Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Machine in the Garden: In Defense of Data

There is a movement going on in the world of triathlon. I've been reading it in the blogosphere, and I heard it again and again in my coaching seminar this weekend. I call this movement the Down with Data movement. It goes something like this:

  • We are slaves to our gadgetry, and it is leading us down paths of destruction. 
  • We are cut off from our bodies.  
  • We can no longer discern how we feel because we have conditioned ourselves to use our heart rate data or power meter to determine our effort for us. 
  • We believe we need to have this gadgetry to achieve at a high level, when all we really need to do is to listen--listen to our bodies. Let them tell us what is going on....
 Most of thsee arguments smack of the whole pastoral vs. the machine ambivalence that we have here in the west, and it's probably for that reason they bug me so much.  We love our gadgets, but we love even more to denounce them. Humans are better off eating like cave-people, sleeping in yerts, wearing hemp and keeping things "simple." You'd think we would have all embraced an Amish life by now--except that we don't really want to live like the Amish. We don't really want to live without our gadgetry. It's not that we are so disconnected from our bodies--it's that we are disconnected from our true wants and loves. It's one thing to acknowledge that it is a healthier choice to eat organic kale rather than Duncan Hines brownies hot out of the oven. It's another to be so disconnected from our true wants that we actually believe we want kale over a brownie. You know?

But enough on that.

The real  problem with the Down with Data movement as I see it is that those advocating a return to working out without data are rejecting the wrong thing. Data, in itself, is not bad. It is how we relate to the data that is the problem, and more specifically it is how we relate to the data as we work out that is (perhaps) most problematic. If we feel great but our heart rate monitor tells us we are in zone 5 and we believe it--that is the problem--not the data itself. Gadgets can run out of batteries and such, and then the data they provide may be flawed. We should be bright enough to pick up on that in those infrequent circumstances. Really.

I've never met a person who is so disconnected from his body that he cannot distinguish a hard effort from an easy one, but just say, for a minute, that such a person does exist. If he has become this way because of his reliance on gadgetry like his Garmin, which will tell him his pace and heart rate, then the argument goes he should LOSE the Garmin. He needs to get back to his roots. Listen to his breathing. Feel the wind beneath his feet. (He could probably only do the last thing if he were barefoot, of course, which, I should add, is the way he should be anyway b/c it's is closer to the pastoral than that evil machine...., right?)

Bullshit. He could do this... He could lose the Garmin. It wouldn't be the end of the world if he did. However, what is his goal? Is it to get faster? Better? Stronger? Then the data will not hurt him. In fact, I would argue it will help him. Information does not hurt people. Information informs people. Information educates people. Information helps us to become more evolved people. Are we really saying that being ignorant about pace, heart rate and power is better than knowing it?

Bear with me here. When an athlete is new to running or biking he has no idea how hard is really hard, how easy is really easy. He has no sense of pace--and no clue about heartrate or power. That's probably okay at first. The goal at first is really just to run or bike for a stretch of time without stopping. But as the athlete becomes more at ease with running or biking, he is ready for data. Far from disconnecting him from his efforts, this data gives a label to his efforts.  He measures out his routes, and for the first time realizes that he has been going at roughly say, 8 min. pace per mile. Interesting! As the athlete becomes more experienced he is eager for more and more data. This is not bad. This is evolution.

After years and years in sport, many runners and cyclists know exactly what their efforts "mean".  Andy has told  me that when he was in college they used to have a competition to see who could run 200 intervals within 1/10th of a second of each other.  After running 200 after 200--year after year--the runners on his team were able to that. But is it because they were running on feel? Well yes! But only after having years of data that enabled them to first label that feel, and then replicate it! Assessing one's perceived effort in a very general way is not hard. It hurts. It doesn't hurt. Becoming acquainted with the full variability of the perceived effort for any given measure and being able to label it accurately--eg. this is a 28.8 second 200--takes years of experience and years of KNOWING the data--data that can be used to label the effort and own it.

Today I had a run that was primarily a base run, but I had a few tempo miles in it as well. The instructions were to run at 10K pace minus 10-20 seconds for 3 mile tempo bit. I know what that pace is--on paper-- but that pace feels different to me every time I do it. I started out the run and felt great. I noted that I was running faster than normal while maintaining a zone 2 heart rate. Nice! When I began the tempo portion of my run I expected the ease to continue. I was having a good day! Hence, when I looked down at my Garmin a couple minutes into my effort I expected to see a pace that would cause me to think, Whoa, Nellie! I know you are a speedy woman, but let's slow down here. That's more like 5K pace! Ummm. No. I looked down and was like FUCK! Pick up the pace sister you are a slug! I found the pace with the help of the Garmin (it hurt more than I thought it should at first and then felt right after a few minutes). But my point is that using the Garmin helped me achieve a specificity in my workout that without it I would not have been able to achieve. I was able to find the pace, and feel it. I hope that someday I am able to find that pace -- or any pace-- with no help at all. But how will I know? I WON'T. Because unless I'm racing (where pace always feels different than in training anyway) I won't have the data to tell me!

