Friday, July 27, 2012

Taking a Break From Technology

I had a bit of an epiphany these last few days. Since Rock N Roll, I decided to take a few days off. I needed a mental break from the heat and the pressure I put on myself. This summer has been hot. The hottest summer in 70 years, to be exact. That doesn't really lend itself to PRs. Therefore, I've decided to take a break from my Garmin.

I depend on it too much. I let it control my workouts. I let it control how I feel about my run. I let it control me. I watched a recent interview with Ryan Hall where he said he's been training for the Olympic Marathon without a Garmin. He's been going by feel and pushing his body without worrying about how fast a particular split was. Coach Britt also did a post recently talking about the unreliability of Garmins and such. I've had some success running without my Garmin in the past, so I know it can be done.

I love my Garmin, don't get me wrong. We have a long history together with lots of great long runs, new distances, and PRs. However, I think it is time for us to spend some time apart. I love running and I want to get out there and remember why I love it. I also know that my Garmin will be there for me when I want/need it again.

And because it is Friday, here are a few GIFs to help visualize how I've felt this summer, and hopefully make you smile.

How I feel while running with my Garmin:
Source

While I feel while running without my Garmin:
Source
Happy Friday!!!

P.S. Have you checked out my interview with Dr. Andy Baldwin yet?

10 comments:

  1. YEAH! I'm a huge advocate of running by feel without the Garmin. I'd love to watch that interview with Ryan Hall... where did u see it? on Youtube perhaps?

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  2. I found it on RunnerSpace. I updated the blog to include the link but here it is too!
    http://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?video_id=73941-Ryan-Hall-Pre-Olympic-Google-Hangout

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  3. So are you actually NOT going to wear it, or just not look at it? LOL. I set mine on a screen that only shows overall times, sometimes, so I don't fret about pace. I still want my stats and map, LOL!

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  4. I was thinking about just running without it, but Maggie suggested clipping it to my shoe so I still get the data but I won't be looking at how I'm doing. I like this idea though--we'll see how it goes.

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  5. Probably a good idea. I am moving away from constantly looking at my Garmin during a run to check my pace. I think doing that has saved me from pushing myself too much when my legs were not ready to handle fast paces. However, I still need to wear it to track my daily/weekly mileage.

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  6. Britt @ Chicago Runner GirlJuly 27, 2012 at 2:06 PM

    this makes me a happy lady! ditch that thing for a while! you'll have some really freeing runs when you get back in it and it'll all start feeling like fun again. not to mention that icky watch tan will slowly begin to fade.

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  7. I am no means a veteran to running. I really only got back to running 4-5 months ago. So I downloaded and app for the phone to know times and miles. I hated it and won't use it anymore. I will use google to map my routes for me, but really I could care less how fast I run each time. I run by feel. If I feel good I push it if I don't I slowdown. I just don't want to have to worry about the clock so much. I will worry about it when I race. I think you can only go to war with the clock so many times. Plus I don't need to know the exact miles. Close enough is good enough.

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  8. I'm hoping to run with folks to get an idea with the mileage, but the more I think about it, the more I might just leave it at home. I don't want to know my pace right now. I just want to get out there and runnnnnn

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  9. Thanks Britt! That's what I'm hoping! I think it will be a good thing to just run to run for a little while. :)

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  10. I'm thinking I might try something similar. I am an exact person and I like to know my exact pace and my exact distance.... But right now, I'm thinking this relaxed approach is what I need. It takes the pressure off. Thanks!

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