Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Running Naked


This is what my Garmin screen looked like yesterday when I went to put it on for speed session.

Yes, I had charged it just the day before so it shouldn't have been flat. And I only went to put it on just before leaving so there was no time to charge it. I was going to have to go naked!! But just on my wrist because the world's not ready for the alternative.

I know that that wouldn't be a biggie for a lot of you but I like my numbers. I like seeing if I'm hitting my goal, which is to try to maintain even splits while running faster than I normally would on a regular run. I can feel great all day if I've had a good session. And how can I know if I've had a good session if I don't have any empirical data? And if I have no empirical data did I even run the session?

I'd had a good session last week. My watch had told me so. We'd started with a 3k which I did at 4:45 pace. Then it was a 2k and two 1ks and those three reps I'd done at 4:49 pace. Magically consistent! And I say magically because this almost never happens and certainly hadn't happened since I'd run Melbourne.

Despite my instinct, of just calling it quits and going back to bed before I even started, I decided to venture into this whole new world of running old-school. It wasn't an act of bravery or defiance, though. It was an act of duty. I had a birthday cake to deliver.

I asked him what flavour and he said chocolate. Too much?


It was weird not to press start when we began our warm up. And it was weird not to press the lap button every time I started and finished a rep. And it was really weird to not look down at my arm so I could work out how to feel. Should I feel happy because I'm running fast (for me)? Should I feel sad because I'm running slow but it feels hard?

I ended up settling for feeling slightly frustrated and pretty tired. Speed sessions always make me tired.
But I was strangely satisfied with it too because I went on to finish an extra kilometre even though I'd been given the option to stop. I may have gone a little bit over-time but no amount of encouragement from Coach Barry was going to get me to run that last 400m in 1:08.

Once the speed session was over you'd have thought the frustration would have been too but no - it followed me around for the rest of the day. I'd thought that I could at least record the distance I'd run in my log. Well I could have if I'd been able to remember how many reps I'd done. Lack of oxygen to the brain does strange things to my memory.

But the worst thing about this whole incident was not being able to look at how many calories I'd burned so I could eat some of the left-over chocolates from Ian's cake. Don't get me wrong - I still ate them. I just wasn't happy about the accompanying guilt which I wouldn't have had if my watch had been working.

I think I've worked out what the problem with the watch was now so hopefully I'll be fine for next week's session. And if not I may just have to ask Santa for an extra gift. I really hope my nice outweighs my naughty or that he's got a very short memory.



15 comments:

  1. Running naked is a bit unnerving, isn't it?! I need a new Garmin - mine won't keep a charge for more than an hour. Hopefully I'm on the nice list this year!

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  2. I hope that your Garmin isn't completely done for!!!
    I hate doing any run without knowing exactly how far and how fast.
    My husband is the complete opposite - he will say he ran about 30 minutes with no clue how far - weird!!
    That cake looks amazing - and worth about 5 hours+ of running for 1 piece.

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  3. I think with all those decadent cakes you've made for everyone, you've been pretty good and deserve a new watch from Santa.

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  4. My Garmin has been pulling stunts like that as well. I do fine Garmin free on all runs except speed work. I NEED the clock for that. Oooooh cake!

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  5. Nothing worse than when your Garmin carks it. I feel nakey nakey without mine :)'

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  6. I charged Mr Garmin for a race and as I unplugged him I didn't see that he turned himself on!!! so all night he stayed on and come morning... Well to say the least he missed out on an amazing run...

    But what about me? I struggled not knowing anything about the run, It was hard...

    As for running naked One day alone in the forest!!!

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  7. Hey now, it's good to try new things once in awhile. Shocks your brain and all that (without any electricity-near-water kind of moments)...keeps you on your toes. Unless you're a heel striker. Then you're in trouble.

    Shoot. Anyway, if you're any good at iPads, you're welcome to take a crack at mine. It too has been infected by "blank screen"...

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  8. I'm like you: I like my numbers and stats, not only with running, I love keeping stats for the walks over 30 minutes with Bella too and the time I did other exercises. I love my numbers. Having said that in 8 minutes is 9 over 10 on 11 12 13 LOL

    My Garmin once was dead because I stayed on after recharging it and ran empty. But the one I had before really died, I couldn't put it on and if I did it died a couple of minutes during the run. I hate it when that happens and I bought a new one immediately.

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  9. Only on the wrist...how disappointing! I must admit I enjoy running naked...on the wrist :) I think my total lack of speed make it OK to not have any data after a run.

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  10. I'm slightly numbers orientated as well, its the hardest thing for me to go naked even though I know its never FAST, it makes a difference to my psyche.

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  11. I hate it when my gadgets fail to work too. It's almost as if I haven't run if I don't know my numbers!

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  12. Oh no! We all have our "routines" with running and everything does sort of get out of whack when something goes awry. Glad you fixed your watch. I'd be grumpy if I had to get a new Garmin for Christmas :)

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  13. It's kind of like that whole "if a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to see it, did it really fall?" question. But with running. And electronic devices.

    YOU RAN. I would've been eating Ian's cake and claiming I dropped it while presenting him with a Coles chocolate mud cake. Well done you.

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  14. I have a love/hate relationship with my Garmin. I showed my son the cake - He's cutting weight for wreslting - but wants this in 68 days!

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  15. I began to run when the clocks didn't have memories to register the steps, only the finishing time. Now I cannot run without numbers and my Garmin.

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