What's with the need for gadgets?

[Ryan]

As I surf my way through other forums, I notice some interesting comments.

"I need my headphones to break the boredom/monotony of running." My personal favorite. I can only think of one response. If you think running is so boring/monotonous, why the hell are you doing it? Come on, I don't think a single one of the people who say this is making a living through running. That means it's recreation, which means it's supposed to be fun. If running is so boring and monotonous to you, find something that's more exciting. Maybe you'd like riding a bike instead, maybe you'd like rollerblading. I know running isn't for everyone and, if you need to wear headphones in order to break the boredom, maybe running isn't for you. I love music but I would never let music ruin the greatness that lies within the simple act of running.

"I used to be forced to run on the local high school track. Now that I have my GPS, I have the freedom to run anywhere." Who was forcing you to run on the high school track? Why did the GPS suddenly give you this freedom? OK, so I know what they are getting at but come on, let's be realistic. Does it really make a difference if I ran 7.2 miles at lunch today instead of 7 miles? Do I really need to take my splits every quarter mile so I know exactly how fast every portion of my run was? Lighten up people, running is supposed to be fun, not a chore. I haven't officially measured a single route anywhere near my home and I've been living here for nearly 4 years. I have never even looked at a GPS but I have all the freedom in the world to go wherever I want on nearly every run I do, with the obvious exception of track workouts which don't seem to happen any more frequently than 1-2 times a week. I really don't think my running is suffering because I can't take an infinite number of splits on every run I do and because I might have run 12.1 miles this past Saturday while only logging the run as 12 miles.

"I need my HRM to run easy on my easy days." OK, I'm not going to get into the whole HRM debate but I just find it inconceivable that people can't figure out how to run easy without strapping gadgets on their bodies. How hard is it? Are you struggling by the end of your run? Then you're not running easy. Do you finish your run feeling like you couldn't run at least a couple more miles? Then you're not running easy. Are you breathing so hard you couldn't hold a conversation (conversational pace is a great tool)? Then you're not running easy.

I'm sure there are other comments that I'm missing but these seem to be the most frequent. If anyone has any idea of what I might be missing, please explain. These comments, especially the first two, baffle me.

[Woody]

I don't know why I'm anwsering this question , I must be bored today
To me it's such a personal thing that as long as your out running and moving it's all good.   I personally like to wear or run with a MP3 player, when I run alone or not on a trail where animals might be.  If I'm with somebody or if I might hear a tree branch move and alert me of a animal then I want to be able to hear it.  But I do enjoy a good tune to run with if i'm in the mood .  I really don't think it effects my run negative or positive just feel like some music some days.    


The GPS systems I find are interesting to me and I like the mechanics behind it. When I first started running I wanted to know every loop exactlly to chart my progress or pick the potatoes early and see progress right away.   As I have a bunch of exactlly measured loops with spray painted  mile markers from my first years, The more I run the less I use them and just run and guess on distances I think I can get within a tenth of a mile on a 10 mile run just by feel.    If I really want to hit a workout and see where I'm at in my training I'll go to the track or to a measured course I know about.  For the most part I just run by minutes and just guess on the mileage.    I do understand the people who use the gadgets and do see with their menatality how it free's them up to just run and not worry about how far their running until there done.   To them it allows them to not worry during their run that their missing an exact mile and in a reverse way let them run free.      Like I said before at least their out moving.  


The HR monitor on easy runs-- Although I have given Cameron a lot of Shit about this and the use of them . Me personally have found them very useful not only on Recovery runs , but also LT and other runs .   Yes I can run an easy run without and I can feel when it is easy.  But I feel a lot of runners go TOO FAST on there easy days and the monitor will help them slow down.   It is easy to think you feel good and maybe if I run my easy runs faster than I will be in better shape or that means I am in better shape , instead of just using it as a recovery day for the next workday.    I also like going on a measured loop every now and then run a 10 mile run at a certain HR and see if the time has improved while the HR has maintained the same the whole run.  Example-- 10 miles in 65 mins at 160 HR. Then 2 months later run 63 minutes at the same effort or 160 HR.  Good way of measuring if your improving.


By the way on the GPS or Nike foot pod I've tested a bunch of them for sales reps and I am not a big fan of them I feel if you can get one that gets within a tenth of a mile you really got a bargin.    The best one I've seen or tried is the Forerunner201



Woody

[Jeff]

Ryan,

Copy and paste this post on the RW site.  Reading some of the responses will be priceless.

