Simple running

I spent the last week geting rid of stuff. First went my heart rate monitor - I got slightly faster and finished with more energy to spare. I think concentrating on some arbitrary heart rate target instead of listening to what my body was trying to tell me was counterproductive. I found myself actually saying to myself things like, 'Why am a suddenly breathing so hard? I am well below my lactate threshold ...' Nonsense - if I am suddenly breathing really hard and feel the need to stop, or if I am getting burning in my muscles, then guess what? I am overdoing it and need to slow down!

Second, I dispensed with my metronome. I got faster again, and finished my first 5km. It seems the arbitrary 180 steps per minute I was aiming for was actually a bit slower than my comfortable rate of turnover. Now I seem to vary between 180 and 200 steps per minute as my run progresses, but I never know exactly at what cadence I am running at any particular time. Who cares?

Now I am thinking of getting rid of my stopwatch - but I admit I can't quite bring myself to do it. I feel I need some measure of how well I am doing. However, I have at least stopped looking at it while running, except at the end. It is quite a liberating experience. Maybe after a few weeks I can get rid if it entirely.

Now my run is spent just concentrating on keeping good form. I reckon distance and speed will come of their own accord as long as I avoid injury from doing Too Much Too Soon.

Even the good form part has got a lot simpler. Now I just concentrate on short steps, midfoot striking and fast turnover (180-200 steps per minute I suppose, but no idea exactly ...), and nothing else. I find if I picture my feet as a little set of wheels revolving (like the Roadrunner!), I seem to use less energy per step and run more lightly. To speed up I keep the rate of turnover about the same and increase the size of the wheel, and to slow down (e.g. when getting tired or running uphill), I just decrease the size of the wheel.

Sometimes I find I have zoned out completely and have run half a mile or so without realising it. Other times I find myself just enjoying the view. I begin to see what all the minimalist and barefoot runners are getting at. Runners get so bogged down in all these things they think they need to think about - HRmax, lactate threshold, cadence, posture, heel striking, which muscles they are using, which shoes to buy etc. etc. etc. Most of the time it all just seems to get in the way.

Eventually I hope the stopwatch will go as well - then I will know I am really on the right track ...