Last week, I was getting ready to go for a run, went to grab my Garmin…and it wasn’t there. At first I was puzzled. Then I had a mad search all over the house for it. Then I gave up, thinking, ‘It’s probably good for me to run without GPS for a change’.
It was good for me. Good in the sense that I had no idea how attached I was to my Garmin and having to know my pace and distance until I went out sans technology. I looked at my bare wrist way more often that I would have guessed I usually check my watch. I probably should have known – I mean, I’m the kind of runner who without fail sometimes pauses my Garmin when stopping for water.
Also? Since I knew I’d miss it, I figured I’d go all out and not wear a regular watch, either. Or even look at the time when I left. So I was running totally in the dark. I know I did 4 miles and change. I do not have any idea how long it took, or if my splits were negative or positive.
So, how was it? Weird at first. I kept raising my wrist, then remembering it was naked. Then, it was actually kind of…awesome. The marathon training program I’m starting in 2 weeks advises that until it starts, I should slow my regular run pace down significantly, to get me used to running the long run pace during training. I kind of tried that a week ago when I did a 3-mile warm up run on the treadmill before doing strength training, and found it excruciatingly slow (although that may have been because I find treadmill running so boring and a slow, static pace really exacerbated that).
This time, out on the road, just a girl and her sneaks, I went out slower than I thought was normal for me and just tried to keep it at that super easy pace. If I had done it with my Garmin, I would have been checking my pace at least a couple of times each mile to make sure I was keeping it at the right speed. It felt good to listen to my body instead. I relaxed, I focused on my breathing. Even the hills didn’t feel awful.
Then I came home and felt a little lost. If a girl goes for a run without GPS – did the run really happen? Um, my body says says yes, but my online run tracker says, ‘Hell, NO, you didn’t run today!’ I bought a paper journal for tracking my marathon training (old school!!) but I’m not going to start using it until the actual training plan begins. And anyway, what would I have written in it? Went for a run – 4 miles (ish). Took me a period of time. Felt good.
Moral of story? I think I need to do this more often. At least for recovery runs, or maybe on rest days when I don’t have to run, I think it will be a good way to get back to really listening to my body when I’m running.
Oh, and my Garmin? My son Roman had helpfully packed it in Fran’s suitcase for a business trip he went on last week. Lucky he’s cute.
Do you ever run without GPS?
Do you ALWAYS run without GPS?
Is there another piece of technology you’d be lost without?
I just got a Garmin for Mother’s Day so I’m fairly new to running with one. (although I’m a huge treadmill runner and that is sort-of the same with distance/pace). I like my Garmin but don’t know if I want to keep it set for a certain pace – yesterday it kept beeping and saying “behind pace” “on pace “ahed of pace” – sort of annoying!!
Your son is super cute – glad that your Garmin was found!!
You can totally change that pace reminder, Kim! I never have that on because I find it equally annoying. 😉
I have been running long distances for over 40 years and have never once worn anything but a watch. There’s no reason. I have seen many podiums in my running “career” – it’s certainly not necessary!
I’m thinking once I start logging my training with pen and paper it won’t be as necessary, but the last time I trained for the marathon, I got so sick of running endless short loops of the park and it was so handy for just doing an out-and-back without having to map it all first!