Jeff

[RandyS]

Ryan,

As someone who has, more or less, used all 3 of these gadgets at one time or another I feel I should respond.

First, music while running; I can take it or leave it. When running outdoors (which is most of the time) I usually run without music. On the other hand when running indoors I almost always run with it.

My reasons have nothing to do with safety. Anyone running with music turned up so loud they can't hear is an idiot. The music is not the problem. I am more worried about the person driving down the road with his car stereo blasting, or worse, fiddling with the dials.

I have held conversations with other runners I encountered on the road while one or both of us were wearing headsets. There is background music on the PA system in my office. It doesn’t hamper my ability to have a conversation or hear whets going on around me.

So, why do I sometimes run with music? It’s not because I dislike running. When forced to run on the mill I find the music helps me with the boredom. On the roads I usually don’t run with music but sometimes do for easy runs.  I found I focus better without music. Do I need much focus when out for an easy 5 mile recovery run? No. Sometimes I take the music along. Sometimes I don’t.

Now for the GPS watch.

This is the best running tool I have ever used. It has freed me to run anywhere I want; yet still know exactly how far, and at what pace. Will this be important to me 10 years from now? Probably not. But right now I need to train myself to run a selected pace, I need to be able to establish realistic goals for my races and I need to monitor if I am gaining fitness from my training.

I go on long runs on roads and streets I have never before traveled. I discover new routes almost every weekend. Yet, when I return home I can see, with precision, how far I ran and how fast. This helps me determine if my race goals are reasonable or if I should adjust them.

In a 22 mile long run, being off by ½ mile is a huge difference in pace. I could set myself up to run a pace on race day that is not sustainable, or just as bad, hold back when I am capable of more.

I feel that as a runner gains experience it becomes easier for them to judge pace and distance and the need for measured routes and gps witches goes down. For me, at this stage, I find them a very useful tool.

Finally, the HRM
This is also another tool that doesn’t have to become an obsession. I don’t depend upon it to run and in fact use it only occasionally. Perhaps a few times a month, more often if I am on the treadmill.

Like knowing my pace and distance the information I get from a hrm helps me determine my fitness. When I discover that the pace that pushed my heart rate to 80% two months ago is barely above 70% now it validates that my training is having a positive impact. Knowing my pace at a given hr% also helps in determining race pace.

Finally,

I see all of the above items as tools. Take’em or leave’em. I have used them all at various times but I don’t depend upon any of them (well, maybe the gps watch). I would enjoy running with or without them. Most importantly I see no down side to the gps and the hrm. Although some see a danger in the headphones I really don’t see a downside to them either. Some runners don't keep a log, others keep elaborate, detailed logs. It’s a matter of personal preference and not a sign of how much someone enjoys the sport. None of these devices should make anyone feel less a runner because of there use.

Randy

[Ryan]

Jeff, I guess I just don't have the time and energy for that right now.

Woody and Randy, I'm talking about the specific quotes I gave. I see them repeatedly and they don't make sense to me. It's not about being "more of a runner" or "less of a runner", it's about common sense. If you find running boring or monotonous, find something that is more fun. You're doing it as a recreational activity. Why should recreation be boring or monotonous. If you find it that way, it's time to find another way to spend your recreation time. The safety issue with headphones is another issue but let's just say I've run into runners with headphones and been pepper sprayed a couple of times by runners with headphones. I'm sure they would have said before their runs that they weren't affecting the safety of themselves or anyone else. That's until I get pepper spray to the face or they turn into me because they couldn't hear me and end up sprawled out on the ground.

As for the GPS units, it just doesn't make sense to me. There are certain workouts where a specific pace and/or distance is required. The track is good for these workouts because it also offers a uniform route to run on. For the other workouts, I still don't understand what the big deal is if you go a little long or short.

I can understand some claims for uses of HRMs. However, when it's "I need it to run easy" I have to question a person's discipline. There are simple body signals that you can note to tell if you're running easy or not. If you pay attention to those signals and respond properly to them, you will run easy when you want to.

[RandyS]

Ryan,

I agree that many runners with headphones are a hazard to themselves and to other runners. I only wanted to say that a responsible person can wear them safely.

Too bad you can't identify who's responsible when approaching from behind. Your examples of what can happen make that very clear.

My main point is that music, gps, and hrm's are no more than what you called them, 'gadgets'. Under the right conditions I find they can be useful.

