Everyone runs for different reasons. For some, it’s weight loss; for others, it’s competition. On some level, and without wishing to sound too pompous, I think I run to get away from the man-made world. It’s why, given the choice, I’ll always run on trails rather than road. It’s why I’ll happily spend an hour on the train to get out to Box Hill once a month. And it’s why I’ve stopped wearing a watch while I run.
I don’t mean to slag off watches; they can be a great training aid. But there’s something undeniably liberating about running without one. Instead of fretfully glancing down at your wrist every couple of minutes, you can just tune into your body or – better still – immerse yourself fully in your surroundings.
In his brilliant book Running Free, Richard Askwith espouses the benefits of watch-free running, noting that it forces you to fully engage with your environment. I should point out here that I’m quite a competitive person: if I thought that running with a watch would significantly improve my times, I’d probably wear one. But having raced both with and without a watch, I’m not so sure.
In the recent Dorking 10-mile race, I decided not to wear a watch. I was hoping to run somewhere between 1:05-1:07. I ran 1:06:03. And I enjoyed every step. I didn’t feel dictated to by some piece of technology; I just judged my own effort levels and ran intuitively.
Tomorrow, I head to mid-Wales to take part in the Man vs Horse challenge. Will I be packing my watch? Neigh chance.
