it must have been around 2 years ago now that my watch died, and I decided not to replace it. At that time I wasn't running too much or at very high a level, and not really sensing an urge to get another watch, kept on running-without one, for the first time in my life.
Today, i still haven't replaced my watch, and i still run.
Right after i lost it and was still running, i thought i'd keep it up until I had finished the New River Marathon (May 2016) or at the end of the calendar year, and then reassess, assuming i'd probably get a watch. As i signed up for races at the beginning of 2016 to get ready for the May marathon, i was nervous to not have a watch during a race-something that's much different than just running for fun/fitness. But with clocks on the course, a good sense of my pace, and proximity to other runners with beeping watches where i could ask the time, it went fine and so i kept on racing without. Then the marathon, where i was still somewhat anxious not not have the time on my wrist as i covered 26 miles, but .... the over conservative approach to not go out too hard, especially with not having a watch, paid off, and i felt myself more free at the end to not reign it in when i really started to leave it all out on the course the last 10k of the 26.2 mile course. And so, i kept it going through 2016, and up to now with no foreseeable time that i might get back to the world of running watches.
2017 has been different than 2016 in that i haven't raced (other than the New Years trail race), so i haven't thought about a watch as much but i have been running despite not stepping up to a starting line. At the end of last year, i decided to make the plunge and register for the Chicago marathon this Oct. 8th 2017. I was admitted via their lottery, and have been confirmed as a participant since the beginning of this calendar year. With that, my goal of 26.2 has been in my sights for the entirety of this 2017 to date. I ran, infrequently during the months of Jan-April, and in May started to try and get a little more regular with getting a run in. June came, and I became more regular still. Since the beginning of the summer i have kept it consistent at about 3.5 - 4 times a week average at about 20-30 miles per week.
Only last week did I hit over 40 miles, and also only last week did i finally turn in a long run that was over 14 miles...hitting 18 miles at the Moses Cone/Trout Lake trails.
as well as ditching the watch, i also have ditched the weblog of writing for my handwritten journal. It's served me well, but i do miss the ease and quickness of weblogging my runs and also the ability to fire at the keys to help jog the mind with writing. I've thought about getting a Google Chromebook for easy access to keyboard writing, and i might need to take the plunge, as part of my departure from this website and turning to the paged journal was not having a decent laptop at home and reducing my office time from entries such as this!
While i've gone much more Zen/Old School with my running and writing, I do plan on trying to recap more runs/entries on running in the future because seeing what i did in the past still can serve me today when i want to remember what i did, and how it went. The past can be helpful for the present and the future, as well as just the act of recording and writing can help keep the mental cobwebs off. But another aspect is that a journal is vital to the process of contemplation/listening/understanding/gleaning wisdom, much of which comes from our times alone out on a run. And so there has been some that i have missed from not recording, and I hope to at Least get back to hitting the highlights, and capturing the experience of the Chicago Marathon that goes off 9 days from now.
but as for today, had a nice 30 min shake out recovery run, with keeping the tank full for my last "long(semi)" run tomorrow.
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