Jasenko Ramljak
Aug 23, 2017 · 1 min read

Thanks for this, I Enjoyed reading your article! I can relate to what you’re writing being in sports most of my life (not on your level though). Now I’m in it for the fun and the health.

I find it difficult to enjoy my runs nowadays if I have anything (phone, watch) telling me how good/bad I am doing. I don’t have a problem with analyzing my exercise afterwords (for amusement, not to draw any conclusions…) but during a run — doesn’t work for me. And I figured out why. Going for a run without gadgets and trackers lets you listen to your body and decide for yourself if you are going too fast or too slow. And responding to this observation gives a sense of accomplishment — whether it’s pushing harder or slowing down. It let’s you decide. This isn’t the case with a watch displaying your pace. I’d be struggling during a run, pushing through the pain, just to see that even with that effort I’m going slower than expected. So instead of feeling that sense of pride (it’s tough but I’m not slowing down) I now have a sense of disappointment (you are trying hard but you still kinda suck). So instead of listening to my body and feeling good about it I am wearing a gadget trying to train me with my own expectations (and disappointment).

Do you use any gadgets while running? Do you care if your exercise was a 7 or a 5?

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    Jasenko Ramljak

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    All round mediocre, all in all great