Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Wide-angle Wednesday

Happy May!  I can't quite believe it's May already, we have had a couple warm days, but many cold days with more to come.   I can't handle just ONE photo for wide-angle Wednesday this week and this will be far from just a photo day.  I never promised that I wouldn't ramble on wide-angle Wednesday, after all.  ;)   The first shot I have for you...


What exactly is that?  

That is my wrist with NO GARMIN!  That's right, I went out for a run naked this morning!  Last month I took the Cross-training challenge and the month of May brings a new challenge.  The month of May I will be participating in  OliveToRun's Run Free for Me May Challenge.  This is a fantastic challenge for me because I can be very focused on my pace, my distance, and PR's at times.  This challenge will give me a chance to just focus on just the run and why I love running so much!  It's also a great way to add a 4th run into my week without the pressure of worrying how far or how fast.

So this morning I threw on my running clothes and shoes and grabbed my phone for some music.  It was kind of strange and new to not worry about my pace or distance!  I admit to looking at my wrist a few times.   I was in my head a couple times, telling myself not to think about how far I had gone (I can tell pretty much how far a mile in my town is now after running this area so much).  After a while though, I just focused on my form and the sun coming up around me.  It was gorgeous. Obviously I didn't have my good camera with me, but I stopped for a couple shots of the sunrise with my phone.   It was nice not to have to fret over how long I had stopped or pausing the Garmin.





What a joy it was to just relax and take in the beautiful morning!  I think this challenge will really keep me in touch with why I run.  It's not just about the numbers, it's about how running makes me feel! 

I admit, it was hard not to log something on my dailymile when I got home, but I don't have to know exactly how many miles I run in a month, do I?  I know I ran, I know it felt awesome...that's what matters!

Have you ever run without keeping track?  What do you think of a challenge like this, do you think you could do it?

15 comments:

  1. Great idea Karen! I think I may do this for a run each month!

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    1. It really was a nice departure from the norm of counting and pacing! :)

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  2. I'm so excited you're participating!! LOVED the post!

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    1. I'm so glad you organized it! Fantastic challenge!

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  3. I do keep track because I want to know my totals for each month and the whole year, but I use my phone, and I like to stuff it somewhere in the stroller where I can't see or hear it sometimes, so I don't focus on it or know until the end how far or fast. It's sometimes nice not hearing my pace every half mile and just enjoying the run :)
    P.S. I'm loving your blog and I'll be looking for you in February! I had the Princess Half as a goal for a few years before I made it too. I didn't make it for 2011 for some reason. So I said it would be 2012. Of course I got pregnant immediately after making that goal. Since I was due in January, I knew I wouldn't be running it in February. 2013 was my year and hopefully 2014 too, because it is just that fun!

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    1. Thanks and I'm so glad you posted, I hadn't found your blog and now I saved it with my other blogs on Bloglovin! I'm excited to go back and see if you wrote up your 2014 PHM recap! Off to explore your blog!

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  4. Isn't it so freeing to run without your Garmin? At first I'm a bit OCD and feel weird about it not being there, but then I get in a groove and forget. Listening to your body and letting it do what it wants, it's fun to break out of the Garmin box now and again! Great pics!

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  5. I'm participating in the challenge, too! I even ran a new route today to shake things up...but I will NOT be running that route again. It was a little bit scary... Good luck with the challenge!!

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    1. Ugh, sorry you ended up with a scary route! I ran a different route as well, I just basically went wherever I wanted! Since I didn't have to calculate how many miles, it felt freeing to just run wherever I wanted!

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    2. Stay away from the scary routes Rachel!! But keep running free ;)

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  6. I found out just yesterday that if I put my phone away and stop looking at it, I have a better, more relaxed run. Definitely going to try it again!

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    1. That's awesome! I'm looking forward to it again as well next week.

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  7. Interesting. It feels like Lisa without technology at WDW.

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