If you’re looking for a cost-effective, highly valuable way to enhance your running routine, you’ve come to the right place. Put your running gear on, have some water, chuck on your headphones and listen to a podcast.
Wait! What’s a podcast?
You’ve probably heard the term before. With friends, a partner, or colleagues at work.
Podcasts are audio files you can stream on the internet. Podcast authors speak about a topic, save the discussion, and upload it to their podcast channel. ‘Podcasters’ speak alone, or sometimes in groups of 2 or more.
What are podcasts about?
A podcast can be about virtually anything: hairdressing, business, marketing, gardening, job interviews, charity, personal development, investment, real estate, or running (you should enjoy these ones!). The list goes on. Whatever you like and, whatever makes you tick, there will be a podcast for your running.
Why should you run with podcasts?
Clearly, there’s value to be taken from these nuggets of golden information within each podcast episode. In America, 35 million people listened to podcasts weekly in 2016. That’s a huge number.
Why are these audio clips so valuable? What secrets do they spill? What can they do to maximise our runs?
1. Learn something new
Humans are built to learn new things. If they didn’t, life would be very hard. Think of everything you hold value to. Cooking, reading, writing, speaking your language. All these things were acquired from learning. Think of how much greater your life would be if you could combine running with learning!
Traditionally, you could learn something by reading a book. However, if you run reading a book it isn’t going to end pretty. Mark my words. Luckily, podcasts mean you can get the better of a books wisdom on the go. You don’t need to devote full visual attention to a podcast; information is absorbed with your ears.
“The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills. Everything else will become obsolete over time.” Peter Drucker
Think of all the greats who make reading part of their daily routine. Elon Musk, Phil Knight, Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet (8 hours a day). These people are great because of their knowledge and skills.
Listening to podcasts whilst running is a smart way to get smart. Make the most out of your run by squeezing as much information as you can from a great podcast.
2. Increase your income
Ever heard of the saying, “the more you learn, the more you earn.”? The answer is probably yes. Guess what? It’s completely true!
Podcasts, like books and audio-books, allow the speakers to impart their years of knowledge, wisdom and expertise. You’re literally getting rich whilst you run. Think of the skills, abilities and ways of thinking you can pick up from these episodes of wisdom. Your runs will never be the same again.
Can you afford not to listen to a podcast during your runs? Listening to podcasts means learning new stuff. Learning new stuff means increasing your income. A no-brainer.
If you don’t know where to start, get your feet wet and listen to one podcast. Make sure it’s an educational podcast, learn something new, and you they will become a regular fixture in your running.
3. Strengthen your listening skills
“Listening is a master skill for personal and professional greatness.” Robin S. Sharma
Listening should be included as a credible skill in CVs, and lists of what people are good at. If you have two working ears, listening is one of the most important things you need to master in life.
Think of when you’re being taught how to do something, or when you’re sitting in a lecture hall, or when you’re being given directions in a foreign place. Listening is crucial to success in life.
When you consume content in a podcast, you are listening to what the speaker has to say. It is not a two-way conversation where you can interrupt or ask for clarification if you don’t understand something.
You are forced to focus on what is being said and attempt to absorb it. What a fantastic opportunity to become a good listener. Listen to podcasts on your runs. You will become a much better listener, and your quality of life will improve dramatically.
4. Spark new interests
Maybe you’re like many people, and don’t know what you want to listen to. You might not have that many interests, or you may fancy trying something new. That’s totally fine. The great thing with podcasts is the abundance of them. There is literally a podcast for anything.
Ultimately, you can use a podcast to spark a new interest. Having new interests and hobbies makes you a more interesting person and can increase the enjoyment you get out of life.
You could listen to a cooking podcast, a show about real estate, an episode of how to hone your job interview skills, or even how to start a charity. Sooner or later, you’ll strike a chord with a subject and you running routine will be changed.
Your runs will still be your exercise time, but they’ll also give you the time to listen to your new interest with freedom and as much curiosity as you have. Just one way listening to podcasts on runs can develop your personality.
5. Maximise your time
“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” Bruce Lee
If there’s one thing that’s certain in this life, it’s that our time is limited. With time being such a scarce resource, it’s only natural you should seek to maximise it.
Making the decision to run is already a brilliant way to spend your time, so well done!
However, the time spent running can still be maximised with podcasts. Why not double up on the efficiency of your runs by listening to some great podcasts? Make the most of your time and listen to some life-changing, educational podcasts on your runs!
How can I listen to podcasts?
To listen to a podcast, you need to find a podcast platform or an application. Most podcasts won’t cost you a penny and can be accessed via these methods.
For example, Apple’s iTunes is a popular podcast platform. Alternatively, you can find great podcasts on AudioBoom, Acast, Mixloud or Spotify.
Find something you like, stream or download it, and away you go. You’ll have a podcast to listen to whilst you run.
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