Oh Yeah!

Today, I did the unthinkable-- I ran with a watch and music. This was the first time in 3 months. Lately with the cold, the rain, and recovering from my knee injury, I felt like I was slowing down during my runs.  Not today!  It is amazing what I did.  I ran 4 miles in 34:21!!  This translates into about an 8:35 per mile pace.  This was the fastest I have been in a long time and the last time I remember doing it was on a treadmill a few years ago.  I was totally surprised, since I was hoping to still be somewhere between 36-38 minutes for a 9-9:30 per mile pace.  Once I reached the first marker in about 9:05 and the second marker in 12:08, I knew I was achieving a record pace.

Running with a watch is a completely different experience than running without a watch.  It enabled me to push myself harder than I usually do.  The music pumping in my ears topped it off, as I felt exhilarated and more motivated to keep up my speed.

While I am still grounded in the core concepts of “Running Without a Watch” I realize that it is good to shake things up a bit and keep my running exciting and fresh.  So, I’ve decided to try to do a timed run once a month, just to check out my speed. 

Just remember, more important than speed and distance is consistency in your exercise routine. 

As long as you are getting out there, it doesn’t matter if you run with or without a watch or with or without music.  I suggest to experiment with each of these to add some variety to your routine.