The Rise of Technology in Running

When I started running.

It was 1999 or so, and I believe I was still using a486.

I started marathon training that winter, and got a similar watch for Christmas: aGarmin 305.

It could track any splits or laps I asked it to.

I could download my data after each run and see a map of where I had been!

A chart listing my time for each mile!

A graph showing exactly where I sped up or slowed down!

How Tech Can Interfere

Where theres a number, theres a temptation to improve it.

But some of us cant find a happy medium between obsessing and ignoring.

Take, for example, the average pace that apps commonly give you at the end of a run.

Which is why all those graphs and charts can interfere.

We have good days and bad days; we get injured and recover.

We hope and long for improvement.

My process starts with setting goals and deciding what numbers are worth tracking.

If youre not monitoring progress toward a goal, theres no point to tracking anything at all.

Ive tried different formats, but the one below is my favorite.

I leave space in between.

After each run, I write what Iactuallydid, even if its different than the plan.

Just for fun, I was also keeping track of my year-to-date mileage.

A smiley or frowny face next to each run helps me gauge how well the program is going.

Even then, I use my times as a reality check on the plan, not vice-versa.

The only numbers here are the ones that help me track progress toward my goals.

I either didnt track it at all, or didnt write it down.

Its simpler than a phone and less bulky than a running watch.

A wristwatch is good enough for most running tasks, but it excels at a few specific things.

One is super-short intervals.

When I run30-20-10s(one of my favorites!)

A simple watch is also the best tool for any time you really care about.

Ive found that the Robot Lady can be a little bit off in her prompts.

The one thing a cheap watch cant do is remember a whole workouts worth of lap times.

Sometimes precision isnt necessary.

Music, which makes boring runs better.

Then I only I write down the important numbersusually just the distancein my paper-and-pencil log.