To headphone or not to headphone?

[mla2177]

I am trying to decide if i should bring my headphones for the Princess Half next weekend. This is my first Disney race. I keep hearing there is so much going on that they are not needed. According to the course map, we only run about a mile in MK and a mile in Epcot. Isn't the rest on the highways? Is there stuff going on then too? I am worried about being bored.

 

[jmasgat]

I am trying to decide if i should bring my headphones for the Princess Half next weekend. This is my first Disney race. I keep hearing there is so much going on that they are not needed. According to the course map, we only run about a mile in MK and a mile in Epcot. Isn't the rest on the highways? Is there stuff going on then too? I am worried about being bored.

If you feel you need the headphones to get through a race (not the same as a run, by the way), then bring them. Others have suggested on other threads that you can always put just one earbud in. There is entertainment / distraction /whatever in many spots on the course, but it isn't "non-stop", especially in the latter miles.

The thing about a race, though, is that it's not just you. There are thousands of other people out there as well, and it's just a different "feel" from doing a training run. If nothing else, there is great people watching!

I have never run with music--training or racing--so I may be an outlier compared to everyone else.

 

[Figment1990]

I am trying to decide if i should bring my headphones for the Princess Half next weekend. This is my first Disney race. I keep hearing there is so much going on that they are not needed. According to the course map, we only run about a mile in MK and a mile in Epcot. Isn't the rest on the highways? Is there stuff going on then too? I am worried about being bored.

Bring them! Better to have them if you want/need them than need them and not have them!

I'm probably biased though as I always run to music. I "can" run without, but I find it much easier to run to music that matched my cadence especially to keep me from going out too fast or when I'm really really struggling at the end. Music can help me "reset" my pace and even my heart rate.

There is a lot to look at, but you won't miss that with headphones in- just keep looking around and turn them off if you want to hear something more. But I've never had an issue with hearing anything at a disney race over my headphones - not announcements or passing runners. I pause the music if I want to chat with another runner or if I want to savor the dj's music or a bands music.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

Skip 'em!

Listen to the crowd, listen to your body, talk to other runners, feel the energy!

Full disclosure: I'm an old guy and miss the good old days of being able to ask a fellow runner 'how's it going?' with out feeling like I'm intruding. And I never ever run with music.

 

[mla2177]

Thank you! I can't run with earbuds so I use the wireless ones. I have to do 12 miles this afternoon, so I am going to try and see if it's uncomfortable to run with them around my neck. The less I have to worry about bringing at 3am the better!

 

[tiggersam00]

I ran W&D this year and did not wear earbuds (even though I always listen to podcasts and music on my training runs), there was a lot going on around me all the time that I didn't feel bored. Great costumes to see, entertainment on the course, fellow runners to chat with etc.

The reason I would not wear them is because there was a women running in front of me wearing them as we exited AK, she didn't hear the course warnings or the CM's warning you to be aware of the speed bumps ahead... she totally wiped out and cut her knees pretty badly, not sure if she managed to finish or not... so IMO it is better to be able to pay attention especially with that many other runners around for your safety and the safety of the other runners.

If you can do one earbud only that may be a good solution too

 

[WalkingintheFog]

I think you truly could do without:

Here's "my Disney experience"

I always listened to music as I ran - always 1 earphone only!).
So much so, that I would not even consider an event that forbid them!

I knew I could manage 10k or less if I had to w/ no music, but a half? and a full? my first Marathon? I was pretty sure I'd need my own music to get me thru! I was so nervous that my ipod shuffle might run out of power, I had even brought t

But, I gotta tell you, for all the Dopey, my music truly was not needed!

There was that much going on around me, just from the runners alone, that I never needed it.

I started running using music, and I find it helps me thru any hard spots, but at Disney, I fed off the energy and people around me.
And there's a lot of random yet great conversations you can have with great people if you all can hear each other!




