Runners Ditching GPS Watches

Paywalled. I have some library workaround at home but for now

https://web.archive.org/web/20230919085246/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/16/sports/gps-watches-professional-runners.html

I read it without a subscription. You must have exceeded your monthly free article quota.

Their arguments make a lot of sense. I'm no elite athlete, but I found I had a similar experience when I was using a tracker/smartwatch. It made simple things like the 3km walk to work not enjoyable, so I went back to plain old watches rather than a tracker.

I was around for the Tamagotchi craze in the '90s, I don't need to treat myself as one.

I think it might be beneficial to learn to recognize how different kinds of effort FEEL and learn how your body responds. The watch only gives you numbers to data you already got access to via your nervous system. I'm not saying a fitness tracker can't be useful, but it also can remove the body min connection because you pay more attention to the metrics and less about the body-mind-connection.

I am no professional athlete, but for me, I find next to no use for all the metrics. Just need a lap timer, or overall timer to know if I'm gonna make the WOD Max or not 🤏🏻🫣💩

One area where I personally want the metrics is my golf game. Mainly just for distance to pin, green layout, distance to carry a hazard, and distance to dogleg, etc. But now Shotscope has a fob variant, so it's back to wearing my normal watches. 👌🏻

This reminds me of headlines like "People on Twitter are saying..." Cool, I can find a few people who will always be contrarians but it does not make it a broadly accepted practice.

I run, know a lot of runners, and never heard anyone say; "You know what would be great? No tracking, or heart rate functionality at all." That is before music etc.

I get the argument, some people rely on it too much, but for most, they hit start and stop, that is it.

Totally agreed. Those pros probably do not want to advertise trackers for free. Sounds too much like the Ronaldo and "Drink water" episode.

I dont need a GPS watch but i do need a fitness tracker. As an avid the listener of audiobooks my smartophone will be there during my running sessions. My headphones need bluetooth connection so its not that hard to use a regular tracker in the package. GPS is needed only for the pros who go outside only with a watch and then hours laters upload everything on their computer. To be honest I cant imagine myself to run without something else to remove myself from the fact how i hate running daily - which i do :-D

I run an awful lot, it's my main thing and i've been running every day for years now. I wear my Garmin for every run and have done for over a decade.