Sometimes you need to leave the gadgets at home!!!

As triathletes, we're all about the bling. We love shiny kit, gadgets and things which beep and bleep. But sometimes it's nice to leave the gadgets at home and get back to nature.

Don't get me wrong, I think triathlon technology is fantastic and I wouldn't be without my GPS, sports watch, power meter and laptop software. I love uploading data from my runs and rides, crunching the numbers, and poring over the stats. I work to heart-rate, pace and cadence, I measure energy output and wattage. I get a thrill when I see some numbers tumbling and live for the day when other numbers climb. And I'm even more excited about data from my clients. The numbers all our tech generates is a concrete way of charting our progress as triathletes, in training and in races. It's all there, in black and white.

But sometimes… just sometimes… I like to head out for a cycle, a run or even a swim, without recording any data at all. And I urge you to do the same.

Why? Because it can take us right back to the beginning, back to when we first took up triathlon or its component sports, and can reconnect us with the things we first fell in love with. The sound of our own breath, our own footfall beating out an easy rhythm, the purr of our bike's wheels spinning beneath us. Birdsong, countryside, the sights and sounds which make up our most treasured training routes. The simple pleasure of striding out with a great training partner and putting the world to rights as we run or ride. The tactile sensations of swimming, water sliding over our shoulders and down our backs, hands cutting through the surface of the pool and shooting out in front of our eyeline. The thud-thud of our own feet working to a steady two-beat kick.

Of course, we have to choose our timing carefully. There comes a point in the season where we just don't have the luxury of heading out for an off-grid ride, or plodding off for a run without gathering the data.

But, next time your training schedule allows, I urge you to leave the tech at home. Swim, ride and run just like you did in the old days. Before the gadgets, before the constant connection of wireless tech. And enjoy!