Back in the day, my runs were just me and the road...

I used to lace up and go without telling a soul... just for the quiet. Now everyone posts their routes and times online. It feels different, like we're not just running for ourselves anymore. Sometimes I miss that solitude, but seeing others cheer me on keeps me going...

4 comments

4 Comments

the_seth1mo ago

My watch beeps if my heart rate drops below the "impressive" zone. Guess the run didn't happen unless my phone says so.

carter.charlie1mo ago

But what happens when the tech fails or you forget to charge it. Do you think people start to feel like that workout wasn't as good, or like their own feeling of being tired doesn't count. It's kinda wild that we might trust a gadget's opinion of our effort more than our own body's signals, like sore legs and being out of breath. Makes you wonder if we're training for our health or just for the data points.

the_spencer1mo ago

Absolutely, it's crazy how tied we are to these devices. My watch died halfway through a long hike last month, and I almost felt like turning back because no one would see the data. There's this weird guilt when you can't prove you did the work, like your own sweat and exhaustion aren't enough. I catch myself checking my heart rate instead of just enjoying the burn in my legs. When did we start needing a screen to tell us we're tired? Isn't the point to feel alive, not to collect numbers?

sam7181mo ago

Yeah the whole "posting routes and times" thing. I mean now if you don't upload your heart rate zones did you even really go? It's like the run doesn't count until it gets a few likes. I miss when the only person I was racing was me trying to beat my own time from Tuesday, not some guy I went to high school with.