A month of just running.

Barefoot Gentile

Barefooters
Apr 5, 2010
1,947
1,226
113
53
Fairfield, CT
I ran a half marathon this morning, it was my second race that I didn't wear my garmin. I survived a month of running unplugged. I have not logged in one mile, opened my online training website, the garmin is packed away. The hardest part of this was not logging in my weekly miles, I just run by time now. This just started out as an experiment but has dramatically transformed the way I run now. I still have goals and strategies for races but it's all gathered together at the last minute. The world is very different now, everyone relies on some form of technology. It was time to remove any distractions from running and let it become natural.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NickW
Unplugged... I know exactly how you feel.
 
its a good feeling =)
And now its much harder for the secret shadow agencies to track your every move...lol
 
That's good!

I'm especially conscious now of people who have a wall of tech with them as they're running. They don't look up, over or around, it seems, and are so bloody distracted from the beauty of what we're out doing. Maybe it's because it a Nat'l Park and attracts a wide range of runners.
 
It's pretty funny. That's the way I always used to run, then last year I realized I could get distances using Google maps, and then at about the same time I was reading and commenting on BG's Running without Gadgets thread, I became interested in running faster and doing fartleks. So now I'm in my second week of using a Garmin for the first time, and really getting into it. But after I get a good feel for my different paces, I'll probably leave it at home most of the time. I think the most important thing is to run in a way that keeps you coming back for more. Right now, tech is helping doing that. When it no longer fulfills that role, I'll go back to the way I used to run, focusing on outrunning my demons, a perennial motivation.
But perhaps the best thing of all is that the guys in the van parked outside my house no longer have to tail me everywhere I go. That was really annoying. Plus my wife can verify my running routes independently when I get home. It was tiring trying to recall every sign and house color.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NickW and Zetti
But perhaps the best thing of all is that the guys in the van parked outside my house no longer have to tail me everywhere I go. That was really annoying.
Just remember to have a live feed going on your Facebook page with a turn by turn report.....that van wont even budge from the from of your house....lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bare Lee
I don't see running (or cycling) with a Garmin to be a terrible burden. I fire it up as I get changed and then strap it on as I leave the house. I'll glance at it a couple of times during a run or cycle, then spend 5 mins (?) uploading it to my PC when I get home.

Am I doing it wrong?
 
You need an HRM and a separate device for tunes, too. ;)

I don't see running (or cycling) with a Garmin to be a terrible burden. I fire it up as I get changed and then strap it on as I leave the house. I'll glance at it a couple of times during a run or cycle, then spend 5 mins (?) uploading it to my PC when I get home.

Am I doing it wrong?
 
I hate exercising with a HRM now. I did it for a while, but I found I needed it so tight to stop it slipping while I run, that it inhibited my breathing. Tunes went away ages ago because they mess up my cadence. I ran with audio books for a while, but I found I don't really need the distraction. Perhaps I'm already on the road to "unplugging" and I didn't even know it?
 
I hate exercising with a HRM now. I did it for a while, but I found I needed it so tight to stop it slipping while I run, that it inhibited my breathing. Tunes went away ages ago because they mess up my cadence. I ran with audio books for a while, but I found I don't really need the distraction. Perhaps I'm already on the road to "unplugging" and I didn't even know it?

Andy, I was going to reply to your post about how you can enjoy running again, and you are on the right path with this statement. Look at this as a clean slate, you already have the tools, just apply them differently this time. In your post you said you had some runs that tortuous because of a training plan, but the great ones when you just left your door, somewhat like that. Just run now, work on form issues if needed, have fun with it You will love running again! Cheers!
 
I personally run with all the devices some days, and without anything on other days. Just depends. I really fail to see this as a big deal. I can enjoy nature about the same either way, perhaps listening to music would be the only real distraction, and usually welcome. If I were running in the grand canyon or something like that I would definatly favor running unplugged, but around the roads here, or even at the local 'park', it makes little difference. I guess if it makes a huge difference for ya then more power to ya.

Bare Lee - I use google maps too to plan some new routes every once in a while. I like doing loops so I'll map em out on google using the different roads around here. Last one I did google showed 9.1mi and the garmin recorded 8.9 so close enough for me. The 10% per week thing has worked well for my gradual bf milage increases, and garmin & google has really helped with that atleast.
 
Last one I did google showed 9.1mi and the garmin recorded 8.9 so close enough for me.
Yah, I've found that Google is a little more generous than Garmin too. A while ago I used Google Maps to map out something like 30 different routes from my house and along the lake, river, and boulevard paths nearby (I live in St. Paul, on the border with Minneapolis), from 2 miles to 15 miles in length.