For the past week I have been running with no iPhone. This means no music, no Runkeeper – oh the horror! This is pretty huge for me, as I have only ever run with a little voice in my ear tracking my progress.

When I came up with this idea I thought I was going to feel really free. I thought I would be listening to my body, how it was feeling and adjust accordingly. In truth, I found it very hard to run. I had no set km’s, no little lady in my ear reminding me I was six seconds off my target pace. I know I ran slower than I normally do because I felt like I could run forever – and yet I still ran less distance! I guess I am one of those people that need set rules and guideposts to keep going. A voice in my ear edging me on to override the voice in my head telling me ‘that’ll do for today’!

Were there any benefits? Instead of a mapped km distance I just ran where I felt like, adding on streets here and there – which I suppose was nice.

I did pay more attention to my dog. When dealing with an animal that weighs as much as you (literally) this is probably a good thing. He was better behaved on the leash, as I was more willing to slow up or stop for a sniff (him not me!), rather than obsessing about keeping to pace.

As I stopped briefly to leash or unleash the dog I automatically reached for my arm where my iPhone sits. Normally, if I have to stop for some reason I pause the Runkeeper (must make sure I keep an accurate recording). I suppose not having to do that did feel more free – like I wasn’t answering to anyone, but I think I am reaching for reasons here.

Thankfully I get to stop this little experiment now and return to proper structured training for an upcoming run – good for me – perhaps not so much for the doggie!