On the treadmill, music has helped me make it through long runs. when I could'nt safely go outdoors because of heavy snow.

On the roads, gps has given me the same freedom that people who pay little attention to 'exact' distances and paces have, yet not give up having that precision when I get home from the run. The best of both worlds.

And the hrm; an occasional run with the hrm helps me decide the best  training paces based on my condition.

Gadgets, to be sure. Important, not really. I would run as much without any or all of them. Do I want to stand on the treadmill for 9 miles with only the sound of the motor, or run for a couple of hours and only estimate my distance, or based on feel alone decide my training paces. Not if I have convienent, cheap, easy to use gadgets available.

I also see your point, anyone who becomes dependant on, or cannot run without, these 'toys' probably is spending his time in the wrong recreational activity.

It may also be something that changes over time and with experience.

I have only been running for a little over 2 years. In the early months I ran every run with music. Now, unless I am on the mill, I almost never run with music.

Same thing for the hrm, I once ran every run with it and even adjusted my pace during the run based on the hrm. Now I run most often by feel alone and use the hrm only once in a while to measure progress and help decide training paces.

Even the gps is being used in a different way today than when I began running. More often than not I don't even look at it while running anymore. I estimate the distance and only verify my distance and pace after the run is over.

As I gain experience I suspect how much I use gadgets, and the way that I use them (if at all), will continue to evolve. New runners, and after 27 months I consider myself 'new' are still learning and I think gadgets speed up the learning process.

I think I have a pretty good sense of pace for someone running only 2 years. I can estimate within +/- 15 seconds or so. I bet many of the more experienced runners here can probably run +/- 5 seconds of any desired pace. With the constant feedback I think this skill improves faster than it would if I 'estimated' distances. In a few years I bet I can run +/- 5 seconds too. Than I may give up my favorite gadget, the gps.
 
Randy

[Jason]

I agree that you shouldn't be bored running because it is somehting you live to do.  They can be a big distraction for some runner, especialy with the way that drivers seem to look out for runners.  
Headphones have also become an issue in college track meets because people walk across the track and don't see runners are coming because they are to into there music.  In DIII the NCAA actually just put a ban on all headphones and cell phones in copetition areas for this reason. I am not sure if other division have or are going to do the same thing.

[Zeke]

Headphones have also become an issue in college track meets because people walk across the track and don't see runners are coming because they are to into there music.  In DIII the NCAA actually just put a band on all headphones and cell phones in copetition areas for this reason.

So they replaced the headphones with a band at the track meets?  What a great idea.  Maybe that'll lead to more spectators too.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.  

[Ryan]

I agree that many runners with headphones are a hazard to themselves and to other runners. I only wanted to say that a responsible person can wear them safely.

Too bad you can't identify who's responsible when approaching from behind. Your examples of what can happen make that very clear.

Although safety is a real concern as I can attest to with personal experience, that wasn't my point of this post. My point was about the people who insist that they "need" the headphones to get through a run because it's too "boring" or "monotonous" to get through without. If running is really that boring or monotonous, why are you doing it? Find something that's fun. After all, this is your recreation time.

New runners, and after 27 months I consider myself 'new' are still learning and I think gadgets speed up the learning process.

From my observations, using these gadgets slows down the learning process in key abilities like learning to listen to your body. People become so reliant on their gadgets that they never learn their body signals and then end up injured, "even though I was running at XX% of my heartrate or at Y:ZZ pace." Well, if you were paying attention to that sore knee, maybe you would have noticed something is wrong.

[r-at-work]

have a few and have run with people who are so into their continual data flow (pace/rate/time/distance) that they missed the beauty of the day...

I'm fairly obsessive but luckily I get bored by the gadgets and always seem to revert to enjoying the run... it seems to go in cycles... sign up for a race, plan my training, get enthused, get into whatever tool I happen to be using for that cycle... then I have a recovery day or my kid decides to come along on his bike for a long run and we enjoy the day...two weeks ago we saw a deer of the side of the trail and stopped and watched it... forget timing that run... but the whole day was more enjoyable...

as for those who NEED the constant entertainment of headphones... maybe you're running in the wrong places... though on an icy day on a treadmill I have turned on a radio or TV to get me through it and sometimes I have so many things to think about I use the time to brainstorm...

on the other hand, if they are responsible (right) and it gets them off the couch... good for them... I was thinking that I wanted a hands free device to run with so I could call home and let who ever was there know they should put the laundry into the dryer...
-r-at-work

