Running With No Watch = A Win
Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 1:25 PM | Dena Harris Last week I blogged about my plan to run Cannonball's half-marathon sans watch. I ran the race this morning and am happy to report the experiment was a success. I logged a PR of 1:46:47 and felt great the entire most of the way.
I didn't really have a plan. I maybe went out a little faster than I needed to but when I caught myself doing some speed work around mile 3, I reeled it in. (Mental lecture: "I'm glad you feel invincible but it's only mile three, lame brain. Conserve.") After that, when I felt good, I ran fast. When I was tired, I slowed down. I even walked once or twice. And contrary to the mental freak-out I thought might occur, I luh-uh--uved not knowing my pace. Since I didn't know, it didn't matter. Fast, slow... whatever. I was just out there running.
Now, in all fairness, the course is an out and back which means you get to see where people are on the field. I knew I was behind the people I was supposed to be behind and ahead of the people I expected to be ahead of, so I did have some idea that I was on target. I also felt like I was running a decent pace, but I knew I wasn't killing myself. I was thrilled when I came up the final hill (curses on Scott Bassett, race director, and his uphill finishes) and saw the clock read 1:47:something. I had my girls there, cheering me on... it was a great finish!
Will I run without a watch from now on? Not always, but more often, yes. Once marathon training begins, it's important to run on pace for tempo and long runs. But until then, I may show up for some long runs with a naked wrist.
Cheers,
Dena
p.s. Many thanks to fellow Blueliner Stan who did NOT follow through on his threat to run behind me the entire race and shout out split times.
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Reader Comments (4)
Congrats on your Personal Best Dena. Amazing how our body tells us what we can do.
I ran Chicago 2 weeks ago and my garmin screwed up right at mile 1 - when you run under the underpass in the first mile! It freaked me out because I knew the pace wasn't correct. I went mostly by feel and ran a 3:32 which was 9 min better than detroit last year. Didn't use FIRST this time.
Whoa, back it up. First off, CONGRATULATIONS on your time. That is FAST, my friend. Un-freaking-believable fast. Nine minutes shaved off? You are my hero.
Second, I must know... why did you drop FIRST and what training did you use in it's place?
I used FIRST for 2 marathons and ended up with the same result. 3:41 and 3:44. I always fell apart in the last 6 miles despite hitting my target times. This time I decided to use Greg McMillan's programs. If it wasn't for the heat I think I could have run in the 3:20's easily. My BQ time is 3:15 (unless it changes now) so I'll be shooting for that next year!