I have been listening to podcasts for years, so it was natural that when I did start running four years ago, I would bring them along. I can be fussy about what music I listen to. My runs are often interrupted when I listen to music, as I skip songs searching for ones that match my mood or pace. With podcasts, I can choose one and go. I choose a podcast– from 20 minutes to over two hours– depending on the distance and my mood. There is a podcast on every imaginable topic whether you want to be entertained or keep up with current events. Often, I’ll get to the end of a run and the podcast isn’t finished; this is always a good reminder that I am not finished either, so I will leave it on while I stretch and foam roll.
I love being outside and enjoy long runs during half marathon–and now marathon–training. Over the summer I trained for my first marathon and would run the first part of my long run alone before meeting up with a friend who was training for a half marathon. I saved my favourite podcasts for my long run so I had something to look forward to. This worked a few weeks ago when I ran the Victoria Marathon. Normally I don’t listen to anything while I race but I figured it was better to be prepared and queued up a few podcasts with good, engaging story lines. Near the end, once I had enjoyed the scenery and gotten over the excitement of I’m really doing this, I just wanted to be done; this is when the podcasts kept my mind engaged so my legs could do what the training had prepared them for.
My podcast recommendations
Let’s Find Out
99% Invisible
Ginger Runner Live
This American Life
The Good Place Podcast
Canadaland
Song Exploder
Bullseye with Jesse Thorn
Alison is an Accessories Buyer with the Running Room. She started with the Learn to Run training program four years ago and has taken many more Running Room programs since then. The “amazing Edmonton amazing river valley” is her favourite place to run. She considers herself an all-weather runner and is a firm believer in the saying: “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”