and the guide was often speaking. However, I soon discovered that I was seated behind a couple of compulsive talkers and began listening as a way to tune them out. Worked out beautifully. If the scenery was all-absorbing or the guide spoke, I simply turned the Ipod off. I suppose I was doing something else (watching the scenery), but I wasn't physically active. Having been a competitive distance runner decades ago I found the article fascinating. Like many quoted, I'm divided. I can see it being a problem for the more casual runners if they miss directions and not paying sufficient attention to those around them. However, I can also see how great it would be to help with pacing (I used to have a teeny bit of paper taped to my watch with my split times)and focus. About Me I've been the editor in chief of The Horn Book, Inc, since 1996; previously editor of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and a children's and young adult librarian. Received my M.A. in library science from the University of Chicago in 1982 and a B.A. from Pitzer College in 1978.