What Do You Listen To?

I have nothing but admiration for the runners I see out there who can chug along with no headphones in sight. Clearly these are much deeper, more thoughtful people than yours truly. I need sound. Otherwise, running gets boring. Fast.

For the most part, I’m a podcast kind of guy. I listen to a lot of Catholic Answers Live and EWTN (especially "The Journey Home" and "Bookmark") to keep me going. The dialogue fills the mind. Sometimes, if I get really into whatever I’m listening to, I’ll suddenly look up and discover that miles have passed without my notice — a good distraction on long runs.

But late in a long run, when I’m weak and tired, I switch to music, with one caveat: It has to be fast. I need a pounding beat. Enough volume and a speedy tempo can give me a second wind. For that, I go to the hard rock of my misspent youth: Rush, Living Colour, and, on occasion, Metallica. (A couple of embarrassing running favorites: Hearts on Fire from Rocky IV — gotta love that training sequence — and the Anthrax/Public Enemy version of the aptly titled Bring the Noise.)

I try more spiritual music sometimes, too. I had a beautiful recording of Ave Maria that I used for awhile, and the Christian rock songs from Fireproof are upbeat and positive. (They include some Third Day, which is always a good thing.)

I always appreciate recommendations, though, and I'm sure other readers would like some, too. Know of any quality audio for the run — something edifying, or energizing, or just plain good? Please send along your suggestions!