Music players have been the jogging buddy of choice for Central Texans ever since the Sony Walkman became vogue in the early 80s. Although the Walkman concept has morphed into an Apple iPod or similarly small MP3 player, it is still common to see people running on the Lady Bird Johnson Hike and Bike Trail with headphones covering each ear. The trend is so popular that it's fairly common now in social circles to trade running playlists; a list of the songs on your device that inspire you when running. Running with music is a polarizing subject though. For the last few years, until January of 2009, it was illegal to run most road races while wearing headphones. Doing so could cause disqualification for the violator. However, the USA Track & Field amended Rule 144.3 to allow individual race directors to decide whether or not to allow the devices at their race.

According to a USA Track & Field news release : The rule had drawn passionate feedback from all sides, including from runners who hated the rule and runners who loved it; from volunteers who had seen the logistical difficulties of having participants wearing headphones; and from race directors who supported it and others who had had encountered logistical difficulties enforcing it.

Listening to music helps people check out from the boss, the TO-DO list and everything else the daily grind brings us. By thinking less and listening to their favorite music, many experience relaxation and the jog becomes much more enjoyable. This is the main fault race directors and others have with runners who wear headphones. By listening to music, they disengage with what is going on around them and can't hear warnings such as emergency vehicle sirens or other verbal communications.

A Place And A Time

Whether you're on one side of the debate or the other, everyone can learn a tip or two about when to jog or run with music.

• Number of runners. If you find yourself in a race or on the trail with a lot of people where you occasionally feel an elbow or see people darting in and out in front of you, this is not the situation to check out from reality listening to music. You'll need to hear other runners approaching and their verbal warnings.
  
  
• Speed. The faster people run, the greater chance someone will get hurt if there's a collision. The first mile of any race and, in particular one mile, 5K and 10K races, the starting line is exceptionally crowded and fast-paced. If you feel like you must have your music, line up in the back of the pack so you can see everyone in front of you.
  
  
• Races with music. Many of the races in Austin, including the Austin Marathon and Half-Marathon and those in the Rock-n-Roll series, provide bands along the race route.
  
  
• Stay to the far right. While getting tangled up with another runner may cause an injury, getting tangled up with a cyclist and his bike will most likely create an injury for one, if not both of you. If you run in the center of the trail you're creating a bad passing situation; one which the cyclist and runners have to make a decision to pass on the right or left of you. If you stay as far to the right as possible, you create the greatest possible passing distance.
  
  
• Do The Math. Unless you're the only person on the trail, your eyes and brain will have to work harder as your ears are busy listening to music. If you see three people approaching you on the trail and know there's only room for four of you, side-by-side, then anyone in back of you that needs to pass at the same time will have to: a) crash through and excuse themselves, b) slow down and wait for the blockade to disperse, or c) go off the trail to pass, which means they will be very upset at you or the others that blocked their path.

Used For More Than Music

As music players transform and are re-engineered as phones, as phones become video and still cameras, and it seems all of our gadgets are merging into a small, palm-sized computer, we are now able to take these devices with us everywhere, even the gym. While you may still see an occasional gym rat scribbling the number of reps and sets onto an index card or scrap of paper, more and more people are using digital devices to record, share analyze and archive for posterity their daily exercise routines. Whether you Tweet your workout to thousands of your followers or post what your doing to your Facebook page, sharing and analysis seem to be the two required features of fitness applications today.

We've taken a look at a couple of applications for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.

1. Lose It!

Cost: Free

Pros: Free can be both a pro and a con. It won't cost you anything but will you really get something useful? If you want to track calories eaten and expended, then free may be for you. Lose It contains a thorough library of foods with corresponding values.

Cons: Doesn't account for intensity of exercise. If you've ever entered specific data for food eaten you know it can be tedious. This will be the same for many applications out there for small devices.

2. GymGoal ABC

Cost: Free

Pros: The free version offers 280 exercises with animations and you can add your own images to any exercise. It also includes a variety of calculators, such as for target heart rate, BMI, BMR, and body fat percentage. An integrated body map of muscles lets you hone in on the specific area you would like to work and provides exercises designed for that muscle group.

Cons: As the name suggests, all the workouts are geared for use in a gym, with all the equipment you would find therein. There are very few workout routines and no cardio offerings.

3. iFitness

Cost: $1.99

Pros: This application is less expensive than your average fitness magazine and offers the added bonus of an electronic log for your workouts, offers tips for newbies on types of cardio and proper form and lets you select exercises by individual muscle. Many exercises can be done at home, with minimal equipment. Includes several specifically tailored workout routines (such as business travel workout and body toning for women).

Cons: Twelve routines are likely to get old rather fast, and though you can create your own, the process isn't as refined as it could be. Exercises are pretty standard, so there will be no surprises for the seasoned fitness fanatic.

Nike and iPod

By placing a sensor in your running shoe and connecting a receiver to the iPod, a huge amount of information can be gathered about the run. As you run, your device tells you your time, distance, pace, and calories burned. When your run is finished, connect your iPod to your Mac or PC, and your workout data automatically syncs to nikeplus.com. You can then share motivation with runners around the world. The kit comes with software that allows you customize workouts for storage and retrieval on another day. Try the open-ended workout or select one with time, distance, or calorie goals. Then pick your favorite playlist, shuffle songs, or choose Nike-created Sport Music. You can even program a certain song to play when you need instant motivation running up a grueling hill.