As I write the title of this blog post, I feel like the answer to such silly questions is, \”Duh! Of course, I should run with a GPS watch. How Am I going to know what I\’m doing if I don\’t.\” Yet, there is a reason why I chose this topic for this week\’s post. The answer is not so simple.
For a few hundred bucks we have more computing power on our wrists thatn what NASA had to land Apollo 11. Let’s use it wisely (Image by WIndows Copilot)
Our GPS Watches, generically called Garmin as it is the dominant brand in the market, are nowadays as ubiquitous as our smartphones. They are an extension of our smartphones, and they can\’t work if they are not paired with them.
I\’ve written before about not letting our watches become the directors of our runs instead of the recording devices. Also, about the data overload ruining our experience. But this is about what type of runner may benefit or be affected by the use of a GPS device on their wrist.
You should use a GPS Watch if:
► you understand the data you are looking at and know what to do about it should it need adjustment in the middle of the run. Worrying about your right foot oscillation or maximum power is futile if you don\’t know what it means, let alone how to fix it or if it even needs fixing.
► you are running on perceived effort. The pace and all the stats will be the result of how hard you are running, not the other way around. With time, the data will allow you to measure progress.
► the first thought when you check your metrics in mid-run is, \”How does this reconcile with my running plan for today?\” instead of, \”Wait until my friends see this posted in my social media feeds\”.
► you can complete an entire easy run without looking at your watch once, regardless of how many times it beeped to let you know data was available. An easy run is about putting in some easy effort miles (hence the name) regardless of your pace.
► your self-worth as a runner or as a person is not linked to the number of marathons you ran, your weekly mileage or your average pace.
► you can maintain your running as your primary focus while receiving feedback from your watch. If the feedback impairs your brain function, makes you wish you were a mathematician or makes you unable to enjoy what you are doing, it may be time to give it a break.
There is no need to connect all this stuff to your wrist when you are running (Photo: Obsahovka Obsahovka, Pexels)
You should ditch the GPS Watch if:
► knowing your pace is a few seconds off makes you anxious. Sure, we all want to hit specific paces and at certain times. But if running that split in 2:02 instead of 2:00 feels like the end of the world, you are better off running watchless.
► you feel the need to stop your watch at a traffic light, or a water stop, or to tie your shoe because it will ruin your averages. Races don\’t stop the clocks when you stop at the port-a-potty. The stoppage is part of the deal. It doesn\’t matter if it adds a couple of seconds per mile.
► you see your splits, and the thought of seeing it published on Strava for the world to see worries you to the point that you must make up for it. Especially on training runs.
► you feel dodging traffic at an intersection or beating a freight train to avoid extra time is a risk worth taking.
► your need for hyper connection to the world is so endemic that your watch constantly beeps with texts and emails, and you just can\’t not check them.
I am not advocating against the GPS watch. I am advocating against it ruling our running. We don\’t need another smartphone-type device sucking the joy of something we love and controlling our lives. We are not professional runners. We run because we want to, and if the GPS watch is hindering such enjoyment, why allow it?
The physiological benefits of your training will be realized whether the mileage is posted on Instagram or not. It is not like that last 20-miler won\’t help you on the marathon because it doesn\’t show on Strava. You can also apply a revolutionary concept: keep the watch running and not look at it. Then you can analyze the data later instead of during. What a revolutionary concept!
A GPS Watch is an extraordinary tool. One that, for a few hundred bucks, provides you with more computing power than what NASA had at its disposal to land Apollo 11 on the Moon. If you can use it as a collector of data to be analyzed at the appropriate time so you can become a better runner, go for it! If not, then rethink its use.
Please like this post and share any recommendations from your previous experiences in the box below. Let\’s build a community of informed and prepared runners.
I originally published this blog post about three years ago under the title “The Trap of Information Overload”. I have coached many new runners since and one of the constants I’ve observed is how they get sucked into the need to track irrelevant parameters just because their watches display them. This is regardless of whether they understand what such parameters are actually measuring. Thus, I have decided to rerun this post, with a few updates. I hope you find it useful.
Is this you while checking your watch during or after every run?
Let’s start by stating that I see nothing wrong with being on Strava, having an Instagram account to share your runs, or checking Facebook every so often to see what your running buddies are up to. It is great to live in an era where we can be in contact with people we haven’t seen in decades, stay connected with that cousin who moved to another country, or your buddies from elementary school you rarely have the chance to see anymore.
It is great to make social media acquaintances with people you\’ve never met in person. I follow a Dutch runner named @mistermarathon on Instagram, who follows me back. When I visited Amsterdam a few years back, he took me for a running tour of the city; we had coffee at the Rijksmuseum and had a great talk. A few years later, he visited Florida, and even though I was injured and couldn’t run, we met for coffee and had another enjoyable conversation. It was great!
But there must be a limit. The data overload from social media, from our watches, from WhatsApp groups, and from measuring up to every stranger who follows our social channels is stealing the joy from many a runner. We should run because we like it. So, if something is stealing our bliss, it must go; or at least, its presence must be adjusted.
Yes, a pre-run picture with your buddies is cool, but if you missed it, you could still run. Skipping the recording of one run because your watch has no battery is not an excuse to miss a scheduled training. Checking your favorite elite runner on Strava and matching their training is a recipe for injury. Thinking that an ultrarunner in Germany, Australia, or Argentina is your buddy because he likes your posts on a regular basis is the prelude for a letdown. Wanting to run from New York to Los Angeles because so-and-so did it, is insanity.
