Running without Gadgets

I had been considering running without gadgets for a while now, partly for safety reasons - as a women runner, this is something I do take seriously and, when out running on my own, I always make sure my music is turned down low enough to hear any approaching cars - and partly due to having read an increasing number of articles debating the 'inner peace' which a gadget-free run can apparently induce. It was, however, quite a big leap for me to go from 'considering' this in a 'maybe I really should try that'  kind of way to an 'I will actually do it' way! All of my runs to date had been accompanied by a wide range of gadgets, including my MP3 player, fully loaded with all my favourite running tracks to suit every possible pace, my Polar heart rate monitor and, my most prized possession, my Garmin 205. Not that I really knew how to use most of these - I would spend each run constantly checking my speed and measuring my distance, glancing in a 'knowledgable' way at my heart rate as though all the random numbers actually meant something to me (which they did - I'm just not sure what!). Then, as soon as the post run stretches were out of the way, I would settle on the sofa with a cup of tea and my laptop, plug in all possible gadgets and let my inner geek take over as I gazed fascinated at all the graphs and numbers plotted on the screen. And it was great! I could see speed, distance, elevation, maps of my routes, compare weeks and weeks of training and see time spent in each 'training zone'. All complete gibberish to me (I really must read up about how to actually use heart rates and training zones as I'm sure it would be useful to me now that I've started interval training!) - in fact the only bit I really understood was calories burnt - something which I could very quickly convert into numbers of chocolate bars! But, despite being clueless, I loved it all. So, how did I go from this to ditching my gadgets? Well, all it took was one gadget-induced disaster of a run...!

A few days ago, I carefully attached all the usual gadgets and headed out for the weeks steady run. All went well for the first couple of miles as I steadily jogged along to the sound of Emili Sande (not my normal running sound track and a bit mismatched to my pace, but a fab album!), happy to be out despite the drizzling rain that had started just as I left. Then, one-by-one, my gadgets started to pack up. First, the heart rate monitor suddenly decided I was dead. Try as I might, I could not convince it that my heart really was still beating (rather fast actually as I had over-paced myself a little at the start). Ok I thought, not a problem. I can live without knowing my pulse. And so I carried on...

5 minutes later, my MP3 player - a very old and cheap (but very small and lightweight, which I like) Sony version - somehow got stuck on repeat. There is only so many times that you can listen to 'Next to me' however good it is, and so, slightly frustrated, I slowed down slightly to fiddle with the settings. Whilst doing this (it was night time, in my defence, and the screen does not have a light), I managed to snap the clip off the back, meaning I could no longer re-attach it back onto my top the way I normally have it. I also, having my head down and concentrating on changing the song, ran head first into a lamp post. So, slightly dazed, and still listening to Next to me - and therefore still frustrated, I gave up on the music, switched the device to pick up the local radio and went to zip it into the back pocket of my tights. Unfortunately, this is the pocket I also keep my key in.. and yep, in fiddling around putting the mp3 player in, I somehow managed to get said key out. And not notice. Great.

Anyway, oblivious to the fact that I now had no house keys, I carried on for another 5 minutes. Just long enough to start sweating - which my earphones (not proper sports ones) decided to use as an excuse to start electrocuting me! Ouch - although I have to say this does make you increase your pace, if only for  second as you leap forward in suprise! And then, just to top things off, the battery of my garmin died. Along with most of my will to carry on running, and my love of gadgets!

So, for yesterdays run - still feeling decidedly grumpy at my gadgets - I headed out without a single one :-) And actually, I have to say, it was rather nice! It was the first time I have really paid proper attention to my surroundings - I am lucky to live in a gorgeous part of sussex, so this help to distract me just as much as the music did. I was also much more aware of how my body felt during the run - very useful to me as I use how I feel as a guide to whether its a tempo/ easy/ steady pace, rather than my actual speed. And as for inner peace... well, I'm not sure about that, but I did sort out a lot of things I had been putting off thinking about (mostly work!) and used the time for planning - resulting in a much more efficient me at the end... heres hoping all this new-found efficiency leads to a pay rise ;-) The only thing I did miss was knowing my mileage - not having my Garmin meant that I had to plan my route and stick to it to be sure I was getting the right number of miles in, and I find it miuch nicer to be able to see a path, think 'I wonder where that goes...?' ... and then find out! So the Garmin may sneak back onto my wrist, even if its not for every run!