"[Heather MacLean, an Olympic 1,500-meter runner] realized her watch was draining the fun from her runs. It was especially apparent to her during a low-key stretch when she was simply trying to build fitness.
I hated that every run I went on, I felt like I had to check my pace and my distance and whatever else,” she said. “So I just decided that I was going to lay off it for a while and switch to a regular watch.”
She never went back. MacLean, 28, who now wears an Armitron Dragonfly that she said she picked up for $10 at Walmart, acknowledged that there were certain workouts when a GPS watch would come in handy, like when she did a tempo run by herself. (Tempo runs are faster than easy jogs, and frequently run at a prescribed pace.) But Mark Coogan, her coach, has long prioritized effort over pace, and MacLean logs her training in minutes rather than in miles.
“I know I’m at the elite level now, so not everything is going to be joyful,” MacLean said. “But when there are things that bring me a lot of joy, I’m going to invest in them. And one of those things is the ability to avoid focusing on my pace during my runs.”
Without the pressure of feeling as if she needs to account for every mile — or, perish the thought, post her workouts for public inspection on Strava, the exercise-tracking platform — MacLean has also gotten better about listening to her body. She has no qualms about bailing on an extra workout if she is feeling beat.
“And I’ll tell Mark that I’m going for a walk instead,” MacLean said. “And he’s like, ‘OK!’”
Whatever they’re experiencing, I have the opposite. It’s the numbers and the data that keeps me interested and focused. It’s learning to align what my body is telling me with what my watch is telling me.
If I lost access to smart watches, I’d probably not stay active
100% same for me. I’m a data geek. I don’t even need to actually be using the data to train by to get enjoyment just out of seeing it there. Seeing my averages change, or my monthly time grow, or just looking at the relationship between pace, cadence, and stride length. That’s part of the fun of it all!
Same, it was getting a Garmin that got me into tracking steps, fitness etc. I didn’t even run initially. I walked for 18 months first. Slowly progressing to jogging bits of it, then more until eventually I was jogging the whole circuit.
I’m no elite runner. The first kilometer of my circuit has a 130m ascent of staircase up an escarpment. It’s brutal and I love conquering it. But it stifles any hope of breaking time records.
Ever thought about letting that staircase be the stat end? That way you can also squeeze in a rest every circuit if you feel like it.
I’d just … not do it sometimes. I’d justify it with “too tired today” and “Don’t have enough time for Jacob’s Ladder today”. Having it when I’m fresh takes that excuse away.
It’s also kinda on the way out of the CBD and into a big park. It would be sort-of doubling back away from the office. I could make it work, but the beautiful park is like a reward for doing the climb. Having the return to the office be my reward for doing it wouldn’t quite have the same incentive.
I’m not a runner, but I lift and I’m very goal and data oriented much like yourself. I love to see objective measurements of improvement in what my body is capable of. I love track the sheer tonnage that I pick up off my basement floor then put right back down on my basement floor. I live to look back at my numbers from a year ago and see the difference and I think I really would lose a lot of my motivation if I couldn’t.
Same, I want more and better accuracy. I just ditched an Apple Watch Ultra for a new Garmin unit because it’s just that much better for my needs.
Anyone else ever just feel like every topic these days has to have pro and con article out there for people to latch onto? I’m sure it’s only getting worse with AI, but there’s so many of these that just seem to exist to be sticks to get people to discuss things.
I guess I’m the guilty party. :) I posted the article because I thought it was thought provoking enough to engender discussion – something I like if it’s civil and mostly intelligent. I didn’t think everyone would agree with the athletes quoted or that they should or shouldn’t.
I feel like most of these could be explained by people who have lost their love and need something to blame.
There’s no way metrics is hampering them.
I can easily think of times I likely should have rested or slowed down but wanted to keep a number high.
For me, metrics are a net positive, but I’ve often done counterproductive things because of them.
Maybe I use my watch differently, but I use my watch to set the pace I should run at, and then it ensures I keep myself there without going too fast!
That’s in the company of others, most people playing solo keep tabs to see if they’re doing better or worse.
I’m sure many of us could ditch out fitness watches if we had a coach.
I have a Garmin. I mainly use it as a time measure. Yeah it has stats and stuff, but it also lets me store some music on it so I don’t need to run with a phone.
Which device do you own? Can you connect your watch to your earphones via bluetooth?
My Garmin Fenix 6 does this. Other models (forerunner, Enduro, etc) are also capable of pairing and streaming music to ear buds.
Here is their website filtering wearables with 'Music Storage’.
Desfit and DC rainmaker YT channels have some great reviews and dives into these products if you need more information. The Garmin website isn’t bad either.
I think the biggest problem is strava and the subliminal pressure to impress. I cherish slow runs, in between fast ones, but rarely post anything on strava, only monster workouts if any
It always blows my mind that people just can’t tell themselves no. Notice you’re looking at your Watch for every little thing and don’t like it? Then train yourself to not do it. Jesus.
I understand your point. I just believe that self-discipline is a skill that can be worked on no matter who you are or what kind of brain you have.
