Of more interest to me, is my running independence. Today I decided to stop being a slave to my GPS watch and heart rate monitor. Yes, I've said this before on this very blog. This is my 917th blog post so there is room for changing values and training plans. I'll let you search for my past rants. There are plenty. Often, those previous rants and supposedly passionate commitments didn't last long. Maybe this one won't either, but it's a bit different.
I will continue to monitor all my regular running statistics, but I won't set any watch alarms for pace, distance, or heart rate. And, I'll simply let my watch record behind the scenes as I have it set to display "time of day" and nothing else. I'll run by instinct. The old "go as a I feel" running program. I want to be more in tune with my body. Less with my mind. It's about enjoying the run, not improving. It's about feeling good, not training for maximum efficiency. Walk when I want, sprint when I feel it. Skip days when I'm not up to getting outside. Not sure how this will impact my racing, but I'm pretty darn sure it'll help my overall running...and likely increase my happiness.
I was catching up on my running magazines this weekend. The May/June 2015 issue of Running Times struck a chord with me. The editor's note talks about becoming a running hedonist...
"People will continue to find ways that our obsession (with running) might be bad for us. But rather than argue, let's just own our excess. Let's be running hedonists, charging blissfully over miles and mountains. Running is bad for my health? I don't care. Running is good for my life."
Indeed, running is good for me. Maybe it brings health and fitness too. But it certainly brings more happiness to my life. Why should I measure my running successes with metrics derived from my fancy GPS watch? How about just feeling my run and judging my success based on that sense of being in the moment? On this Independence Day, I declare freedom from my watch and artificial metrics. I will run for me. I will run free.
Care to join my new hedonistic lifestyle? Run free, my friends. Run free.
2 comments:
Hey, Chris! You might find this book interesting, given your new approach. I've read it cover to cover a few times, and I always get something out of it. Happy running, and I'll see you at Howl!
http://www.amazon.com/Run-Simple-Minimalist-Approach-Well-Being/dp/1594161623
I have that e-book already! It's a good one that I need to read again. Even more simple than my plans. Thanks for the suggestion.
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