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by simonswords82 3248 days ago
I guess it's related to personality types.

Some people simply will not undertake an activity they wish to improve upon (exercise, coding, playing an instrument etc) without objective numbers guiding them and relaying their progress.

Others, like myself and perhaps OP, are happy enough to undertake an activity and be less scientific about their performance so long as they "feel" they are making progress and more importantly enjoy the activity.

To add to my previous post. I do try to strike a balance. For example the vast majority of the time I don't measure myself, but every now and then for curiosity I'll strap on a heart rate monitor and mobile app like MayMyRun to see how I'm performing versus a few months ago. I still don't have the voice shouting progress in my headphones, and I still run without music, but it's interesting to see the results and a nice outcome if they have improved.

2 comments

> I guess it's related to personality types.

This and it also depends on your experience. When I started running I also used a heart rate monitor and training plans guided by an app. By the time I got a feeling how fast I can run I ditched the heart rate strap. Now I still use a running watch with gps, but do not let it set my pace. On the other hand, I'm not ino competitive running, I'm doing it just for fun.

Totally agree. The friendly competition and social sharing aspects of Strava make me enjoy running more, not less.