Training Tip Tuesday - "Don't Become A Slave To The GPS Watch!"

During the running boom in the 1970’s, running was gadget-free.  Pull up any running or racing photo from this era and what you don’t see are watch-laden wrists, arms strapped with iPhones, chests with heart monitor straps or headphones dangling from ears.  Today it’s rare to see a runner leave the house without one or more pieces of technology.

These devices provide an abundance of feedback and have changed our approach to running.  They make it easier and faster to track our training and racing, and to share this data with other runners around the globe.

While the availability of information is useful, it can also be overwhelming and distracting from our original purpose: going for a run!  There are times when it’s beneficial to leave your electronics at home and engage in your run without the diversions.  Many runners have become so focused on what their watch is telling them that they have lost contact with themselves. There are many people on this current team that find themselves guilty of this very same at times during their training.

When I started running, I had a simple Timex wrist watch and that was it.  The only instances that we were concerned about our actual time were during races or track workouts.  I learned over time what my effort levels were and how to appropriately pace myself.  This is such an important skill to have and allows an individual to truly find the value in tempo or steady-state workouts.  Knowing the feel of varying effort levels and intuitively recognizing them on a day-to-day basis will ensure you train correctly and are not overtraining.  Being in tune with your own body will allow you to quickly identify oncoming aches and irritation before they become a full-blown injury.

This concept also applies to racing as well.  Watch any professional athlete race and you can bet they know exactly what their body is doing.  The elites are very good at overriding those warning signals the brain sends to the body to slow down because they have spent many hours learning their strengths and weaknesses by feel and not by what a device tells them.

It’s time to leave the electronics at home when you:

• can’t stop looking at your watch throughout the entire run
• get upset if you aren’t hitting your day-to-day paces
• become too competitive with yourself and/or others on social media
• push to achieve a time/pace when extreme weather conditions, especially heat and humidity, dictate otherwise
• are taking downtime
• are returning from injury
• are a new runner and taking the time to learn the ropes
• are running in busy areas where wearing headphones might distract you

There will be times when a GPS or other device can be very beneficial, but also many times when it’s best to rely less on them.  Evaluate your routine and see if you fall into any of the categories above to determine if there is a desire or need to go electronic-free.  Even if you are disciplined enough while using electronics to your advantage, we could all benefit from keeping running simple and enjoying ourselves.