Here's the real irony. The very devices certain people are advocating to take away so they can become reacquainted with their bodies are the very pieces of gadgetry that might enable the athlete to get to know his body better. It's easy for those with tons of experience in sport to suggest that we go without--because frankly, they are so experienced they can better trust perceived effort than those who are more inexperienced.

It's so easy to believe that simplicity is superior--that we would be in better touch with our true selves if we just shed the trappings of modern, technological life. Maybe this is true to some extent, or in some cases. But here?  The machine is not ugly and littering up the garden. Really, it's not. The garden is a beautiful place-- I agree. In this case, however, the machine is just helping us to get to know the garden a little better.

19 comments:

Ewa said...

I am all for learning from Nature and listening to my body and simplifying my life. That does not mean I will be sending smoke signals to communicate with my friends.
Are we slaves to our gadgets? Maybe we are but no more than our ancestors were to stone tools or bows and arrows. At one time those were 'gadgets' also.
So yes, I really hate it when I forget my Garmin. I like to see the map of places I ran. I like (well, not always) to see how fast I ran and how far. And I love it when I get lost in some new neighborhood that it can help me find my way back. Of course I could have paid attention in the first place but sometimes I get lost in my thoughts. Maybe I would not make a very good cave woman.

Philippe said...

Great post! Lot of thinking ;)

Thanks

Michelle Simmons said...

Interesting post, as always. :) I was just telling an athlete today (in a conversation about HR monitors) that I think it's good to use them at least at first so you can get a good idea of how easy zone 1 actually is... and how hard zone 4 actually is... I do think that once you know this stuff you don't *always* have to be monitoring every effort with a machine, but I do think it's important at first- because that's how you really get to know yourself. I also think it takes a lot of maturity as an athlete to accept that sometimes a certain effort level produces a certain pace, and other days that same effort level produces a very different pace. And on your 'slow' days, putting in the effort is what counts because soon enough you'll be more rested and that same effort will produce a surprisingly fast pace. I see this personally ALL THE TIME in the pool. The water is hot, I'm tired, whatever, the pace is slow. But I put the effort in anyway and then when the heater breaks and I'm at the end of a rest week- I'm flying. :) same on the bike too if it's windy or whatever- avg pace means nothing (power would be interesting here) but it takes a mature athlete to be able to deal with that data without getting too pumped up or beaten down.

GetBackJoJo said...

Michelle,
As always--such good insight. I think that the use of power on the bike functions much as pace does on the run... it's more objective than avg. miles per hour or heart rate on the bike. That said, You're right about the data being difficult for an athlete to HANDLE when there are high winds or whatever... That's what I meant when I said the problem is not the data itself, it's our relationship to the data that is problematic, esp. dealing with the data when actually ON the bike in such conditions. If an athlete is unable to disconnect himself from the data being what he wants it to be as opposed to what it is--then yes, there is a problem. But data is data. It's objective--even if conditions cause variability in the data.

Ange said...

I think it all comes down to experience. And personality. People who are very very new to sport actually Do have a hard time discerning specific levels of effort. Gadgets can help...and they can hurt. They can help them find their zones or pace and discover how each feels but they can Also become hyper-obsessed with the numbers. OH NO! I hit lower zone 3 and I was supposed to be in zone 2. They can spend too much time worrying about 5 beats/minute. HR is so variable...one's fatigue, healthy, temperature, terrain... that if one obsesses over those minutia it can be counterproductive. that is just ONE situation. As a whole, I agree, data is helpful. But it can also be used to the point of insanity. I do feel that in the end, an athlete needs to be able to head out the door and run a 10K pace for example without starting at the numbers. Or atleast know how to FEEL that pace or close to it. Because in a race, the watch might not work, or someone could steal it, or your race wheels don't have a power meter on them. You need to learn to RACE Hard with your HEART and fight to the end with what's inside.
Ok...sounding corny. But seriously.
I'm mixed on this. I hate runs without my Garmin...but I know it's important to run without one. I always used to adn did fine. And of course...I swim by feel too. It's not until AFTER that you see the pace clock.

Ange said...

ok, one more thing. YES It's the relationship to the data...but honestly not everyone can separate the two.... personality again.

David said...

I've wondered sometimes if I'm getting too dependent on my garmin, particularly for racing. Sometimes it feels like I'm hardly even competing against the other runners. I think I'll be trying to rectify that somewhat this year (but not this weekend!)
On the other points though, I agree. Data is power. Using tools to help us run to pace is like using a metronome to play music to a particular tempo, and that's been common for 200 years.

