GEAR LOVE: BONE CONDUCTION HEADPHONES; SAFE AND SECURE

Taken by PKSenagore May 5, 2020.

IN-EAR IPHONE-STYLE EARBUDS DON’T STAY IN MY EARS unless it’s cold outside and I am wearing earmuffs that, in addition to keeping my ears warm, help hold them securely in place.  This situation is a double-down on a potentially unsafe practice, especially in high traffic situations on city streets and isolated areas in which muggings might occur.  
 
Wearing the in-ear ‘marshmallow’ style or 'jelly' (silicone) buds is similarly risky for me, drowning out sounds that I might need to hear to stay healthy and whole. Plus, they tend to make annoying squeaking sounds when worn in my ears (anybody else have this problem?). 
 
Whether listening to music while exercising is good or harmful for the body and soul is not the issue here.  It could be a topic for debate if you feel strongly about being mindful of physical signals during workouts versus needing tunes to increase or maintain pace activity.
 
It’s about wearing a headphone set that can help with accessing a phone or device for any number of reasons. Sometimes I listen to app updates on pace and mileage during training runs/walks that require multiple changes over the course of a session. Other times I listen to audiobooks, especially on long easy runs.  Most times I want to be alerted when family or friends attempt to connect.
 
Whatever your reasons for needing headphones, a bone conduction set may work when other types don’t deliver good results, under circumstances in which high-quality music sound is not terribly important and awareness of outside situations is wise.

The Aftershokz™ Air set I recently purchased employs Bluetooth™ technology, which allows amazingly easy listening and phone conversations without in-ear components or dangling microphones  I haven’t tried other brands (or wired versions) and am not offering an endorsement of Aftershokz™ products over others. This set works well enough for my purposes. 

Now I can look forward to a summer of running/walking in weather nice enough that  earmuffs won't be necessary.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://www.health24.com/Fitness/News/5-reasons-you-shouldnt-exercise-with-headphones-20180122
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https://news.soulrunnner.com/best-conduction-headphones-2020
 
https://aftershokz.com/​