There are a lot of benefits to listening to music while you run. Some people feel that it helps them run faster or stay with the rhythm of the music. Others just feel that it helps to cut the boredom of a long run. If it’s going to take you an hour to run six or seven miles, having music on makes it mentally easier to keep pushing yourself through that run.
But there are some serious downsides, as well. Some experts feel that runners should never listen to music, especially if they’re running around traffic.
It is a distraction from the risks you face
As noted above, one of the benefits of music is that it’s a distraction from the difficulty of the run and it helps time go by. But the other side of that coin is that it’s also a distraction from risks you may face on the road.
For instance, maybe you’re running through a crosswalk. You know that you have the right of way, but someone is turning left and they’re also going to go through that crosswalk. They haven’t seen you and they’re going to hit you. If you have music on, you don’t hear the engine rev is the car begins to turn, and you have no idea that you’re at risk. If you’re not listening to anything, you get a little bit of advance warning and you may be able to avoid the accident.
That said, it is completely legal to listen to music while you run, and it is certainly not your fault if a driver doesn’t see you and hits you, even if you didn’t hear that car coming. The responsibility still lies with the negligent driver. If you suffered serious injuries, you need to know how to seek financial compensation.
