Drop the Watch

Every once in a while you need to go on a run and leave the watch at home. One of my biggest running pet peeves is people who look at their Garmin or watch every 10 seconds to check their pace. Most runners have measured or approximated the 1-5 mile distances from their house. Once or twice per week, leave the watch at home at listen to how your body feels. If it's supposed to be an easy day, run at whatever pace feels comfortable. If it's a medium day, consider leaving the watch at home, start off easy and allow yourself to gradually pick up the pace on the way home. It's all about the miles and effort anyways.

Sometimes people get so carried away with hitting a pace that they run faster or slower than what their body is telling them. For instance, running 8 minute miles may be slower than what your natural gate is conditioned for. You stare at your Garmin for 80 minutes trying to maintain 8 minute miles right on the button with hopes of controlling your pace. Instead of an easy run, you are actually putting unnecessary pressure on your knees trying to slow yourself from your natural pace. The same is true of going too fast. If you workout calls for 10 miles at 6 minute pace, and your body isn't up for it, listen, and adjust accordingly, otherwise you will bonk or get injured. It's okay to adjust training plans to accommodate your body. Maybe running 6:15's would be a better call, and if you are feeling good, you can lift at the end down to 6's or below.

I was feeling a little sluggish today and decided to go run with the CdMHS kids. My initial plan was an easy 6-7 miles, because I didn't know how my knees would react (still a little sore from yesterday). We started off at the usual 8 minute mile pace, and about a mile into the run I moved to the front of the pack and started lifting the pace just a little bit, down to about 7:45. A couple of the varsity guys went with me and the rest of the pack started to follow. I started hearing some jeers from guys in the back looking at their Garmins telling us to slow down. Actually, they were telling the two varsity guys to slow down. After this went on for another mile I couldn't contain myself.

"Guys, every once in a while you need to leave your Garmins in the car and just go for a freaking run."

Silence. Then someone responded that Coach said 8 minute pace.

"Of course he did, but who is stopping you from going faster. You guys have the whole weekend off, you shit 8 minute pace. If you want to get faster, sometimes you just have to run faster."

And we're off! Pace dropped to 7:20's up front almost instantaneously, but it was just me and two kids, with the rest of the team about 100 yard back. We grouped up at a stoplight and ran together until the 5 mile turnaround in El Morro. I ended up going out the whole 5 miles because I would have felt bad taking guys out harder on a run, then turning around early. Fortunately, my body held up with no discomfort at all. On the run out of El Morro we pulled the pace back for a bit to make sure the team was grouped up, but one of the faster kids had to use the restroom so I stopped and waited. When he got out, he immediately upped the pace to try and catch the team, now about 3 minutes ahead, and for the last 4 miles, we averaged between 6:00 - 6:15 pace (estimation), and nearly caught the guys. The other guys had picked up their pace as well, good for them. Enjoy two days off guys!

Moral of the story: sometimes is ok to hammer, other times its necessary to rest, but either way, listen to your body, not your Garmin.

Total time for the run was 71 minutes - 10 miles.