At last... running with cordless headphones.

This past weekend, I took advantage of the beautiful weather and went for my first long spring run (10 miler). I don't mind running in the cold, but it is rather hazardous to try and run on the roads here in Maryland with all the snow, ice, and salt we've been having lately.

More importantly, it was a great chance to try out all the new running gadgets I had gotten for Christmas. I have used them sporadically over the last few months, but this was the first extended run I did using all my new toys.

I hate running with headphone cords... they are either too long, too short, they get in the way or they keep hitting your body as you run. Also, there is the whole issue of where you wear your music player (in my case, an iPod Nano). When bluetooth running headphones first came onto the market a few years ago, I looked into them but was scared off by the ridicously high price. Last year though, the prices had dropped into a reasonable range, and I decided to ask for one for Christmas.

The Motorola MOTOROKRS9, in conjuction with the Motorola DC650 Bluetooth adapter for iPod, lets me run with my headphones cord free. They fit reasonably well around my ears (they wrap behind your head) and they are not that heavy. It has a sturdy rubber coating, including a removable flap that protects the micro USB charging port. What remains to be seen is what effect long term and repeated sweat will have on it. One interesting thing about the S9 is that it will also work as a headset for your Bluetooth phone. As I like to run with my phone on long distance days, I was pleasantly surprised to have my music stop one time and ring to announce an incoming call. Which is great, because I never ever feel or hear my phone ringing or vibrating when I'm running.

As for the DC650, it's easy to install. Actually, all you do is start the song on your iPod, press pause, insert the adapter into your iPod charging port (the iPod actually powers the adapter, so you will definitely see reduced battery performance) and voila, music will start playing on your headphones, cord free! (Of course, remember to turn your headphones on).

Speaking of running with music, for years I avoided running with any type of walkman or MP3 because I tended to start running in time with the beat - and generally it was hard to find a successive playlist of songs that kept you at a steady rythm. A few years ago I disovered this podcast on iTunes called Podrunner, and it has completely changed the way I work out with music. It's run by DJ Steve Boyett, and he has free music mixes (mainly techno, but with the occasional vocal mix thrown in) and the music is set in ranges all the way from 130-180 RPM (he also has gradual increase mixes as well as interval mixes). I find that my comfortable running range is between 143-148 BPM. I encourage you to visit, and if you like what you see, to donate to DJ SteveBoy as he provides these mixes for free.