I wish I could say every run was great. That every run was driven by internal goals and motivations, and I was unaffected by the daily ups and downs. But that would be a lie.
Somedays, I need to pull out some dirty tricks and play them on myself. Make myself feel better by any means necessary.
I’m not proud, but I feel like we can be honest with each other: So here is my confession.
Meet Frank
This is Frank, he is my ‘virtual training partner’ on my Garmin Forerunner 610
I don’t remember when Frank became Frank. He’s been Frank for my last few Garmins. He goes back at least a half dozen years. I get a new watch, I set up my virtual training partner and I can just imagine Frank sliding over into his new location Tron-style.
The ‘Right’ Way to Use a Virtual Training Partner
The virtual training partner is a fun little feature. You set your virtual training partner to run at any pace you want. He ‘runs’ at that consistent pace and tells you when you are ahead or behind.
The little stick figures of you and your virtual partner race. It’s a good way to challenge yourself and have some competition, even when you are running alone.
It also comes in handy when I am pacing a race, although more than once I have forgotten to set the right race pace before the start so I can’t use him.
And Frank is not shy about taunting me and letting me know when he is ahead (a/k/a I am behind).
My Confession
OK. Are you ready? I hope you don’t think less of me once you know the truth.
On days when I’m feeling totally blah and lacking enthusiasm, I will set Frank to run a super slow pace just so I know I will beat his little virtual ass.
When everything else feels off, when I’m sure that everyone is faster and more qualified than me, I know there is one person in the world that I can beat: Frank.
But it can be a very fine balance. I can’t be so far ahead that I lose sight of him (the stick figures proportionately space out- too far ahead or behind and only one figure is one screen). He needs to stay visible for it to be a really satisfying victory.
Thanks for the pick-me-up Frank. I owe you one.
You mentioned the great way to use the virtual training partner which is very useful and effective if followed properly. Thank you so much for posting!