COLUMN: Podcasts: The perfect runner’s playlist
People are literally born with the ability to run. As exhausting as running a few miles sounds, the most difficult part of the sport is actually the mental aspect. Sure, there are no plays and no rules to memorize, but it does require strategy, mental toughness and above all, the ability to fend off boredom.
That last one is perhaps the biggest obstacle for beginners, whether they are completely new to running or new to a longer distance race. When I signed up for marathon team, the biggest challenge was finding a way to distract myself during long runs, which could last up to three, or four, or even five hours. Like most people, I started off with music. I made playlists of every upbeat song I knew and pounded pavement to the sound of pop music. That was fine for the first hour-long run.
The next week, the marathon team added a mile onto the long run. It was only an additional 10 minutes or so, but by the time the initial hour was over, I was sick of the same songs and running in general. I yanked my earbuds out for the last 10 minutes, choosing boredom over beat drops.
After that, I tried to create a new playlist every week. That was just unrealistic. I’m picky about new music. It takes me a few listens to be convinced. At that time, I hadn’t even broken down to get premium Spotify yet, so music discovery was a time-consuming and usually fruitless endeavor that only got harder as the marathon team continued to increase mileage.
On a whim, I decided to try listening to podcasts instead of my overplayed tunes. The first season of Serial has just come out. I was curious about all the hype surrounding a real-life murder mystery that unfolds through a series of audio episodes. Well, to be honest, I was curious about the hype and the audio storytelling format, not so much about the actual crime investigation. I’m definitely not a CSI-watching, Pretty Little Liars-reading, murder mystery enthusiast.
But what I’ve found is that a good story is a good story, no matter what topic it’s about.
I set off on my run with the Serial theme music in my ears and promptly lost track of the many miles ahead. Listeners are introduced in the first episode to Adnan Sayed, a man serving a prison life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The pair were both seniors in high school at the time of her murder, and Adnan claims he was wrongly convicted.
I spent much of that run forming my own opinion of Adnan. Instead of teasing myself with thoughts of what I would eat and how good my nap would be later, I could focus on something else, on a suspect, on evidence that didn’t make sense. It wasn’t until I started listening to podcasts while running that I realized how much a person’s voice conveys.
I strained to identify the truth in Adnan’s voice. He sounds genuine, but also a little too nonchalant about the murder. With nothing else for my brain to do, I became an attentive listener and story analyzer. My run ended abruptly when the miles ran out and I hadn’t once thought about the time or my tired muscles.
Undoubtedly, Serial became the running buddy that got me through marathon training. I listened to one or two episodes every week, and as I got closer to the marathon, I also thought I was getting closer to figuring out the truth of the murder. I won’t spoil it, but I will say that a mental and physical workout was great preparation for a 26.2 mile race.
These days, I’m training for a half-marathon with a few different podcasts downloaded. No matter whether I am having a slow or fast day, I can go my own pace with a podcast because there is no pressure to keep up with the beat of the music. Podcasts are also completely free and a great way to learn something new. With literally thousands of podcasts on every topic imaginable, there’s no need to fear boredom; there’s a reason to look forward to running.
Meghan Coyle is a senior majoring in print and digital journalism. She is also the online managing editor of the Daily Trojan. Her column, “Chasing Pavements,” runs Tuesdays.