On a sidenote, OP, is the reason that you can't use earbuds because they fall out or aren't comfortable?
I found most earphones painful, or else they'd fall out every time I accidently nudged the cord. I went searching the internet for a solution, and found a company online selling "One Good Ear" and "Short Buds" and " BUDLOKS"
The budloks are a bit of moulded silicone that slips wee earbuds & then hook along the next part of your ear! Putting on/taking off sunglasses didn't interfere with them, and I didn't need to worry about the earbud snugly fitting in my ear.
If this sounds like it might help, just search those keywords.

 

[paxsarah]

I don't even bring headphones to a Disney half. I brought them and carried them in my belt but never took them out for the full last month. But it depends on how reliant you are on music during a run - I routinely go out for runs without headphones at all, and when I do the majority of tim I listen to podcasts, with music only as sort of a "special treat." Part of that is in triathlon, headphones are banned and violators will received a time penalty, so I've gotten used to no music.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I hate running without my music. Disney races are my only exception. I never missed my music when running the Goofy in January.

 

[pigletliz]

If you can do one earbud only that may be a good solution too

I agree with this. You definitely want to hear what is going on around you, particularly safety warnings or gentle "on your left". Plus, you want to hear the crowd cheering for you.

 

[fairestoneofall]

i always wear one earbud when racing. for the 1/2 last month, there were LONG stretches of nothing on the highways between Epcot and MK (and then back to Epcot).

 

[DOOM1001]

You're paying a lot for these races,you want to soak up as much of the RunDisney experience as you can.It's not like you're running at home in a park,there really is a lot going on to keep you entertained.I would bring them and use them if you feel you need to to get through the race.

 

[rachlovestv]

i always wear one earbud when racing. for the 1/2 last month, there were LONG stretches of nothing on the highways between Epcot and MK (and then back to Epcot).

Ditto what fairestoneofall said. I always use music on my runs (or listen to books), and at Disney and other races, I usually listen with just one earbud in, unless in having a tough time, and then I put them both in. On the other side, I usually take them both out when running through a park, or if I'm chatting with a friend.

That's a lot easier to do if you use earbuds like I do. My friends all use the wireless ones like you, and for them, it's all or nothing. They always bring them, and usually wear them around their necks with no problem when they don't need them. There have definitely been times when they needed to use them to make it through a race.

There has only been one race where I didn't bring my headphones with me, and I greatly regretted it. My friends and I were planning on running the whole thing together, so I figured we'd be chatting and I wouldn't need them. I was feeling terrible halfway through, stuck with them until mile 10, and then made them go on without me because I just couldn't keep up and didn't want them to have to slow down for me. And I didn't have my headphones, and really struggled those last 3 miles by myself.

 

[cepmom]

I use headphones for all my runs and brought them to Disney for the Half last month. I found that I paused my music about half the time, like everyone else has been saying, there is a lot going on around you, DJ's marching bands, characters, other runners, etc that I really enjoyed soaking in all the atmosphere. BUT, for those stretches where there was nothing....I was really glad to have my music!! I say bring them and that way you'll have them if you need them.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

I ran my first Disney race last month (a 5k) and brought ear buds but they never left my pocket, the CM's and spectators cheering was amazing, the scenery was awesome, and I discovered that even at 40 I'm still very competitive.

I had such a high from everything going on around me I think listening to music would have taken away from the experience, that said I still plan on bringing ear buds when I do the 10k in August just in case, I'd rather have them and not need them than not have them and wish I had brought them.

 

[peachygreen]

I would bring them if you are used to having music. You might not have the music on the whole race or any of the race but its better to have it and not need it than really want it.

For one reason or another I have had technology fails on my last 3 half marathons and not been able to use music. The last couple of miles (especialy my last race last week) I really could have use it to get myself out of my head and help reset and finish strong. Sometimes the inner dialog is hard to tune out especially when it starts telling you that something hurts or you aren't feeling it any more.

But if one does choose to run with music I beg you to use headphones please. On my last 4 races I have been near someone for at least part of the race who had music blaring without headphones on. In at least one of them the music was not "family friendly" type music. I really have no desire to hear someone else music playing during a race, especially one that is belting out obsentities.