Ever since I started running 8 years ago I've been a data addict: how many miles did I run, what was my pace, my time, and so on. I even keep a log with all this info. For a while I was also monitoring my heart rate, not just while running, but also tracking how long it took to get back to "resting". I was keyed into having access to instant data. The app on my phone would announce mile markers, pace, total time, heart rate and what ever other metric I could find. For a while I was drilling down to quarter mile increments. I was getting so much information through my earbuds that I couldn't keep track of it all through my aerobic haze. It was information overload - it was nuts and absolutely not conducive to running well.
So after recovering some sense of sanity, I throttled back to just having my app announce mile markers and I would then note my current pace status on my running watch (a $19 Timex... nothing fancy). However, I do still keep a log of my miles, splits, and overall time... That data-geek side of me is still with me.
A couple of weeks ago I turned off the announcements from my app. It still tracks my miles, route, pace, and overall time, but I no longer had anything barking in my ear. I'm also still timing my run with my watch, but I'm not looking at it until I've finished my run. And an odd thing is happening - I'm just running... It is awesome.
I'm running at whatever pace feels right for the distance I am going to do that particular day, i.e. a quicker pace if I'm going for a short run, or a slower starting pace if I am going long. Intuitively I can feel that I am negotiating with myself about speeding up or slowing down, and yet I seem to settle into a pace that literally just works. And my pace overall is a bit quicker, and obviously my overall times are better. And I'm not totally sure why.
Previously when I was tracking my splits I was having my app ping me every 1/2 mile, and as a result I had a pretty good idea how I was doing. So, I'm wondering: if for some reason I was off my pace (running slower), did I subconsciously and for no good reason increase my anxiety levels which in turn pushed me into increasing my effort to make up for being off-pace? There is nothing seemingly wrong with that, yet perhaps I was getting into a "speed up/slow down" cycle that was not the best recipe for a good run. In other words I was too focused on running an expected pace. I have realized that if I was running faster than whatever pace I was expecting, I incorrectly assumed that I was suddenly superman and try to run even faster, which almost always had bad results...
I've tried to use all of my available information for planning my various races, usually for events that were 8 or more miles in length. I would literally work up my targeted splits, use a Sharpie to write them on sports tape that I would then tape to my forearm, and then try to run to those goals. Hey, there are companies that will make you a specific bracelet with your splits for marathons and HM's! Therefore it must be a good idea, right? Except in my case, sometimes I was able to run my "plan", and more often, not :-).
So now I'm trying to run by feel... for example, today I ran 7 miles, and my goal was to run it at a good pace - not a race pace, but a good reasonably fast pace, i.e. no dawdling (is that a word?). I didn't do anything special other than start running and visualizing my course and how far I had to go. I never felt the urge to run faster or slower, I just ran with the thought that I had an approximate distance to go to my finish. I like to run my last mile as hard as I can - and without knowing exactly where my Mile 6 was, I had to take a guess and go for it - and it all worked.
Now the next question for myself is, am I willing to run an event, like a HM, without tracking my pace? It's one thing to run a 12 or 14 mile training run without watching my pace, but if I'm looking to do well in an actual race, can I execute well without my electronic help?
I donno..... Stay tuned. We'll find out soon.
