Can a Fitness Tracker Help You Run a Better Race?

Thanks for the anecdotes.

Here's a thought. Use them if you find them motivating (I do); and stop using them if you don't. The author of this piece, a self-confessed techo-phobe, probably isn't the best reviewer for those who are trying to learn whether such devices can be helpful. For such people, go to amazon, search for exercise trackers and start reading comments.

Maybe if it had a built in electric shock feature!

The best run, or race, is the one where all electronics stay at home Focus on the moment, the glory of running, the sound of the wind, finding a good pace

I love Jen’s blog entries but don’t really care why Tiki Barber bonks. Maybe it’s karma?

In my opinion, these comments have been the best part of this article

Do they make one for sleeping?

My preferred "fitness tracker"? A large paper wall calendar on which I write down my mileage each day that I run. Then do an end-of-week tally. That's as much as I stress about running, which is my preferred sport because of its beautiful simplicity and low cost. My p.r. is 3:26:12, and all my marathon times are sub-4 hours.

Yes they all can: watches, Gamins, running apps, etc. can all provide feedback, but you should still hire a coach to provide you with customized guidance so that you can achieve your goals!

I'm an ultra runner but not a fitness tracker. I find when I ad rules like keeping a log or running a required x amount of miles a week, or required pace it takes the fun out of it. I run by feel so some days may be long runs, some I may run fast but I keep no written records. i remember it for for a week or so then move on. Keep it fun

I recently ran a half marathon with a lot of folks using various apps and devices. As I approached the race-provided marker for mile 1, I kept hearing electronic voices "Mile 1 12 minutes" , "one mile twelve and a half minutes." Followed by curses of people and comments about how slow they were running. Duh...4000 people, starting on an uphill run, onto a tiny local street. I don't need an app to tell me that it's going to be slow going for a mile or 2. I started seriously participating in sports 45 years ago, as a teen, and have always done it "old school," with a basic heart monitor, simple digital watch, and maybe a mapping software such as MapMyRun/Ride." Most people, love the data, but have no idea what to do with it all. And of course the "If I don't post it, it didn't happen."

I have a reward system. If I get in my 10,000 steps, I can have a glass of scotch before dinner. If I don't, it's iced tea. Rare are the occasions that I find myself running in place in front of the bar until the lights flash.

I’m not a lifelong runner, but have been running consistently over the last 10 or so years. The first 3 years were without tech and the last 7 with (garmin). I am super grateful that the tech exists for a myriad of reasons especially during races as my watch will tell me “you’re going out too fast”... races, of whatever distance, always feel great the 1st Mile, less so the 3rd, 6th, 12th, etc....Race energy will get you to perform beyond what you think capable, but also leave you empty before the finish. With my watch as a guide, pacing is much more consistent and I know based on my training what I can and cannot do.

Measurement has helped improve just about every other aspect of human activity but somehow the human body running is different? Give me a break and get over this "but I'm different" attitude. You will improve if you heed the data.

I wear a chest-strap heart rate monitor that my cardio machines (stairmaster, treadmill, and eliptical) read out for every cardio workout. The readout tells me if I'm overdoing it at the moment. If I miss a couple of workouts, I can also see by the readout that I'm in less shape (faster rate at lower levels). I can dial in a precise heart rate for HIIT training too. This is much easier than taking a pulse for 15 seconds, or squeezing the grips for 20 seconds, etc. You know "what" you are doing with other exercises (e.g., weight, reps, speed, etc.) Why not "know" what you are doing in real time for your heart! It's very hard for me to "feel" my way without it now. The real benefit is being able to push myself hard, but safely. For the light jogger or fast walker though, it's probably overkill.

Rather than ditching the devices completely, people should be taught how to understand and work with them if they choose to do so. It's ridiculous to give sedentary kids a 10k step goal immediately. Of course they're going to fail and give up. You have to select reasonable goals based on where you're at and where you want to be. I've lost nearly 10lbs of the weight I gained after surgery with the help of my FitBit and MyFitnessPal. The key was to set a reasonable calorie goal (losing 1lb a week instead of 2; doing 5k steps instead of 10k steps immediately.) I see my metrics and can think of ways to get more exercise and know how much I can eat that day, but I also understand that attending yoga 3x a week also makes me feel less anxiety, which my device can't capture. Fitness trackers are one helpful way to look at health and performance, but they're not a be-all-end-all. However, that doesn't render them useless.

For some, the gamification of fitness is really their jam. It inspires them, helps them with goal-oriented training, helps improve their performance in focused areas. I get that. For me? It just takes all the fun out of doing and being and exploring that come with walking, biking, and kayaking. And why do I need to log another bike commute? So I can compare it to decades of other such commutes someday? I don't see the point when "fastest ever" usually means "wow - hit all the lights today". I do plan routes, log where I've been, etc. I guess I'm just one of those people who prefers to escape the perform and compete grind through fitness, not compound it.

