Time Obsessed? Reasons Why Your Next Run Should Be Watch Free

Do you ever find yourself lost in a runner’s mentality of what I like to call “time obsession?”

I know I do!

At different points over the past 4 or so years, I have found myself in such a time obsessed rut that I have completely lost sight and perspective on the “why” I run in the first place.

Did we all start running to get a particular time? Most would say no! Most of us started running because we wanted to feel better, look better, make friends, be a good role model, and the list goes on. I know that when I started running again as an adult it was purely because it made me feel good and balanced.

I never ran with a watch. I wouldn’t have had a clue how far I ran. I would simply put on my joggers and run out the door and do whatever type of run I felt like. How liberating!!

These days I have a program. I have paces to hit. I have distances to hit. Weekly volume to hit. I find myself so worked up looking at my program sessions some days that I can in fact psych myself out of even doing the session to begin with because I get so scared I won’t achieve what’s written on a piece of paper! How sad!!

So when and how does this happen?

In 2008, when I took up running in a slightly more serious manner, my half marathons were typically around the 1hr 40min mark and my 10kms were around the 45min mark. Then one day I did a 1:36min half and a month later a 1:35min half and my 10km times were suddenly 42-43minutes. I still didn’t train with a watch or have much structure, but there was this innate competitiveness within me that wanted to stay around the new status quo and when I didn’t I would be a little disappointed. Over the years that followed I took on marathons and even some ultras and joined a running group. The first marathon and ultra were liberating because there was no status quo and that time pressure disappeared for a while. To be honest, the time thing hadn’t got to debilitating point – I was still having a lot of fun and enjoyed my running a lot.

It was when I started achieving some top 3 results in more recent years that the real shift came, and then I got a couple of small sponsorships. Podium finishers and sponsorships are an absolute honour and privilege, but me being me, felt unworthy as I am far from elite. These past two years have been spent living far too often outside of my running yogi self if you will, and in a world I have created where I assume everyone thinks I am unworthy to be sponsored unless I achieve good results and that everyone is judging my performances and training efforts. The truth is, this world only exists with a very small handful of people in it who are there because of their own insecurities. The real world doesn’t actually care and the people that love me and matter, just want me to be happy.

I haven’t had a great past 12 months of running from a “times” perspective, but why should this have made for a bad year of running?! I mean really, one should consider it a great 12 months if we look at:

·       I didn’t have any serious injuries

·       I made more incredible running friends

·       I ran in some beautiful places within Australia

·       I took on coaching and get to be inspired by these runners every single week

·       I continued to be a positive, healthy role model to my daughter and many others.

And yet…

I have shed many tears telling myself that I am an embarrassment and had such a terrible year all because I haven’t achieved a PB in over 12 months. Seriously, it’s really sad to admit it, but it’s true and I somehow suspect that I am not the only one who thinks like this about themselves on occasion.

It’s easy to say to someone else that their time doesn’t matter and that you are proud of them for the effort they put in and really mean it, but we need to say this to ourselves sometimes too!

Time will always matter more to some than others, and that’s ok too. I am one of those people that has to acknowledge that I care about my time-based results, however I also need to recognise that I can fall into the trap of allowing a number to define my sense of worth and assume everyone else defines me in this same twisted way.

At the end of the day, I know that I care about the other things that drove me to run in the first place and all the wonderful people and adventures that have been met and experienced since, much more than my times. It’s just a matter of doing things actively and mentally to remind myself of this simple fact, and that a time does not by any stretch complete me as a person. It’s almost like these reminders need to be a part of my daily routine – especially when I get too far lost in it all. Like anything healthy, as soon as you stop being disciplined you can get lazy and complacent, and in this situation, all perspective gets lost in a watch.

Solly’s top 5 tips:

·       Remember your running “why” and turn it into a mission statement that is visible to you every single day.

·       Be accountable to someone you trust and will understand your struggle – ask them to give you a dose of perspective when you are getting too time obsessed.

·       Run without your watch at least once a week. Race without a watch sometimes! I dare you ;-)

·       Have periods in your running year where you take some time off being on a program – just run by feel and for running’s sake.

Have a mentor outside of the running world!!

If you relate to this article, what are some tips that you can offer that help you “lose the watch?”