Putting Away the GPS

About 7 years ago my wife bought me the best gift I could ask for. It was the Timex GPS training system. Basically, you wear in on your arm and it syncs up with your watch. It tells you everything: pace, speed, distance, altitude, heart rates, zones, averages and more. I absolutely love the thing and never train without it. For the anal-retentive triathlete, it is the perfect gift.

What makes it so unique is this; I can use it on every training run or bike. No need for extra computers on each bike and a separate one for the run. This Timex GPS does it all. We works to 100% accuracy about 9 out of 10 times and it has been my training staple. It gives me all of the feedback I need to make me feel like a well trained machine.

Interestingly enough, I never use a computer on my bike when I race. Never have. I just ride and figure out my pace as I ride. This is both good and bad. Good because I don't need to focus on anything more on race day. Bad because I have no idea how fast I am going and if I need to push harder or back it off. We never use a computer on the run, so why would be need it on the bike?

Anyway, back to my GPS. After Ironman, I had an opportunity to experience life without my beloved GPS. I was in Vermont and I decided to do a short run. I had done this run before and had a hunch on how far it was going to be. My goal was simple, go out and run for about 30 minutes and just enjoy it. The run ended up being just under 35 minutes and even though I was curious about my pace, it just didn't matter. I tried to "embrace" the feeling of running. I ran along the dirt roads as the sun was rising. I was able to look at everything instead of my watch every minute.

Since that time, I have finished 3 rides and 3 runs without my GPS. I went out based on time, nothing more. Pace didn't matter. Distance didn't matter. Speed didn't matter, either. Yes, I was still curious but I just focused on my breathing and where I was going. I looked at the scenery and listened to my music.

I believe in a previous blog, my break through in running came when I stopped worrying about pace, speed and distance. I distinctly remember getting pissed at myself for not being able to complete 3 miles in 21 minutes. Every time I went out to run, that was my goal. Then, for some reason, I decided to run 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back. I stopped worrying about how fast I went. I just went. For me, it was the first time I really "enjoyed" running (did I just say that?).

How many times have you been asked: How many miles did you do? What was you pace? Speed? Other than our own competitive nature, who really cares? For the rest of the season, I have vowed not to wear my GPS to train. Heart rate monitor, yes. I have even toyed with the idea of not wearing a watch for my next race. Trust me, that is scary.

So there you have it. Using the K.I.S.S method (Keep It Simple Stupid), I hope it will help me return to the promised land...the finish line!

I'll let you know how it goes.