The Lud-Runners

I've found a way to by-pass my broken running. I've not fixed it; I've become ignorant to it!

On, what turned out to be, my 4.3 mile run with Paula yesterday, I called on my inner Luddite and threw my Garmin out the window (not literally - it cost a lot of money!), leaving my left arm so light and carefree it didn't know what to do with itself. After 4.2 miles, I even managed to stop automatically looking at my empty arm every time Paula's watch beeped; and I definitely am not so accustomed to running with an appalling amount of technology, that I very definitely didn't automatically reach to switch it on and off when I started and stopped! Actually, I seem to have such a robotic connection to my Garmin when running that it is amazing how I ever managed to forget to switch it on in the Blackpool Half Marathon!

However, I did manage to refrain from asking Paula what speed we were running at, and so was able to determine, post run, that it had been a completely successful 4.3 miles along the tow path of Rochdale Canal. With the added benefit of a warm sunny morning and beautiful countryside scenery. Lovely.

It made me wonder whether I should release my inner Luddite permanently... after all, do I really need to know my actual pace, average pace, last lap pace, current lap pace, distance run, time elapsed, calories burnt etc, etc, etc...? Maybe I'll start a whole running Neo-Luddite movement... The Lud-Runners... people will see us and shout: 'Run Lud, Run!' or 'Go Lud-Runners, you're the best!'. A whole new movement for the post-post-modern world will begin. We will smile and wave at our fellow comrades as we jog by, noticing the wonders of the world around us; at ease, connected with nature as we run, technology free, through our lives. We'll rise up against Run Keeper, Nike+, Garmin and miCoach; attacking the evil technologies at their heart with viral warfare through t'internet. Eventually, the whole world will run au naturel; their arms as light as a feather, their hearts as free as a bird, their pace as slow as mine... ah ha ha ha ha h...

Ahem... Yes... Ummm... so... it was a good run and although I may not be entirely fixed, just yet, I did enjoy it! And I may just try it again. In the meantime, I have arranged to run with my brother next weekend, to help him find, and keep, the pace he is looking for the Great Manchester Run... Oh the irony!