To Garmin or not to Garmin?

For real, I’ve never liked running with a watch. I hate being a clock watcher as much as I hate being a mileage watcher on the treadmill. If I’m running more than three miles on a treadmill, you better believe it’s covered up with a shirt. I can’t be staring at the distance, it ticks by too slow.

BUT, during my last few long and longish runs, I gave the fancy watch a try. I have to admit, I loved looking down at my mile pace as each mile rolled over. It encouraged me to pick it up when I felt like I was slowing down for no good reason. 

Ever since Glenn became super competitive with his running and challenging himself more, he has decided to have an opinion about most things running related. He researches everything and has a reason for every workout. I get it, I like running fast and training to get faster too, but sometimes it’s too much for me.

My point, recently he likes to drop a line here or there about how if I want to get faster, I need to garmin it up so I can measure what I’m doing. Ok, I get that, but I’ve always loved just running based on how I feel and have had decent success at that.

Since 2008, I’ve ran nine marathons, they weren’t all fast. Four of the nine I went out for a fast time and or PR and three of the four I found success. The other five I ran purely for the fun of running with friends or just because.

Here are the four I went for a PR:

• San Diego- First Marathon
• Original Goal- break 4 hours, changed to a BQ goal night before race
• Success with a 3:39:52
• Boston
• Goal 3:30 
• Miserable fail, ran 3:54:37
• St. Louis
• Goal was to PR
• Success with a 3:34:34
• Piney Point
• Goal PR and go sub 3:30
• Success with a 3:24:05                    

For all of those races, the only one I followed a training plan to a T was the first- and by following it to a T, I mean distance…. kind of. I didn’t even think about pace, I just ran. In fact, I would run just based on time. We’d have a 20 miler scheduled and just go out and run three hours, assuming that we were doing around 20. Pretty simple right? And it worked, so why fix it if it’s not broken?

It might not have necessarily been broken, but Glenn thinks… and I suppose I do to…. that it could be so much better.

While Glenn went off and got all fancy on me with his watch and specific calculations about how to run this pace or that, I went off and got all pregnant and my body made me forgot about racing for awhile. While I grew a human, my husband taught himself how to really run. All the while I’m screaming, when’s it gonna be my turn again?

In the old days (you know, I was the one who got him into running…), I would have devised a training plan for him. I was always the “better” runner. I beat him in our first marathon by almost 10 minutes (he’ll never live that down) and I would always place higher for the females than he would for males. (that can be argued though, because it does seem that there are many more competitive males out there in general than females)

Aside from all that, seeing as how he has managed to take a 3:47 marathon down to a 2:56, I might be wise let him take charge and whip me into shape. I’ve always said, if you want to be a good runner and run fast times, you have to be willing to HURT when it gets hard. I’ve certainly gone there, there was nothing easy about the last 6 miles of running that 3:24, but I know I can go deeper. Why can’t I?

Alright husband- I wore your watch. I understand how it holds you accountable. I’m ready to be accountable and wear the stinking garmin. What do you have for me? I’m ready to rock a PR hugely in the spring- give me a plan. #bringiton