Garmin-less

I went for a run this morning naked, not in the literal sense of the word, but without any technology. I was totally unwired. Usually I run with a fancy GPS watch that tells my overall time, my current pace per mile and my overall pace per mile, among many other things. And I normally listen to music, too, on my little Sansa clip mp3 player.

But this morning for some reason I just threw on a pair of shorts, my old yellow running shoes and my Red Sox lid and hit the trail. It was a great day, cool and damp and grey, the kind of weather that lends itself to introspection.

As I ran, I focused on me. How was I breathing, how was I moving, how was I taking hills? I felt strangely energized and very much in touch with my running. I tried to concentrate on my pace, trying to figure out as early as possible when I was pushing it too hard and then backing off just enough to recover. And I think I learned a little.

It was just a five mile jaunt, and in the end I didn’t know how many minutes and seconds it had taken me. It did feel fast, though I don’t know exactly how fast that was.

And while I was on the trail, blossoms in bloom everywhere, I got to thinking about how strange it is, that this running thing I like to do is so focused on how long it takes you to do it, less time being better. I’m not sure that’s really true.

Though I’ll probably take my Garmin tomorrow anyway.