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Fitness trackers are everywhere these days. They can keep track of everything from heart rate, calories burned and distance to time performing an activity and your pace. With all this information available one can’t help but ask – “Do I really need to know all that information? Can’t I just head out on my run and not have to worry about tracking those stats?” Today I wanted to share with you 5 reasons why you should be tracking your running a little more closely AND give you an opportunity to win your very own Timex OneGPS+ run watch! Trust me – you’ll want this one…
1. (Most obviously) Know your statistics: Keeping track of statistics like how far you went, how long it took you, and what your heart rate was like during a run is crucial to monitoring improvement over time. These essential statistics are powerful motivators and can actually help with your motivation, drive, and consistency. Figuring out how far you ran and how much time it took you is the first step in any successful running program.
2. Competing with yourself is a good thing: One thing that I’ve always loved about running is that it’s one sport you can take part in entirely on your own. There will always be better runners than you, but it’s not fair to compare yourself to them. The only person you should ever compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday. Tracking your stats can be a great way to push yourself a little further to be a little better. I usually encourage people to look at progress one month at a time. Establish your baseline by going for a “set run” on day one. How far did you go and how long did it take you? Following one month of consistent running, where are your improvements? Can you go further a greater distance in the same amount of time? Can you run the same distance in a faster time? For me, personally, if I’m coming down the home stretch and know I’ve got a chance to hit a new personal record (PR) I’m going to pick up my pace down the home stretch to try to get it! Remember – a little competition with yourself is a good thing!
3. Constant pace feedback: Piggybacking off that last thought – one of the things I love the most about wearing my tracker while running is the constant pace feedback I receive. My personal goal is to get my mile time consistently under 8 minutes to complete my goal of a sub-25-minute 5k. As I’m running I constantly check my pace feedback on my watch to make sure it’s hovering right around that 8 minute mark. I know that if I’m above that I need to pick up my pace a little in order to achieve my goal. This can be a powerful motivator… trust me!
4. See measurable improvements over various terrains: The quickest way to fail any preconceived running program is monotony. If I had to run the same route every time I went out for a run I would have a really hard time getting motivated to do it! My recommendation is to have various “runs” that you can go on. Find a “short run (2-3 miles)”, a “long run (3-5 miles)”, a “hill run (a set loop with a lot of elevation changes)” and a “trail run (head up into the mountains to a set point)”. For each of these runs, track your stats like your time, distance, pace, and heart rate and record them somewhere (I just have a “note” in my phone with all of them recorded). Then as you run over these various terrains you can track your improvements over time. This is also a great way to identify your weaknesses in your running (maybe it’s hills… maybe it’s longer runs…).
5. Stay motivated: Probably the biggest reason that I like to track my running statistics is motivation. By nature, I’m a very competitive person. I want to continue to push myself to become the best that I can be. By tracking my running statistics I can see where I’ve improved and also where I’m weakest and need to spend a little more effort. With this feedback readily available I run longer, stronger, and constantly seek improvement. It’s a great way to not only start a running program, but to STICK WITH IT through to the end!
So let’s see – in order to start to apply some of these principles you probably need your own tracker, right?!
Introducing Tone-and-Tighten.com’s
Timex OneGPS+ Giveaway!!
If you’re looking for the perfect tracker to do everything I just mentioned and SO MUCH MORE, look no further than the Timex OneGPS+! I literally had no idea a watch could be capable of so much! Some of my favorite features include:
Everything running – track time, speed, distance, and pace real-time and instantaneously share these metrics with your friends online!- Leave your phone at home!! – In my opinion, this is the absolute coolest feature. You can actually upload your music to this watch and sync it wirelessly to your bluetooth headphones! You get all your favorite running tunes played directly to your headset without a big phone in your pocket or a cumbersome armband.
- Did I mention leave your phone at home? – Because yeah – this bad boy has messaging capabilities, also!! Did you decide to go for a longer run? Let your spouse know you’re going to be a little later. Being chased by a bear? Send emergency alerts, also! I even use mine daily when typing on the watch is more convenient than taking out my phone!
- The display is stunning – always on and incredibly readable even in on the brightest of days!
- Tracking capabilities – your loved ones can log on at any time and see exactly where you’re at. There’s no state of mind like peace of mind, especially on those early morning or late night runs!
- Finally, this watch is powered by a Qualcomm processor and embedded modem (a modem in a watch?! We live in the future…) thereby providing all these features without the need to carry a phone!!
So you want one, right? GOOD! Because the rock stars over at Timex have given me one that I get to give to you!!
This giveaway is for (one) Timex OneGPS+
Here’s how you enter…
USING THE FORM BELOW sign up to follow Tone-and-Tighten.com via email. This counts as one entry into the giveaway.
Submitting your name and email unlocks 4 additional bonus entries! These include…
– Follow @tone_and_tighten on Instagram –
– Follow @TimexSports on Instagram –
– Follow @ToneandTighten on Twitter –
– Follow @TimexSports on Twitter –
Up to 5 entries available per person!!
WINNER HAS BEEN SELECTED AND NOTIFIED.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS GIVEAWAY!
This giveaway will run for 24 hours with the winner being announced tomorrow morning in an update to this blog post and on Tone and Tighten’s social media channels!! Questions? Leave a comment below or email me at ToneandTightenFitness{at}gmail.com Best of luck to all of you! And as always…
Make it happen,
Jared
This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Timex.