Oh, by the way... leave your iPod at home (Read 1650 times)

JakeKnight


    What was the problem actually? I don't get wearing headphones in races but I could care less if someone else does. Headphones make you slower. It's true. I have conducted scientific, peer-reviewed studies that PROVE it. You can too. First, go to a road race. Next, watch the finishers and count how many of the 20 finishers are wearing headphones. Next, count how many of the next 20 finishers are wearing headphones, then the next 20, etc. You will find that the farther back in the pack you get, the higher the concentration of headphone wearers. Therefore, by using swamp aesthetic logic and erlang tables for statistical analysis, this proves that headphones make you slower. If a runner wants to do something in a race to make himself slower, I say to each his own (as long as he lines up behind me.) Also, Eye of the Tiger was a great song.
    The Post of the Day competition is now closed. We have a winner. Other contestants may try again tomorrow.

    E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
    -----------------------------

      Shit...I just HAD to click on that, didn't I... Roll eyes
      Heh. I've got the cd! Blush Now I'll have to go fish it out so my kids can suffer enjoy it with me!
        "At my last race there was 1 wheelchair racer. A bike was pacing him and the guy on the bike had a megaphone to tell runners to move out of the riders way "Wheeler on the right - coming through thank you"...well the runners got out of his way except for one kid who just jogged with headphones at the very right edge of the sidewalk...until the biker stuck his headphone right into the kids ear and rode right beside him and bellowed "wheeler coming through on the right" well the kid finally noticed the biker...and looked back to see the wheelchair rider...he didnt hear the biker cuz he stayed on the right and the wheelchair rider had to pass on the left." Well I agree that this sounds like a dangerous situation to be weaing an iPod. Rather than banning iPods though, I would argue that it would make more sense to let the wheelchair participant get a head start rather than have him barrel through the runners, which is dangerous whether they're wearing iPods or not. Anyway, I honestly didn't start this thread to "be antisocial" or even to debate iPod vs no iPod. My rant was because I was very upset that a race would gladly take my money w/o mentioning this policy then spring it on me two days before in an email. Thats a total bs move in my opinion. If races want to ban headphones, that is 100% fine with me. Just let me and the 50% (or whatever) who want to wear them know in advance and we will gladly run in other races. Of course, that might affect turnout.
        Scout7


          USATF has an automatic ban on any of there sanctioned races. The rule for not wearing headphones is the norm, rather than an exception, from my experience. If anything, I sign up for a race with the basic assumption that headphones are not to be worn. Something for you to consider in the future.
            Well I agree that this sounds like a dangerous situation to be weaing an iPod. Rather than banning iPods though, I would argue that it would make more sense to let the wheelchair participant get a head start rather than have him barrel through the runners, which is dangerous whether they're wearing iPods or not. Anyway, I honestly didn't start this thread to "be antisocial" or even to debate iPod vs no iPod. My rant was because I was very upset that a race would gladly take my money w/o mentioning this policy then spring it on me two days before in an email. Thats a total bs move in my opinion. If races want to ban headphones, that is 100% fine with me. Just let me and the 50% (or whatever) who want to wear them know in advance and we will gladly run in other races. Of course, that might affect turnout.
            The wheelchair racer did start before the runners by 1 minute. I passed the wheelchair rider around mile 2 but coming back downhill he easily passed runners again. I don't see how they can stop you from wearing headphones unless you sign the race waiver and it says no headphones on the waiver.
            Teresadfp


            One day at a time

              I would be happy if they could just get people to stop running with their DOGS! Tongue
                I would be happy if they could just get people to stop running with their DOGS! Tongue
                Me too, because more often then not they beat me.
                  "In my earlier, slightly dumber years, I probably drove a dozen times after having a few (read: several) too many beers. These dumber years were generally overseas, and most of those inebriated drives involved a 20 mile trip on the A94 on the way north towards Aberdeen, Scotland. At 90 miles an hour, driving on the wrong side of the road, with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car." LOL... OK I am officially done with this. "Let's keep it friendly. And vaguely based on reality." My sentiments exactly!
                    "In my earlier, slightly dumber years, I probably drove a dozen times after having a few (read: several) too many beers. These dumber years were generally overseas, and most of those inebriated drives involved a 20 mile trip on the A94 on the way north towards Aberdeen, Scotland. At 90 miles an hour, driving on the wrong side of the road, with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car." LOL... OK I am officially done with this. "Let's keep it friendly. And vaguely based on reality." My sentiments exactly!
                    Or, in the immortal words of Prodigy: "Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up." Inspiring.


