Monday, May 6, 2013

May (No) Garmin Challenge

Marathon training (or even half-marathon training, for that matter) is all about increasing your mileage, bit by bit, so your body doesn't freak out on you when you try and convince your legs that you can, in fact, run 26.2 miles. Marathon training with a goal race, goal pace, goal time in mind is all about nailing those runs - not only that mileage, but nailing every goal pace run, tempo run, speedwork session and even those 'easy' runs to ensure that you're on target to where you're supposed to be to nail that sub-2 goal.

I did that. I did all those things. I nailed runs, nailed speedwork most certainly, and watched as every Garmin lap got faster and faster. And sub-2 didn't happen. And since then, I have crashed and burned.

I'm burned out.

Admitting it is the first step, right? I'm burned out on training, on schedules, on a plan, on times, paces, charting, planning and mapping every run, and making sure I'm not letting myself slack (too much). I've been in a training plan since August, when it first set up into Wine and Dine (and what would become AthHalf) training which bled into marathon training. Save for taking nearly all of February off, I jumped back in in March with two halfs and then six solid weeks of goal-race insanity.

I'm burned out.

 I miss when I was giving myself the freedom to just run. Run to be free, run for stress relief, run because it was raining and it is fun to run in the rain, and run just for the hell of it. I took Molly on a jog this morning, a whole mile and a half of it, and all I could think was, "I wonder what our pace is with the pup in tow?" instead of enjoying a gorgeous morning with my fur-kid by my side.

And with that, friends, I bring you my May self challenge: digital-free running. Here until (at least) May 31. No Garmin. No iPhone. Me, my shoes, and occasionally, Molly. I need to revisit when I ran for the sake of it, and because I could, and because I didn't care about nailing 1:40 400s or 9:09" miles. I won't lie - this will be quite the challenge, as I've grown so accustomed to having my Garmin on my wrist and have almost become neurotic in checking my mile time every time it beeps. 

No, it's time to run just because I have the health and strength to do so. I'll check in every week with some random on-goings and let you know how it's going. 

Do/have you given yourself the freedom after a goal race (or even just accomplishing a race) to go digital free and just be? How hard is it for you to run without something telling you your pace, your time, your distance?



20 comments:

  1. I know EXACTLY how you feel! I'm not a runner, but I talked about this recently. I packed mine away for a week - and I'm thinking I should do it for the whole month. Want some company? ;)

    http://www.fridaylovesong.net/2013/04/move-your-ass-monday-moving-less-why-i-packed-my-polar-away/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amanda, I'd love for you to join me! It might make this concept easier. :) Thanks for stopping by and sharing the no-digital love. Let's get back in the groove this month!

      Delete
  2. I usually do this when I finishing marathon training to put the focus back on my love of running :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm realizing what a great idea it is. Granted, I'm on day 2, but I can already see why it makes so much... SENSE. And why I need to take a backseat and just let running happen without being in a training plan of any kind. Time to re-focus and find that love again. :)

      Delete
  3. I love this! Good for you! I am so tethered to my Garmin and I've been running with for so long that I don't even know how to run without it. How sad is that? I get so upset when my Garmin dies in the middle of a run. I also am so dependent it for distance. I will try to run a familiar route Garmin free just for you. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, I look forward to hearing about this Garmin-free run! I'm kind of ... shocked (?) at how quickly I got attached to mine. I haven't even had it a year yet and it's already so weird to run without it. I'm hoping I can learn to cut the tie, or at least loose the lanyard, so that I can get back to basics. After all, I ran without it for nearly two years, and just used my iPhone apps. Surely I can make this work! Thanks for the love!

      Delete
  4. I rarely run without my phone which has my running app that tracks my distance, time, and pace. The accountant in me can't handle not knowing the numbers. I get very bitter when my phone dies in the middle of a run and stops tracking...I'll get home and get on a computer and finish tracking for it! However, I can see the advantage of leaving it behind....my advice is to start taking the pup. Maggie is the one constant that makes my running enjoyable. I don't know what it is about that dog but she just makes me smile. Her excitement just to go outside and sniff or just run really rubs off on me and makes me want to go further because she's so happy and content just being outside. Then when I come home from running in 95 degree weather and lie on the floor in front of a fan, she sits and licks all the salt off me and it just makes me smile :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She's going to become a regular fix on my runs - it started yesterday with my first Molly Monday! I'm going to try and get her out at least twice a week with me. She's not too sure about it yet I think. :)

      Delete
    2. She will learn to love it! Maggie gets really sad and whiny if I leave her behind and Jon doesn't play with her.

      Delete
    3. I hope she gets to that point! Though I know she's fully content laying on my bed with her head on the windowsill and watching the action through the window. But I hope she'll get up and be a super runner with me!

      Delete
  5. This is a great idea! I have only just begun to increase my running and mileage lately, but I want to enjoy it more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sarah! I am looking forward to it, even though it's definitely a mental challenge. I'd recommend making sure you take time to run free without any bells and whistles (if you do). I hope this month works out for me! Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  6. You're absolutely doing the right thing.

    My breakdown during last year's Philly Marathon was entirely a product of work-related stress. The signs are probably familiar to you: running becoming a chore instead of a release; short runs feeling hard; a constant struggle to hit paces, as opposed to relaxing and doing what feels good. It took three solid months--one of which was nothing but yoga--to start pulling myself out. It wasn't until March of this year that I truly emerged from the stress cocoon I'd built for myself. At least until I injured my IT band at the end of April, I posted two of the most productive training months to date, culminating in my fastest tempo run and a 10K PR.

    As good of a thing as running is, there is still such a thing as too much. *Enjoy* the flexibility of the offseason. Your body will let you know when it's ready to jump back in again :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Shannon! I'm a little antsy right now, like all I want to know is my pace, but I know I'll settle back into that place where I didn't know what the heck I was doing or how fast. I look forward to being able to recuperate, for sure. Thanks for the support - I'll keep you posted!

      Hope you're getting to feeling better!

      Delete
  7. i love, love this! soo very excited for you and your garmin-less wrist:) it is super easy to just jump from training plan to training plan and race to race then wake up one day totally burnt out. huge that you realized it and even bigger that you are being proactive about it! cant wait to see how it goes:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks KB! It's making me a little antsy right now but I hope I'll settle into it and it'll become more 'normal' to run without all these gadgets. Just gotta ride out the wave and see where it goes. Looking forward to it, at least for now! :)

      Delete
  8. I think unplugging from your Garmin is a great idea - especially if you're burned out. You might even consider taking some time off running in general and try something new. That's what I did with crossfit and by the end of the month I couldn't wait to get back on the pavement.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it'll be a great idea too - I just need to get out of the place in my head (where I currently am) of wanting to know all these times and splits and BLAH. Maybe I will find a new routine - that would definitely allow me to re-focus. Thanks!

      Delete
  9. I was in training from last August until the end of March - I can totally relate! I was just burned out so for April, I only ran when I felt like it & didn't worry about 'times'. I started doing the 30 Day Shred & some other fitness routines and while I really enjoyed it, I can already feel that running back coming back.

    Good luck with the No Garmin challenge - you're going to do great! And I bet youll be faster for it when you come back to training. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Tamara! Per Gina's comment above, I may look into trying something new and random - who knows what that will look like, but maybe it'll allow me to divert my attention. I'll be keeping y'all posted - who knows what this will turn out to be!

      Delete