Running off the clock

Leave your worries (and your tech) behind

The other day I went out for a run with strict instructions to not engage with my watch. Don’t worry about pace. Have no concern over heart rate. Let the climb be the climb and the run be the run. In the absence of performance metrics and data, my goal was to give myself space to zone out, be chill, and have fun.

What a gift. To completely unplug and simply exist in the outdoors for seven miles and 76 minutes felt almost decadent. I ran up hills and navigated switchbacks without care or concern. When I got to the top of a steep incline, I took a moment to breathe deep and look for interesting wildlife. (Alas, just a couple of sparrows hanging out with the squirrels.)

Once I scrambled down from the technical stuff, I made up the rest of the run as it went along. There was the odd hill and a few unplanned detours, but otherwise my sole ambition was to simply get in a groove and stay there for as long as possible. It was very, very nice.

The running equivalent of conceptual modern art.

To be fair, I did wear a watch as evidenced by the above graphic. I pressed start when I began and stop when I finished. I also felt it vibrate whenever another mile had passed. As tempting as it may have been to do this run without any tech whatsoever, I felt like I needed some tether to the material world.

(Plus, I wanted credit for the miles. I am not immune to the siren song of end–of-the-year data brags.)

This (mostly) tech-free run took place in the context of a stressful week where every minute of my day seemed to belong to someone else. Chalk it up to the mad rush to get everything done before the start of the holidays when we’re supposed to finally relax (lol) for a few days. Or maybe it was just another one of those weeks in an endless stream of hectic days and busy nights.

Not that it really matters one way or the other. As we have written so many times in this newsletter, the body doesn’t know miles. The body knows stress. It doesn’t particularly care that it's the holiday scramble season. The body just knows that it’s a little more tired, a little more sore, and quite possibly extremely cranky at the moment.

My body also knows that it enjoyed the heck out of that run. Put a smile on my face for the rest of the day and made me feel better about all the other stuff that was waiting for me when it was over. By the way, none of that other stuff ever goes away. It will always be waiting for you when you get back.

That’s another reason to leave your stress alone for a little while and do the thing you like doing, which in our case happens to be going out for a run. And so, when you’re feeling overwhelmed, beleaguered, or just plain tired this holiday season, why not treat yourself to a tech-free run.

You don’t have to leave the watch behind, but maybe take the opportunity to place your attention somewhere other than your device of choice. Keep your head up, scan the horizon for interesting scenery, or simply spend your time trying to find that elusive groove. Chances are, it will be the best present you can give yourself.

Happy Holidays from Running, Probably. We’re going to take a little break next week and be back around the new year with updated goals, resolutions, and plans for 2025.