The New York Times weighs in on some sites that make music specifically for running.

I have to say, I love running to music, so this list has some options I need to check out.  I know some folks are adamantly anti-iPod, but I do really love the boost music gives me.

Here are some tips, though, on how not to be a douche when running with an iPod:

- Nobody wants to see your guts on the roadway.  If running on the side of the road, either take your earbuds out altogether, or take out the one facing the road so that you can hear everything going on.  (I know you are technically supposed to run facing traffic, but some roads around here have more space on the with-traffic side of the road, so hearing both cars and bicyclists is important.)

- The same goes for high-traffic areas at races.  If running across the Golden Gate Bridge in a race situation, for example, I’ll take out my left earbud and stay closer to the right (since I’m not the swiftest) so that I can be sure to hear people coming up behind me.

-Would you drive on the freeway with earplugs? Then don’t run on a track with an iPod.

- Not everyone thinks The Brady Bunch was a seminal artist in the development of post-Beatles musical America.  Keep it turned down to a reasonable level even if you are running off-street.

- If a really crappy song comes on your Shuffle, that’s YOUR fault, not mine.  Don’t screech to a hault in the middle of the path to dig your iPod out of your shorts and find something you like better.  Wait until you can pull off the trail responsibly to fix it.  (And, yes, you CAN survive without it- my iPod froze or something halfway through the Emerald Across the Bay and I had a lovely time without it.  Didn’t stop to see what the problem was.  Try it, you might like it!)

- Consider making a playlist specifically for your races, with slower songs upfront to keep you reigned in in the beginning and with realy adrenaline-thumpers when you think you’ll be at tough spots like hills or boring out-and-backs.

- If you lock your iPod, it won’t get progressively louder from bouncing around in your shorts.