Saturday, July 14, 2012

I'm Hearing Voices in My Head, But It's a Good Thing

It's the hottest part of the year, which means it's time for me to start running to get ready for my physical fitness test this fall.  I may need to rethink the timing that I have set up for my annual test now that I live in southern Texas.  In the meantime, I have added a powerful new tool to my arsenal to help me run faster - a set of Bluetooth headphones.

I've always been a fan of music, especially when working out.  When I was younger I would sing songs in my head while running (and sometimes when running a more moderate pace I have been known to sing out loud) but  nothing helps move your focus from the pain in your heart, lungs and/or legs quite like some good tunes produced by professional musicians.  Unfortunately, I don't know anyone willing to drive in front of me in a pickup truck with a sound system blaring from the back end, so that has entailed having an iPod with earphones to carry the auditory accompaniment into my brain.

This has some negative side effects, such as having to reinsert the earbuds occasionally as the pounding force of each step yanks downward on the cord and slowly pulls them out, and the aggravation caused by the feel of the cord slapping against your bare skin (and there's no way I'm running with a shirt on when it's hot outside - I would overheat faster than a Buick with a clogged radiator).  Worst of all is when you accidently catch the cord with a swinging arm and give a hard jerk on the earbuds.  It doesn't happen often, but is extermely annoying when it does.

You can imagine my reaction when the Major who works for me who is an avid runner mentioned the other day that he uses Bluetooth earphones that don't require a wired connection to his iPod.  My eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and I immediately said "I've got to get some of those".  I don't know why I never thought of it before (it's not like this is a new invention that just hit stores last month), but I went to my local Best Buy and did my part to help them stay in business.  I have to admit, I probably could have saved considerable dough by buying online, but I feel like it's only right to occasionally buy at the local store that I go to when I want to browse electronics.  It's not like they can provide that service for free.

Needless to say, I wouldn't say I'm enjoying my twice-weekly runs, but I am loving my new purchase, and even use it when I'm not working out, just to be free of the tangles.  Until they figure out a way to implant speakers into your head this is the next best thing.