When a friend’s sister recently told me that they listens to podcasts while running, I was intrigued, but also skeptical. How do you run with no beat? How can you daydream about made-up situations that probably will not happen without inspiring music? (I am inclined to spend the majority of my runs fantasizing by what I’d do if I ever won the lottery, which just seems to pair really well having a Beyonc soundtrack.) But not much later, when another friend mentioned he completed one half marathon while listening entirely to podcasts, I figured it was worth trying.
“Getting involved with an excellent podcast makes the time go faster during your run, since you are not just watching the time slowly pass,” says Jenn Mathis, a regional fitness director from Gold’s Gym. “They also permit you to multi-task during a workout, since strengthen your body and mind simultaneously.”
Here, eight podcasts that can help those miles fly by.
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The Moth has existed as a not-for-profit program since 1997, and includes both its public radio show (“The Moth Radio Hour”) and accompanying podcast. Episodes feature stories that usually touch upon an identical theme, for example ghosts or “women in the world.” The stories are read aloud by real people in front of the live audience, which makes it simple to get swept up in the words.
Subscribe on iTunes, or listen to countless old episodes around the Moth App (on iTunes and Google Play).
If the first season of Serial is the only podcast you have ever paid attention to, you may remember that This American Life is its parent show. Each episode covers a different theme, that is performed via a mix of journalism, essays, or comedy. The show includes a handy Favorites Page, an excellent place to start listening if you’re new.
Subscribe on iTunes, or purchase archived episodes on Amazon MP3 or iTunes.
The Modern Love Podcast is an offshoot from the weekly New York Times series of exactly the same name in which readers submit original essays about love. The podcast readings are carried out by celebrities and other public figures-in the newest episode, the actress America Ferrera reads Mara Gordon’s essay in regards to a date in Tanzania.
Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.
The most popular business podcast on iTunes boasts more than 60 million (!) downloads. In every episode, Tim Ferriss, a business owner and also the author of The 4-Hour Workweek, interviews a different successful person in to deconstruct their habits, routines, and just how they’ve gotten where they’re.
Subscribe on iTunes or FeedBurner.
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Health‘s digital deputy editor Christine Mattheis is a fan of the podcast, which she often listens to during workouts. “It’s entertaining and helps me focus on something other than how tired I’m,” she says. Narrated by Starlee Kine, each episode centers around a different “mystery” that requires not only a quick web search to resolve. In one episode, Kine set out to determine Jack Gyllenhaal’s height; in another, she found who owns permission plate that read “I LUV 911”.
Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.
There are 27 episodes to date in comedian Michael Ian Black’s audioshow, each an in-depth interview with an “amazing” public figure. Recent guests include big names like Amy Schumer, Tavi Gavinson, Tom Colicchio, Nate Silver, and Megan Mullaly.
Stream episodes on amazon.com/amazing, or listen through the Audible app, that is on iTunes, Google Play, and Windows.
You know those great works of literature that you’ve always meant to read, or kind of skimmed in high school English class but did not really process? Each week, hosts Andrew Cunningham and Craig Getting read and dissect one such “overdue” book, from Flowers in the Attic to Les Miserables.
Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.
The title says it all: Adam Davidson and Adam McKay spend each episode of their podcast discussing random things that you may be surprised to discover are actually pretty awesome. Prepare to possess a newfound respect for adhesives, frequent flyer miles, and pigeons (yes, really).
Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify, or listen online.
