How Upgrading To High-Tech Headphones Transformed My Workouts
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@2jmny
For being a long-distance runner and fitness lover, I’m seriously out of the loop when it comes to sport technology. I’ve owned a couple Fitbits and tracked all of my mileage with the MapMyRun app, but my use of fitness gadgetry pretty much stops there. And up to this point in my life, I’ve really enjoyed how minimalist I can be when it comes to my workouts. There are zero dying batteries, few distractions and no additional gear to worry about.
But then I received the opportunity to try the Jaybird RUN True Wireless Sport Headphones.
I’ll admit that it took me a couple of weeks to willingly part with my old Apple earbuds that came with my phone and swap in these bad boys. I had to make sure they were charged in their cool little case, change the fitted earbud piece to the smallest option possible and sync their Bluetooth connection to my phone. (None of these things are difficult whatsoever, but change is hard sometimes, okay?)
Before I knew it, the buds were snug and secure in my ears, and I was kicking off on a fresh running route. I honestly didn’t expect to feel much of a difference in switching headphones, but these guys were game-changing. The volume was perfectly balanced, canceling out unwanted noise while not entirely deafening me to important things like oncoming traffic. The fit was perfect — even when I got really sweaty — so I didn’t have to stress about them falling out (which happens with my Apple ones all the time) and getting lost on the street. And the battery life could carry me through multiple marathons in one charge.
One of my favorite features, though, is the ability to just sync a single bud, leaving one ear completely open to the surrounding environment while the other enjoys whatever playlist strikes me at the moment. One of my biggest complaints about running with headphones, as well as running near other people wearing headphones, is how we all lose touch with what’s going on around us. We act inconsiderately, make stupid mistakes and even end up getting hurt sometimes. But this split experience made me feel way more aware, and while I worried that the listening experience wouldn’t feel balanced with just using one bud, I barely noticed once I got through a song or two.
Another transformative detail actually came at the end of my run during my stretching routine. For the first time ever, I didn’t have to deal with the wire connecting my phone to my ears. I always end up disconnecting my earbuds by accident or dropping my phone while holding a stretch, but with these buds, my listening experience continued without interruption as I cooled down. Now, I know any wireless headphone experience would have given me this same benefit, but it was just icing on the cake as far as that initial run was concerned.
Since I started running with the Jaybird RUN headphones, I’ve also added some plyometric intervals and strength training to the mix. For the longest time, I had to rely on whatever was playing on the gym stereo to get me through tougher moves because I didn’t want to worry about holding onto my phone or strapping it to my arm, then cranking through pushups. But these wireless headphones let me cruise through virtually any activity I want to do without a second thought.
The intention behind the design was to give runners a freeing listening experience, and after giving them a try, I can definitely say they deliver on that goal and then some. The headphones are liberating in virtually any exercise forum and are well worth their $180 price tag. And that’s coming from the latest of late adopters in the sport tech space.
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