No watch…

I would likely be described as old-school with my approach to running, at least in terms of technology. I don’t use Strava, I don’t have a GPS watch, I don’t have a heart-rate monitor, and I avoid taking my phone with me while running. (For that last piece of equipment, I should probably carry it for safety purposes but that’s another thing…)

It’s just pencil and paper for designing my training plans and races, and a watch and my noggin for remembering splits and intervals during a speed workout.

This may strike some as odd, for I am also fiercely competitive when it comes to running. I plan my race splits precisely, I design my speed and distance workouts carefully, and when I’m on the race course, there’s not a “fun” element. I’m going to push myself. Having more devices and programs to track my training and race performance would give me more detailed information. And yet, I still rely on a watch, pen, and paper for all of this.

A lot of people thrive on running data and technology, and though I don’t use it, in spite of what I’ve written above, I do think it’s a good thing. It tends to inspire and push people to improve their fitness or times, and to have something affiliated with their workouts that they enjoy evaluating.

Would I be a faster or better prepared runner on race day if I used more of the technology that’s available out there? It’s possible. Being able to trace a more sluggish run or speed workout to my heart rate being slightly different one day or my course having a barely perceptible difference in elevation change might guide my post-workout evaluations (typically a simple “Eh” or “Nice!”) to be more precise, instead of just grumping that I wasn’t faster. Being able to compare my training paces to other runners on Strava routes might give me a better sense of how my training is going from a relative standpoint. On the other hand, short of resting, eating intelligently, and being mentally prepared, we have very little control over exactly how we feel on race morning. Maybe using more running technology and drawing on the data that morning could give me better expectations, but even then you sometimes have a phenomenal race when you least expect it. You would hate to falsely lower your expectations when if you just relax and run, you turn in a better result than anticipated. This also happens in training. Many times I’ve shot off the front step like a rocket, only to falter later. Conversely, I’ve also started more slowly and ended up with a time that surprised me.

This past Saturday, without planning it, I left my watch at home when I went running. It felt good to hit the trail without any time-keeping mechanism whatsoever. While at the moment there’s no danger of my becoming too dependent on technology, it’s also liberating to get out and run unattached to anything.

There have been times when it was probably unwise to be off the grid. For example, I hit some trails on some flatland in north Boulder one hot afternoon. Once I was pretty far off the road, it occurred to me that if I had been bitten by a rattlesnake (and they do live out here), I would be in some serious trouble. Fortunately, that didn’t come to pass and I relished my run with nothing but my car key and a bottle of Gatorade.

If you’re aiming for specific times, technology (even if it’s just a watch) and careful planning will need to be a part of it. The planning part is certainly there for me. Yet, there’s also a place for just going out with no care but to cover your training run. Maybe you want a more relaxed pace without the possibility of a Strava route or your own course times inadvertently pushing you. Or maybe you want the thrill of a hard run without seeing your time. Regardless, though I will admit that more technology and data would likely help me out, leaving the watch and other technology behind has a place in the routine, even if only occasionally.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Hammer Gel Orange (Real Fruit!): Presumably there is real fruit in this and presumably it’s orange. Oddly, this didn’t taste exactly like orange. There was a hint of it, but while it was sweet and pleasant, I wouldn’t define it as orange. From an energy standpoint, it was good. I’d run the night before and used this over a six-mile run, during which I felt pretty good. No GI issues. While I wouldn’t grab it again for flavor, I’d be fine picking it up on a race course.