For years, I’ve relied on my trusty Garmin, heart rate zones, and meticulously planned paces to guide my training. Alerts would beep, stats would dictate effort, and the numbers would ultimately decide if a run was ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ But lately, I’ve been experimenting with something radical…
Running by feel.
I know, I know—sounds risky. What if I go out too hard? What if I slack off? What if I don’t hit the right pace? But here’s the thing: the human body is a remarkably good judge of effort—when we actually listen to it.
This week, I disabled my HR zone alerts and let my body, rather than my watch, dictate the effort. And while I drifted into Zone 3 at times, my overall pace and heart rate stayed remarkably close to the intended targets. More importantly? It felt good.
✅ No constant checking.
✅ No overthinking.
✅ Just me, my stride, and the road ahead.
Sure, there’s still room to fine-tune things (especially when running with a group—pacing discipline, anyone?), but this experiment has shown me that maybe, just maybe, the best running data isn’t always on my wrist—it’s in my legs, lungs, and mind.
Will I become a ‘pacing master’? Time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: I’m learning to trust myself more with every step.