Audiobooks: Not just for road trips
Last year, my friend Max introduced me to audiobooks. They’ve become the third big transformation in my running career (more on the first two in a later post).
I love reading, but could only muster enough time to read 6–8 books per year. You can only really have one or two serious pursuits outside of work, and reading never made the cut. By listening to books instead of reading them, I can “read” while I run.
This only works when my heart rate is low. During a workout, my oxygen-deprived brain can’t follow the audiobook. But about half of my weekly mileage consists of slow recovery miles, and these are perfect for listening.
By listening to audiobooks when I run and sometimes around the house, I can read 1–2 books per week. From 8 books per year to 70 books per year!
The running purist and the music junkie
Runners tend to fall into two groups when it comes to listening to anything while running, and I fear I’ve alienated both of these sides.
The purist pays attention to her surroundings while running, and refuses to stick earbuds in her ears. She says there’s enough noise in the world and in her own head, and is also concerned about colliding with people, cars, dogs, etc. This type of runner often competed for their high school or college cross country teams.
The other runner sees running and music as inseparable. He started running to get in shape, and used music to get through the terrible monotony of it all. Now that he likes running a bit more, it’s become a great way to explore a new album or jam out to his favorite bands. I fell into this category when I started running, as do many who never ran for a team.
No matter which group you fall into, I recommend the same thing: Try it once. Download a book you’ve been wanting to read, and listen for at least 30 minutes while running. You may like it!
Concerned about safety? Try it out on a treadmill or on an ill-used trail. With the right headphones, you should be able to hear your surroundings while also listening to a book. I use these, and have no problems running through the crowded streets of the Mission neighborhood in San Francisco.
Book recommendations
Not all books are good candidates for audiobooks. You wouldn’t want to tackle Infinite Jest or The Art of Problem Solving while on a run — these books require careful thought, re-reading sentences, and marking up the pages of a book.
Through trial and error, I’ve discovered these prerequisites for a good running audiobook:
(1) Captivating — Zoning out isn’t a problem when you’re reading words on a page, but it definitely is for an audiobook. Just like you check out of a conversation, it is easy to check out of the narration, especially when you’re running and already a bit distracted anyways. For this reason, read something you find captivating.
(2) Skimmable — In spite of the above, you inevitably will zone out at some part of the book and come back 10–20 seconds later. If you’re reading a fast-paced murder mystery, you’ll miss a key clue. But if you’re reading 127 Hours, well, the guy’s still stuck under a rock. Once you get used to audiobooks, you can drop this criteria and instead make heavy use of the “Rewind 30 seconds” button
(3) Not too many characters — Due to oxygen deprivation, your brain isn’t as sharp as usual when you’re running. If there are too many people in your book, you may get confused. I experienced this when listening to Homegoing a multi-generation story with about 20 main characters.
Have a book in mind? If not, here are 3 running-related books that I’d recommend:
North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail — Follows Scott Jurek’s 2015 attempt at the Appalachian Trail fastest known time.
Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance — Explores the curious relationship between physical and mental endurance.
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage — Not a running book per se, but a classic book on adventure and endurance. It follows Sir Ernest Shackleton’s failed attempt to cross the Antarctica on foot.
Technology recommendations
If you live in the states (and I suspect all 10 of my readers to), check out Overdrive. It’s a free app that borrows audiobooks from your local library. You’ll have to deal with hold times, so a good strategy here is to place several books on hold, then listen to them as they come in.
If you’re willing to spend money to avoid the hold time, check out Audible. It starts at $15 per month, and is what I use for audiobooks.
Got any audiobook recommendations? Leave a comment!
