Last night I went to the local Fleet Feet store like usual for our Tuesday night run. However, this week our group was very small. Just a couple of us “die hards” were there. I guess everyone else was more interested in staying at home watching the poll results get updated.
Honestly, I didn’t really care to stare at the TV and wait for the numbers. I kind of figured the election results would go the way they did. Plus, after working in television news during the 2000 election and having to sit at work for excessively long hours while we waited “until we had a president”, I got kind of jaded against the idea of waiting for precincts to report. It was kind of nice to go out and get a good run in the brisk evening air, then coming home to find out the results were announced and we had a new president-elect.
On Monday I went out for a run and realized I forgot my watch. I thought about turning around to go get it, but I’d already walked the 1/2 mile to my neighborhood’s entrance and was about to start my run, it seemed silly to go back and get my watch. So I just set out and ran until I felt like stopping (which coincided with the point at which hunger was starting to get the best of me because it smelled like everybody around was grilling something tasty in their backyards). When I stopped my Nike+ (which I had just set on a basic workout, so I wasn’t receiving any audible cues from that either) it said I had run for 53 minutes. It was a little freeing to not think so much about time or distance, but I’m also glad that I had the means to record those stats at the conclusion as well. I can’t liberate myself from the data completely!
Jill Will Run 
Sometimes I love to run without my watch. I find I feel better and go longer than when I’m constantly watching my pace and fretting about getting back in time for whatever.
And the veggies are the exact ones you’re describing! I’m loving these – so easy to make and I can eat them for a snack in the afternoon and make my trainer happy. Better than the cookies I usually eat. 🙂
I have never done it, Jill. But you know what, it sounds refreshing. I will get it a try soon. Maybe…
I used to run alot without a watch. Ever since I started running, it was about the distance and not the time. As long as I knew I could add x miles to my training log (and I wasn’t walking) that was all that I cared about. It wasn’t until recently that I really started paying attention to the time.
Politics and running.. I actually went to the gym Tuesday night assuming the election results would keep me entertained on the treadmill. Ha. I watched it with the audio for about 5 minutes and then switched to my ipod. When I got home, my husband was watching the discovery channel. He was bored of it too!
You got an award!!
http://saramoe.blogspot.com/2008/11/id-like-to-thank-academy.html
~moe~: That’s awesome that you go longer. While I did find my run a little freeing this way, I actually ran slower than usual. Maybe I just needed a little break though!
Chris: Yeah right… you won’t be able to do it! 😉
Alissa: That’s hilarious that both you and your husband switched off the election results. But honestly, how long can you watch “Results are in here, same thing as the last ones…”?
I’m torn, my last training I did it all based on mileage and sometimes that got tough. I’ve kind of enjoyed the schedule I had this time where we just had to run a certain amount of time on weekdays. I guess the reason it was tough last time was there were days when I just felt run down and it was taking longer to reach the set amount of miles and if my schedule just had a set amount of time for the day instead, it felt like it was easier to accomplish. But I can see the pros of each method.