Unless you know what a parameter is measuring, let it go!
It all starts with regulating the consumption of information we get from our GPS watches. It is wonderful to have all the information we could possibly need at a wrist flip. But, with certain exceptions dictated by a specific segment of your training program, the usefulness of such information is relatively innocuous. It is just a reflection of what you are doing, not what you are doing. It is not your worth as an athlete or as a human being. You don’t have to pause the watch because you hit a red light, or because you stopped at the water fountain. You don’t have to check your cadence or vertical oscillation every mile unless you are specifically working on it. And don’t get me started on VO2Max: If you don’t know what it measures, don’t dwell on it. You get the point.
I am amazed by the data that the watch keeps track of. NASA didn’t have such access to astronauts on the Moon. Most of it is great for the analysis of my training, for measuring my progress, or for keeping historical data. But your watch should just serve as a recorder of your performance, not direct it.
The more I use Strava or Garmin Connect, the more I’m impressed by what they can do, but I don’t follow or stalk people I don’t know. If I want to know what a friend is doing, I call him or text her. I don’t need to know what Kelvin Kiptum is doing every day, let alone compare his progress to mine. I don’t need kudos from 50 strangers to validate my run.
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, once said: “Comparison is the thief of joy”, and I agree 100% with him. Equaling it is part of human nature, and the right dosage of it may be healthy. But if we want to enjoy OUR running, we need to concentrate on what WE are doing and what WE can control. WE must center OUR running life on OUR progress, OUR failures, OUR injuries, and OUR parameters.
Most of the data is useless at the time we are running, anyway. It is afterward that we can learn something from it and make the necessary adjustments. If you list the top 100 reasons why you run, I bet that “to show up Alex in Strava”, “to have more Instagram followers than Maria,” or “to improve my likes on Facebook” won’t make the list. So, get back to basics and take advantage of the exciting tech tools available to you, but don’t become a slave to them.
GPS watches are great, but not all the info is needed right away
Let’s start by stating that I see nothing wrong with being on Strava, having an Instagram account to share your runs or checking Facebook every so often to see what your running buddies are up to. It is great to live in a time when, via social media, we can still be in contact with people we haven’t seen in 30 years, or keeping in touch with that cousin that moved to another country and you rarely have the chance to see anymore.
It is great to being able to make social media acquaintances even though you never met them in person. In my case, I follow a Dutch marathoner named @mistermarathon on Instagram and he followed me back. When I visited Amsterdam, he took me for a running tour of the city, we had coffee and had a great talk. A few years later he visited Florida and even though I was injured and couldn’t run, we met for coffee and had another great conversation. That is awesome.
Now, there must be a limit. The data overload from social media, from our watches, from WhatsApp groups and from measuring up with strangers, is stealing the joy from a considerable portion of the running universe. And the main reason we run is because we like it. So, if something is stealing our joy, it must go or, at least, its presence must be adjusted.
Yes, a pre-run picture with your buddies is cool, but if you missed it, you can still run. Forgetting to charge your watch is not an excuse to skip a scheduled training. Checking your favorite elite runner on Strava and trying to match their trainings is a recipe for injury. Thinking that an ultrarunner in Germany or Australia or Argentina is your buddy because he likes your posts on a regular basis is the prelude for a letdown. Wanting to run from New York to Los Angeles because so-and-so did it, is insane.
It starts with regulating the consumption of information we get from our GPS watches. It is wonderful to have all the information you can possibly want at the flip of your wrist. But, with certain exceptions dictated by a specific segment of your training program, the usefulness of such information is relatively innocuous. It is just a reflection of what you are doing, not what you are doing and definitely not your worth as an athlete. You don’t have to pause the watch because you are at a red light or because you stopped 10 seconds to say hi to another runner. You don’t have to check your cadence every mile unless you are specifically working on it. And don’t get me started on VO2Max, that’s for another post. I think you get the point.
I am amazed by the data the website I synch my watch to, can provide. Most of it is great for analysis of my training, progress and to keep historical data. The more I use Strava, the more my mind gets blown away on what it can do, but I don’t follow people I don’t know. I only follow runners I train, so I can see what they are doing, this way, I can coach them better. If I want to know what a friend is doing, I call him or text him. I don’t need to know what Eliud Kipchoge is doing every day and compare him to my progress. I don’t need kudos on my run from 50 runners I don’t know.
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, once said that “comparison is the thief of joy”, and I agree 100% with him. Of course, we can’t avoid it all the time, it is part of our human nature. But if we want to get joy out of OUR running, we need to concentrate in what WE are doing and what WE can control. We need to center OUR running life, in OUR progress, OUR failures, OUR injuries, OUR parameters.
Most of the data is useless at the time we are running. It is afterwards that we can learn something from it and adjust. If you list the top-10 reasons why you run, I doubt that “to show up my Mary in Strava” or “to have more Instagram followers than Jimmy”, or “to improve my likes on Facebook” makes the list. Let’s go back to basics. Take advantage of the tools that technology provides but don’t be a slave to them.
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![\"Teddy](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/1589998534046-V9LQ4CNYKVOG1BQ4I9IA/Teddy+Roosevelt+01.JPG\")
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, once said that “comparison is the thief of joy”, and I agree 100% with him. Of course, we can’t avoid it all the time, it is part of our human nature. But if we want to get joy out of OUR running, we need to concentrate in what WE are doing and what WE can control. We need to center OUR running life, in OUR progress, OUR failures, OUR injuries, OUR parameters.