Running has been my focus for the past couple months - even when I'm not running, I'm thinking about running. So far I've been running without music or headphones (and have written about it too) because I liked to listen to the sounds around me and not drown it all with music. Today, I broke that rule and created a playlist as I embarked on my personal longest run (total of 4.4 miles - can you believe that?!). A friend mentioned to me that maybe I need a distraction and so I tried music as the distraction. While I still believe that for my initial attempts at running it was a good idea to not have music, for the longer runs, music absolutely helps. Even if for 0.5% of the time, it distracts you from the pain, from the urge to stop and collapse, from the fact that you are still a loooong way from your target, and that in turn gets you closer to your goal.
I completely concur with the theory that when you are totally focused on something, having a distraction here and there helps you get out of your tunnel vision and then come back to the task at hand with renewed vigor. I remember my first mini at Tepper when I was trying to get all my coursework done and understand everything, no matter how much time it took. It was all fine and dandy, but a couple dinners and social outings here and there served as fine distractions that made me realize that the overall experience was not just academics. It is about listening to others' stories, getting inspired to do something more (and of course get all your homework done - but you get my point).
Bottom Line: In some weird convoluted way, distractions help you stay focused so welcome them
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