...Naked?

No, I’m not referring to the original Olympic Games. Nor am I talking about the Dare to Go Bare 5k  (SFW) in Lutz, FL. I am talking about Rule 1.44 from Mark Remy’s The Runner’s Rule Book.

“One day a week, run naked. No we’re not suggesting you break the law…just leaving your running watch at home for one run a week. You’ll be amazed at how liberating it can be.”

For the past month, I have been doing exactly that: Running without my watch. Not by choice, but out of necessity. Normally, I run with my Suunto T6c strapped firmly to my wrist. It doesn’t come off unless I am in the shower. Since purchasing it last April, I have become addicted to its ease of use and the abundance of information that it provides both during and after each workout.  However, I recently noticed that if was acting a little erratic. Data on the watch was not matching up with data on the computer. While the watch would say I had a sub-par workout, my computer would indicate that I worked too hard.  I tried new batteries in both the watch and the HR belt, to no avail. Finally, after some help from Jan of runtotri.blogspot.com, we determined that my problem was due to a faulty HR strap. While normal HR straps have an error rate of less than 10%, mine was reporting an error rate of over 80%! So, I sent it off to Suunto and have been running naked ever since.

While, some may find this liberating and therapeutic, I, on the other hand, have simply found it annoying. I enjoy being able to see my HR at all times during my workouts and races, and I love analyzing the data when I’m done. Having run naked for the last month, I am ready to be “clothed” again. My watch arrives on Wednesday!

I’m not saying running naked is altogether unappealing. Many people enjoy these “freeing” runs every year and even more enjoy leaving their watch behind once or twice a week, but I am not one of those runners.

It wasn’t for me, but give it a try anyways. See if you can make it without your watch. Lose the excess and run naked once in a while.  Break free of your dependence on technology.  You may find that you enjoy the experience. 

Until next time, join me as I Tri To Be…Naked (errr… or maybe not!)

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