Velma said...

Fantastic post. I am not giving up data for anything - it is just who I am. I agree that there is a time and a place for the garmin. When I do a big strength hill workout, I leave the Garmin at home. But, like you said, sometimes I need to have something tell me to pick up the pace. I do a lot of training by myself, and it helps to have the virtual partner.

BTW, i think you should dye your hair purple :)

donna furse said...

I suffer sometimes with the gadgets as well, especially the powertap, I constantly look down instead of enjoying the ride, the numbers, the numbers. I am hoping to learn how to feel the watts outside this year and not focus so much on the numbers ( only to an extent though). Sometimes its so nice to just go outside and run and not worry about time or pace but just to remember how awesome it is to just run.

pepe said...

I completely agree with you Mary. Data is not bad, it is what we do with it. Data will never rule us, computers will never take over, we, people are smarter than that! It is nice to watch this movement, bc it speaks to me of the bigger picture of moving from an extreme to another. A while back HR and pace where everything, now they are out and we should go by feel. How about middle ground? Why is that hard?
I am not a gadget person in general. For the most part, they complicate my life, so I stay away. At the same time, I love my Garmin. Having a sense of my pace is great. If I have a stressful day I know my HR is higher than usual, so am I supposed to run slower bc of that? I think pace is more accurate of a standard, even though wind and all make it a bit less accurate. I agree that we are not dependent on our Garmins. Mine died in a race before and I dealt!

Katie said...

It might partially depend on the athlete. I ran many years without a watch and ran some races. And at the time, I hated the idea of running with a watch. Of course during workout intervals I had to count on someone to tell me when to stop. Then I was forced to get a watch by new coach. Now I can't stand not having one. I always want to know my pace and distance, but I can often estimate both fairly well. I agree that comes with experience and having run for many years.

I guess my long point is...I agree that data is good and if athletes love their gadgets there's nothing wrong with that. But some athletes might be more comfortable without them. It just depends on the person.

Running and living said...

OK, so for those who might click on the pepe comment and not find anything running related...I was logged onto my son's blog when I commented.
Ana-Maria
www.runningliving.blogspot.com

MaineSport said...

I completely agree, Mary. Power on the bike is perhaps the best example. Watts are watts. It's how hard you're pushing the pedals. HR and speed are affected by so many other factors. As for racing, it takes practice and experience to elarn how hard you can go. Most of us can't train that hard, so the data is less useful. By the way, the PERFECT place to race with power is the Crank the Kanc TT. The few down hills are shallow enough so you still work hard. The rest of the time you can stare at the powermeter, hit the red line, and pray you can stay there. Good writing.

Swimming for ME said...

Nice post Mar -- personally I am not too into the gadgetry.....
Knowing your pace as it "feels" is important in a race because you learn to read your body. In swimming the only thing to guide you is the clock, and only when you stop to look at it. The best thing our coach did for us last year was teach us to feel what a 20 second pace felt like for a 25-- and then hold it repeatedly - because as you do more, you are more tired and that 20 second pace 'feels' different. Now I know how to 'feel' a 100 at 1:12 vs. 1:16 vs. 1:20. Good stuff for races.

solobreak said...

What's your "stance" on swallowing a biometric capsule to monitor your core temp and other stuff? Deep squat? Collecting the data is a little shitty...

:o)

GetBackJoJo said...

Okay, Solobreak.I admit that was a good response... :)

Unknown said...

I have totally LOVED your recent posts following your trip and conference! You are such a smartie pants and I mean that in a good way :) ! I like Ange's comment, personality has a lot to do with how we monitor and gauge our pace; Garmin or body. I personally believe in a more "soulful" beginning because you have to enjoy or learn to enjoy your body moving forward before you can really start to monitor anything. You have to have that passion first. I even go back and forth between intensity and passion during my training, even though I want to keep pushing the pace and intensity...I need to keep the soul and spirit alive in order to keep pushing hard. If I'm stressing with the HR and Garmin, I don't just get disconnected from learning more about my body, I also get mentally disconnected from "why" I'm doing what I"m doing.
I hope that makes sense!

solobreak said...

Coaching summit at BBC on Sunday afternoon. First beer is on me. There is also be a large cache of Girl Scout cookies scheduled for delivery to sweeten the deal. Easy ride with Il Brucie's gumbies out of Walpole center in the am provided the roads aren't too icy, if you're interested in either. solobreak at gmail

rungirl said...

For competing as long as I have, you would think that I would be a gadget freak, but I'm not. I don't have a Garmin, I don't have a power meter, I don't even have a heart rate monitor. I know that gadgets can be good, I just don't think they are for me.

But who knows, maybe that's why I'm an average triathlete and never at the front of the pack!