                    Why is it sideways?

                      I could not possibly care less about this now decaying horse - unless you drop your pod in front of me at a big city marathon - but I can't help but point out the blisteringly obvious problem with the above logic. In my earlier, slightly dumber years, I probably drove a dozen times after having a few (read: several) too many beers. These dumber years were generally overseas, and most of those inebriated drives involved a 20 mile trip on the A94 on the way north towards Aberdeen, Scotland. At 90 miles an hour, driving on the wrong side of the road, with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. And yet I never got a ticket. Or caused an accident! So clearly - by your logic - drunk driving is perfectly safe. Right? Or maybe - just maybe now, bear with me - it makes a little more sense to compare my own stupid-but-fortunate experience with drunk driving with the mountain of empirical data that suggests I was just lucky. Or if we really have to cling to lame anecdotal data ... how about I Google "drunk driving deaths" and see if everybody is as lucky as my experience seems to prove? Or hey, here's a crazy thought: maybe your anecdotal experience could be put in context with the dozens or hundreds (thousands?) of injuries and deaths to iPod wearing runners every year. I think every runner knows of at least a couple such stories. And I've never met an iPod wearer - including me - who hasn't had a couple close calls because of self-induced deafness. (And of course, anecdotal evidence matters, right?) You get my point. To be blunt, to argue that its safe - to you, and especially to other runners - is just plain stupid. Its not. You know its not. You'll probably get away with it. Most drunk drivers do, too. But at least they've got the common sense to know that they shouldn't be doing it and not to argue something that is plainly factually ridiculous. No offense intended, BC. I do think some folks are being pretty hard on you. I love my iPod personally and I won't give it up, either. But I'll also admit that if I wear it in a race, I might be being stupid. Which rarely stops me from doing things. So if we have to continue pummeling poor Mr. Ed, let's keep it friendly. And vaguely based on reality.
                      Silly lawyers with their "arguments."


                      The Greatest of All Time

                        Silly lawyers with their "arguments."
                        Jake's a lawyer? Now it adds up.
                        all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be

                        Obesity is a disease. Yes, a disease where nothing tastes bad...except salads.
                        zoom-zoom


                        rectumdamnnearkilledem

                          These dumber years were generally overseas, and most of those inebriated drives involved a 20 mile trip on the A94 on the way north towards Aberdeen, Scotland.
                          Threadjack: when were you there? did lived in Aberdeen for a year...around 92/93. I spent a few weeks there with him. I LOVE that city. I'd about kill for haddock & chips from the New Dolphin, about now... Cry

                          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                               ~ Sarah Kay

                            Threadjack: when were you there? did lived in Aberdeen for a year...around 92/93. I spent a few weeks there with him. I LOVE that city. I'd about kill for haddock & chips from the New Dolphin, about now... Cry
                            Hey, don't ruin this thread with your threadjacking. We were going to start debating the wisdom of Ipods. C'mon now.
                            JoeShort


                              I was thinking about this thread while running the Drake 1/2 marathon this morning. I did it as part of my training run for Green Bay marathon in 3 weeks, so warmed up with a 7 mile jog then ran the 1/2 as a marathon race pace training to get in my 20 miles. I usually line up closer to the front (where you don't see headphones), but since I wasn't racing it I put myself about mid-pack, where there were more people wearing them. And, yes, they were prohibited at the race but nobody enforcing the rule. Not a huge problem, but even back where I was running I had a few headphone wearers swerve over when they didn't hear me passing. Had one girl spit without looking and almost got my foot. I probably lined up farther back than I needed to so I was passing people pretty consistenly throughout the race. The best part was they were blasting music from some speakers around mile3 and, you guessed it, Eye of The Tiger! Funny!
                                So I ran the race w/headphones. No one said anything and there were other runners doing it as well, though surely less than usual. If I didn't check my email I would never even have known the "no headphones" policy as no one even mentioned it on race day.