We’re exactly 1 month away from Philadelphia Marathon Sunday. Whether racing, cheering, or volunteering – it is the Super Bowl of our Fall Running Season! And while you're probably expecting me to talk about footwear, which I will at a later date, I'd like to shuffle our regularly scheduled Race Checklist into a different order to give us some variety (in the industry, we call this foreshadowing).
So what are we listening to? Since about Autumn 2019 I've been listening to this goulash soup of mid 70's disco, late 70's punk rock, all 80's new wave, and early 90's grunge. This audio nosh is seasoned with rap music from 1973 – 1993. It's labeled in my iTunes library as 'Adult Angst'. It's a bop! Jamie wasn't feeling it at first, but she's starting to come around haha!
It's not my running mix though. That playlist is labelled 'OPAC: Hunting Szn'. I started making it in 2017, right before we ran Hood To Coast (HTC) for the first time.
Why am I telling you this? Well, "the Mother of All Relays" has a policy that prohibits the regular pods, and other similar headphones that go inside of cover your ears, that I would normally wear. And I need music. Like.....music my oxygen! I'd never used bone conduction headphones before, but they were allowed for HTC, so Jamie and I bought pairs.
Bone conduction headphones go around your ears, avoiding the eardrums, so you can listen to your music (audio books, podcasts, etcetera) and still have situational awareness. Game Changer.
I won't mention the fact that Philadelphia Runner's primary headphones provider, Shokz, is using 10th Generation bone conduction technology, Shokz DualPitch™ technology for premium sound quality, and delivers reduced vibrations – so you can enjoy your music without any tactile feedback. Nope, I won't mention that.
What I will say is that there is something so gratifying about listening out to your favorite jams.....and still being able to take in the atmosphere around you. Picture driving down the street listening to a song you love, windows up, with the air conditioner, defrost, or heat on – versus driving down the street listening to that same song you love, windows DOWN, fresh air hitting your skin! It's that type of vibe. Both are great, but there's nothing like fresh air.
We (Philadelphia Runner) carry a few different models from Shokz. Sorry.....different models, different colors, and different options. Highly recommend adding to your train, run, and race day portfolio as your compiling your Race Weekend playlist(s)!
Continue your online experience with us for any of your running and racing needs. If you're concerned about shipping leading up to any upcoming races.....purchase online, select in–store pickup, and come visit!
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