So 2018 was a heavy year of running with 5 half marathons, 4 10 milers and the epic Ragnar Relay. October saw me complete 4 of those races.
In November I struggled on, but my love for running was wearing thin. My last run of 2017 was towards the end of November, and half way through I decided I was done with it, basically this conversation ran through my head "Why am I doing this? This is not fun? Really really not fun. Every run is hard, I've been slogging away for two years and not getting anywhere, my stats are getting slower. I'm so done, I'm off to find a fitness hobby that is fun." I didn't run again in 2018.
....But I'm not a quitter, and I still like the concept of running (free to do, can do anywhere). One of the big issues I had was the discouragement from those stats. So I decided January I would defy the stats and take on a Run Naked Challenge (that announcement raised I a few eyebrows I can tell you, haha).
So Jan t1st, I threw the Garmin in draw allowed the battery to wither away and I went for a run. It was life changing.
Here's a summary of my results:
- I ran well! I don't know how fast I went or for how long I went (I consciously didn't look at the clock before I left and when I got back). I just plodded, and plodded well, didn't matter if I stopped, didn't matter, how fast, didn't matter if I walked...
- I didn't walk. Probably the most shocking result was the lack of walking, from the first time I went out Garminless. Usually I can't run long without a walk, its psychological, I'm quite terrified of it, my breathing struggles if I don't know that break is coming. Maybe it was because I was going so slow, the pressure was off. It wasn't a one off. I'm now consistently running without walking every time.
- I feel like a real runner. I didn't realise this, but seeing my Garmin flashing up the stats constantly as I run kept me feeling crap; when I ran without a care for the stats I felt like a real runner as swept around the park.
- I ran loads. I think I ran more than I normally would, in fact I ran 17 times in Jan (I tracked that :)
...And finally - I LOVE Running! Here's the big one, I didn't have one bad run during January, not one. I went from every run being bad to 17 really good runs.
January is done, will I ever track again? To be honest yes, mainly because I miss the little maps, proving that I ran in interesting places. BUT I will NEVER wear my Garmin again, its coming with me running but staying firmly in my pocket.
So here's to running naked, and if you're inspired by this post, and are desperate to fall in love with running again, I encourage you to to get out there and run naked too.