[Peter]

When I get done w/ a particularly hard effort workout, I like to check my HR (usually by placing my hand over my heart). Check it for 15-20 seconds. 55 seconds later, I check it again. Repeat 2 more times. I know how good of shape I am in if my HR hits or approaches my max (180-185), and it drops to below 120 after 3 minutes (the last time I check). This morning, after a nice LT workout, where I ran the last 3 miles at 6:35 pace, I was at 182 when I stopped, 141 a minute later, 127 two minutes later, and 119 at three minutes... Then I did a cooldown jog. Maybe I get too used to checking my mile splits during my runs, but most of my miles are run on country roads where the intersections are every mile, so it makes it pretty easy to do it.

Bottom line, like Woody said, you do what you need to gauge your progress. We all do it a bit differently. As for music, I'll just think of Double listening to the Sex Pistols -- that's all I need

[ferris]

I am posting for 2 reasons:

1. just to chime in

2. to fight the stigma of a "lurker"    

99% of the time I run witout music, but every now and then I'll take my iPod along, ususally if I am forced to hit the treadmill. It changes things up a bit, and it makes me hammer! btw...iPod may be the coolest invention ever.

as for the GPS comment...thats just weird, get a life, venture outside the bubble.


I recently got a HRM for my wife, I wear it once in a while and I am surprised by how SLOW I actually have to go on easy days if I go according to HR, and, trust me, I have no problem with runing easy on easy days. I debate HRM's with my buddies all the time (who are mainly Tri-Geeks now) and they swear by them.It's kind of a preference thing. I used to be as aganst then as you are, Ryan, but I am starting to see some logic in them, I could rant about the pros and cons of them, but I have classes to teach right now! man, why does work always have to get in the way.

good day, all.


Ryan.....you headed to WW for Nats this weekend? I'll be there with some of the old LAX boys.  (possible Altergott sighting!)

[Ryan]

I think everyone is missing my original point. I wasn't even trying to get into the pros and cons of the gadgets. Instead, I'm addressing the statements of "need" for these. If you NEED headphones for every run in order to cope with the boredom of running, running probably isn't your thing. Find a different sport that you don't find so boring. If you NEED a GPS in order to be able to explore new routes and not end up on the local high school track for every single run, well, I think you have to lighten up a bit. If you NEED a HRM to tell you not to race every day, I think you have to learn to be more in touch with your body.

All one should NEED in order to run is a pair of shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather. Even a watch shouldn't be a NEED but more of a useful tool.

Ferris, I wanted to see if I could get down there on Saturday but there are too many things going on this weekend. I'll be lucky to have time to sit down and check my e-mail once or twice this weekend with the schedule it looks like I'm going to have.

[Anonymous]

If you NEED a GPS in order to be able to explore new routes and not end up on the local high school track for every single run, well, I think you have to lighten up a bit

Randy

On the roads, gps has given me the same freedom that people who pay little attention to 'exact' distances and paces have

Runners who use these like i said in the other post actually feel more relaxed , because it reduces the anxiety of how far did they run and don't worry about it during their run and do what you say enjoy it more.  so for these individuals it's a plus.    If you say they should be able to do it without the Gps period, well it's just in their personality to do so who cares as long as their enjoying the run.  

Alright I'm out the door for an easy 10--- I'm going to wear a GPS monitor on my right arm, a Heart Rate Montior on my chest , two different watches and a MP3 player , just to see if I can enjoy my run.  Oh Yeah almost forgot and sing out loud some good SEX PISTOLS .  Long Live Johnny Rotten! :lol:


Drow- OUT

[finnegan]

I use the buillding shadows to keep my pace and distance during the day and at night I will generally go by the position of the moon, or if it's really early just go by the constellations, but that's almost like cheating.  As far as my HR, if I can't bust out the song from deliverance on my harmonica, then I am clearly running to fast.  Also, I know I've run too far if my running shorts (a burlap sack that my pappy fashioned for me) starts to chafe.  I also don't drink gatorade or eat goo, I usually pick some berries or kill a snake or two for nourishment and take drinks from a nearby bayou.  I don't worry about shoe mileage, the old steel belt tires that I strap to the bottoms of my feet with kite string usually go for about 35,000-40,000 miles, so I'm good for a couple of years.

Every once in a while a pack of coyotes will give me a good chase, would ya'll consider that a tempo run or speedwork??