other days I need something to help me get through the boring recovery days. I don't listen to music but I listen to movies and tv shows and it simulates running with a group with chatter. So why dont you stop being a prick and get over yourself. You don't have to listen to music or headphones but dont make fun of people who do. Why not give people credit for getting out and exercising more instead of sitting on their couch and getting fat like the rest of this country. Your probably just jealous because some girl wearing head phones beat you in your last race so you have to come on here and bitch so that you can make yourself feel better because she had an unfair advantage since she could ignore the pain and enjoy her race.

I think that has more to do with the power walker being an idiot than anything. I mean if you have to stop to tie your shoe do you just slam on the breaks and drop to one knee smack in the middle of the path? Of course you don't. You're not an idiot. You pull off the path. If that's not possible, you at least turn your head to look behind you (even if you aren't wearing an iPod) and move as far to the side as you can. I could see this situation unfolding the same way without the iPods.

That being said, it sounds like this was a pretty crowded path. I said in an earlier post that you may or may not have read that I don't think people should wear the things in crowded areas. I still think that people can use them safely if they exercise some common sense and don't stop randomly. Stay to the right, look behind you before you pass (all things that you should do even without an ipod).

Jerk Store wrote:

If you are in a car wreck while talking on the phone insurance docks you because you were not fully paying attention.

How exactly do they "dock" you?

bloodsport wrote:

How exactly do they "dock" you?

It's a real pain. They hop right on your car and toss a bow line over the nearest parking meter. Once they get you pulled in they get the stern line attached. Throw a spring line on there to keep you from drifting down the road and the docking is complete. Hard to do with a car, but you better believe your insurance company will do it if they have to.

how about the females???? wrote:

[quote]:

[quote]:

I wouldnt be worried about you running at 6:15 pace because you are 6'3" 200 pounds so no worry if you hit me. Besides I could just jog away from you while you huf and puf to catch me!

I have been running all by myself for a long time

So why dont you stop being a prick and get over yourself. You don't have to listen to music or headphones but dont make fun of people who do.

Your probably just jealous because some girl wearing head phones beat you in your last race so you have to come on here and bitch so that you can make yourself feel better because she had an unfair advantage since she could ignore the pain and enjoy her race.

I'll tell you a little story of how I started hating these things then I'll let it this die. A female friend of mine loved wearing her Ipod, till she got jumped by a guy in the park. Perfect hiding place by a bush near a tall electric box,she passed and he ran right behind her. Never saw him and of course, never heard him. Thankfully it was busy enough, somebody saw and the guy ran off. She got out of it with some bruises and a little terror.

Tell me,how much good would your snotty mouth be if someone jumped you? Let me guess, you are sure your fleet feet would get you out of trouble, right?

Trust me you snotty little shit, I am over myself, but maybe I can get her to visit here so she could tell what an attempted rape feels like. That would make me feel better about myself, because there is a chance someone as stupid as you might realize the danger involved.

Your post explains how headphones pose a danger to the wearer. No one is debating that you increase your own chance of being injured by wearing headphones. I think the argument that everyone's making is that it's not too likely that you'll hurt someone else, which is really what matters. Wearing headphones carries a risk to the person who wears them. The fact that they are wearing them shows that they are willing to accept that risk. It poses very little real risk to anyone else though. So people who are willing to take the risk do, people who aren't don't and are not put at risk.