Tiki doesn't need another gadget to find out why he bonks at mile 18. That's where everyone bonks. That's where most people run out of glycogen and without that ready energy, your brain tells you you must slow down. Only super highly trained marathon vets (7 is still a wee beginner) get through mile 18 without a massive bonk, and some never do. Putting in enough quick energy (sugary gels) can get you a few more miles so long as you can stomach them, but The Wall is real unless you run slowly enough that you're burning more fat and not running dry on glycogen. The cheapest gps monitor can help you get enough information to calculate when you'll bonk if you use a tool like this: https://runnersconnect.net/marathon-hitting-the-wall/ But the reality is, almost everyone will bonk somewhere between mile 17-22 when racing a marathon. Slowing down for a jogging tour is the only way to avoid it.

The reason he bonks at Mile 18 is the reason why many people bonk at or near that distance: he went out too hard, ran above the aerobic zone, and burned through his carbohydrate stores. If he went out a little slower and tried to stay in the aerobic zone, he would burn fat rather than carbohydrate, and he wouldn't bonk. He doesn't need an expensive device to figure out why he's bonking. He needs a heart rate monitor and a little understanding about what his heart rate is when he goes anaerobic (which is identifiable by when his respiratory rate suddenly increases).

I started using trackers about 10 years ago. They enabled me to go from a back of the pack athlete that was 50 pounds overweight to an accomplished triathlete. The key is to learn how to analyze your data. Did your heart rate go up during the race? This might suggest dehydration. Did your heart rate decrease? Chances are you needed more fuel. Does your heart rate increase and your speed decrease (decoupling)? Your training needs to be adjusted. Bottom line, collecting data is easy. Analyzing the data and modifying the work is hard. No easy way.

After 42+ years of running, I finally bought a GPS tracking watch a few months before running a marathon in October. I have always kept a log of time and distance. Pros? I found out that I was remarkably accurate in my estimates of pace and distance of different routes I run regularly. Cons? Well, I was really hoping that I was actually faster than I thought. As far as the race, I was able to accurately predict what my estimated finish times would be in either a best or worst case scenario. It didn't prevent my asthma from kicking in at mile 21, when the route entered a heavy traffic area, leading to a time closer to my "worst case" prediction than desired. It was nice to look at my race data on a mile-to-mile basis afterwards, but I can't say it helped me run a better race. I'm a serious runner, but only race every two or three years (35 years between my first and my 8th marathon), so using a tracker may be of more benefit to someone who is racing frequently or new to racing. I still rely on my paper log to track my weekly mileage, alternate easy and hard days, and make sure to not overtrain. I know too many people who became obsessed with their mileage, racing or race times, incurred major or chronic injuries in their 30's or 40's, and can no longer look forward to going out and enjoying running. I want to be running in my 70's and 80's, like my dad, my college coach, and many other friends and role models.

Help in a race, I don't know, but useful otherwise. When I started working out again in my 40s I bought a heart rate monitor and found that my maximum sustained heart rate was 200 bpm. That was much higher than average and I saw my doctor about. A stress test on a treadmill found nothing wrong so I just ran with it. When working with free weights I found myself getting sick every three to four months, colds, sniffles, and such. I changed my routine to not do another set until my heart rate had dropped to a level that I thought desirable, from occasional peaks of 200 bpm to 120 bpm. I learned to relax, breathe, etc., to bring my heart down as quickly as possible. While shoveling a lot of snow one day I noticed I was getting out of breath quickly. I was puzzled as I was in good shape, so I put on the heart rate monitor. I was quickly hitting peaks of 180 bpm to 200 bpm, so I just paced myself and had no problems for the rest of the day. Weights in the form of shovels of snow done for hours at a time become an aerobic activity. Anyway, I've found a basic heart rate monitor to be useful.

Bingo Jen, you really hit the nail on the head. Despite all the gimmicks, gadgets and gizmos available, many newbie runners lack the essential characteristics needed to perform well in distance running, notably mental toughness and a willingness to do the sometimes uncomfortable work. Back in the 80s my core workouts included hill reps and intervals of up to a mile long with only 60 sec. recovery between each rep. aided only by a mundane Casio watch. It's a rare sight today to see anyone other than HS and college runners doing interval work.

I’m basically now a recreational runner (“hobby jogger,” according to some die-hards). I don’t use such gadgets anymore because I’ve found that they can kill whatever enjoyment I get from running, as well as making me more tuned in to what is on my wrist rather than what is around me. I realized it was time to turn off the tracking when my mood would actually be affected by whatever time/mileage/pace my device showed. (Relatively fast pace? — Great! Slower than I thought? — Why am I doing this again?) My innate competitiveness, even with myself, was getting to be a bit much. Now, if I had to monitor my heart rate, or were in a consistent training regimen or attempting to qualify for Boston, I would most definitely chart my progress. But I’m not, so I won’t. And when I do run now, I find it much more relaxing and enjoyable, and when I finish it’s with the satisfaction of accomplishment.