Apr 23, 2009 - Events    6 Comments

If Carlsberg Made Headphones

My London 10k Run (for Diabetes UK) is getting closer and closer and the so called exercise regime has really kicked in. I’m now down to only 3 cakes, 2 pies and only 1 Big Mac per day :)

OK, seriously the running and cycling are now a daily habit and going well, however I have a very serious problem. It’s not my knee, that will be strapped up on the day, but more important than that – my iPod chooooons!

I’ve almost finalised my playlist and have arranged a really crap song at the 1 hour mark – so I MUST finish before that kicks in. The problem I have is with the earphones!

The standard earphones that come with the iPod are now falling out every 30 seconds which is frustrating and distracting as hell especially when you’re running for close to an hour. I much prefer ‘in the ear’ type of things rather than the big over the head style.

When deciding on a pair of headphones I’ve got to remember that although a set of Etymotic ER6 Isolator iPod earphones would be nice, at over £100 it’s a bit expensive for something that will be covered in sweat, dropped and dragged along roads within a matter of days!

I also don’t want to be carrying any unnecessary weight with me, as I have enough of my own to lug around. Therefore the Soundlab A073 headphones, weighing it at a whopping 300g are out of the question… thats the equivalent of a bag of 10 doughnuts hanging off your ears!

If you still haven’t sponsored me but wish to do so, you can online with JustGiving. Please, at the very least, have a read of my sponsorship page. I promise it will open your eyes to the suffering endured by those with the disease. The truth is that even a donation of £1 will make a difference, so skip your Skinny Latte today and donate!

Does anyone have any suggestions on a cheapish, reliable set of earphones that will stay in my ear during a 10k run?

Suggestions thus far:

  • http://www.upthejunction.com John Cronin

    I suffer with this damned annoying problem too with my Sony ones.

    My easy-fix solution in the winter is to wear a beanie hat. Unfortunately I don’t have a solution for the summer. A running buddy uses sellotape but I think that looks daft !

  • http://www.webaffiliate.co.uk Chris Frost

    Hey John

    Not sure about tape on my ears, but I certainly use tape elsewhere since learning the hard way:
    http://www.justgiving.com/images/UserImages/UK/EGG/tape.jpg

    Also you can’t beat a big stick of lube!

  • Darian Moody

    Depending on if you consider £20-30 cheap, have a look at the Sennheiser CX range.

    CX300 or CX500, both solid in-canal rubber headphones that block out most exterior noise and also stay in your ear much better than those horrible plastic hard ones they ship with the iPod. :)

  • http://www.upthejunction.com John Cronin

    @frostie nipple rub ….very nasty !

    @darian thanks, I’ll have a look at those.

  • http://www.webgains.com Andrew Copeland

    I know you don’t like the over the ear ones but the Sennheiser PMX 80′s are really good. Otherwise the Sennheiser MX 85′s are really decent in ear ones.

    The problem I’ve found is that its not the actual in ear design which leads to the phones falling out while running…its the cord. If you clip the cord pretty high up (collar etc) then the weight of the cord between the earpieces and the clip is next to nothing so the bounce doens’t pull the phones out.

  • http://www.fishandclicks.co.uk Paul Wright

    Hey Chris, what run are you doing? Just put myself down for my first ever – http://www.fishandclicks.co.uk/affiliate-window-10k-run/

    That Nike plus gear looks pretty tasty. Might have to check that out.