Rainbow Bean Salad & Racing With Garmin?

Posted: June 2, 2011 at 8:55 am

Holla for Thursday!!! And all the new faces I keep seeing popping up around here in the comments. Hi, friends! ๐Ÿ™‚

This week keeps going at the speed of light! It also keeps getting better and better. Things keep turning out better than expected. Like my speed work run on Tuesday. Or getting lots of things accomplished which I expected to cause a ton of stress. Or receiving exciting news I did not expect to get. Or when a random dinner pulls together tastier than I could have hoped.

rainbow bean salad 1

I shall call this little masterpiece โ€œRainbow White Bean Saladโ€ for its colorful variety. So simple โ€“ aka open, chop, mix, and toss a bunch of random whatever. So flavorful โ€“ aka lots of fresh goodness going on in that bowl. So Tina โ€“ aka filling and good for a budget.

rainbow bean salad 2

Rainbow White Bean Salad (for 2)

  • 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 6 oz artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 small red onion, diced
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced small
  • 1/2 large cucumber, chopped
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 2 T olive oil
  • juice of 1 lemon

Simply combine all the ingredients. Stir to combine. Allow to chill until ready to eat. I love summer food. Why canโ€™t winter food come together this easily? Oh, yea. You have to actually cook. Blech.

Now that I have enticed you all with beans at breakfast time, I shall move on to other things rattling around in my brain. Like my race on Saturday and the question I currently bat back and forth in the tennis courts of my mind. To Garmin or NOT to Garmin?

I love my little run toy. It does wonders for me during training runs. It allows me to just go without having to plan out every bit of my route. It helps me learn more about my pacing. It guides me during things like tempo runs where I have a goal pace. Yet, as this is my first 10K and I mainly have the goal to finish strong (which hopefully involves a sub 1:00 time), Iโ€™m considering running the race without my little pal.

I want to see how simply trusting my body and just going works out for me in a race setting. I wonder if trying to focus on my pace by keeping up with Mr. G could actually hinder me during a race. Right now I lean toward going without it to see how it plays out and if it would be something I enjoy for future races. I want to trust my training and trust my body. I guess in my mind all I can do on race day is get out there and run. Hopefully I have learned enough to race smartly and finish strong.

  • If you run races, how closely do you track your pace?
  • What is your favorite thing about summer food?

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63 Comments to “Rainbow Bean Salad & Racing With Garmin?”
  1. Tina,

    I think you should do what works for you.

    I used to be really good at pacing myself but not anymore, so I recently got a garmin 30 and am loving peeking at it during my runs to help pace better!

    I love grilling during the summer and lots of crunchy raw salads! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. I just started drooling looking at that rainbow salad. Yes please! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Jess says:

    I actually think you’d do well without the Garmin. I found that it was becoming more of a distraction than anything else (at least for me). I now run without it and find myself trusting myself more and just running to run, just a little bit more freely.

  4. Summer meals always come together more easily for me just because I tend to have more fresh produce on hand. Looks like a great combination!

  5. I don’t use a Garmin for a race, BUT almost every race I have done had somebody calling out the current clock time at every mile. It’s a nice way to check in without over-analyzing. Maybe your race will have this?

    • Tina says:

      That’s what I’m hoping. I think I would need something like that to make sure I’m still pacing properly. Otherwise I think I would use the Garmin.

  6. That salad looks beauteous ๐Ÿ™‚ I don’t actually own a Garmin yet, so I do all my running and racing with a regular watch. I never really have time goals, and I just run at a pace that feels good to me (for now). My favorite thing about summer food is how FRESH everything tastes…like it just came out of the ground. Yum!

  7. Amy Lauren says:

    I don’t own a Garmin. People wonder why- I say because I’m a numbers person. I like the simplicity of running and not worrying about a time or pace ALL the time. If I had a Garmin, I’d be trying to outdo myself all the time. I’d also be looking at the watch throughout the race. Then again, I know myself and how I’d react with it, so yeah.

    With that said… I have a couple friends who race with them and do very, very well. You could definitely trust your body- if you’re used to going a certain pace you can do it with the Garmin or without- you’re the one running the race, not the watch. Your pace adapts to the training you do.

    A.L.

  8. Maura says:

    Pace is never really a concern with me. I’m one of those runners who is concerned with one thing – finishing alive. And I’m okay with that ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. That salad looks delicious! I’ll definitely be making that. ๐Ÿ™‚ I LOVE white beans!

    I ran my first half marathon without my Garmin (I didn’t own it yet) and without a heart rate monitor or anything to monitor my pace. I crushed my goal time by about 10 minutes! For my second half marathon, I was originally planning on running without my garmin but I decided to do it last minute. I ended up hitting my goal time exactly and I don’t think I would have without it. I tried not to look at it too much because I just wanted to run as fast as my body was telling me it could go, but checking in with it occasionally helped a lot. I probably looked at it once or twice a mile, which may sound like a lot, but I’ve been known to obsessively check my Garmin every two minutes!

  10. Angela says:

    The salad looks awesome – so bright and colourful! I love summer food for the same reasons. It’s bright, super easy to prepare, and seems to taste delicious no matter how you combine it!

  11. Yum that salad looks good!! I am really digging fresh veggies, olive oil, and lemon right now. I’m not sure what it is!

    As for the Garmin — do what works for you! I have run 2 half marathons without my Garmin and while I am now addicted to it, it’s not a I have to have it kinda thing (now music on the other hand…). I do like to know my pace and it’s a game to see if I can push myself harder – but you need to do what works for you!

  12. Kara says:

    I never EVER race without my Garmin. Will I run without it for training? Sure. But racing? Never.

    In a race, you will start out too fast. You just will. If you don’t have a Garmin or a timer, you won’t know to slow down so you don’t crash and burn at mile 5.

    That’s just me though, lots of people race with Garmins and survive. I just enjoy my races a lot more if I don’t feel like death after (which I do if I start too fast). ๐Ÿ™‚

  13. The salad looks delicious! I love all the fresh flavors of summertime! I am already enjoying all it has to offer!

  14. Always an interesting question about the Garmin. I have run all my races w/ it. But, my last race (3 weeks ago) I barely checked it the whole time. Maybe 1x/mile to just make sure I wasn’t running too fast (or slow) for my goal. I like having it there as back-up but it definitely felt more freeing to not keep peeping at it every 20 seconds. I think it also allowed me to focus more on the race.

  15. I love running races with my Garmin because it helps me not start off too fast, but I also love running without it to just run, like you said. I’m SURE you’ll finish this weekend’s 10k in under 1 hour… that was my goal (but I’m much slower than you normally) and I finished in 1 hour 1 second! I kid you not. Argh!

  16. I don’t have a Garmin so I don’t really know what I’d prefer — I almost always just run according to how I feel at the time. With races, my goal is always to just finish so keeping track of my pace is not super important.

  17. I just mentioned this in my national running day post (http://bit.ly/jpNVFP)
    When I focus too much on my pace I get stressed out about my run and it becomes less enjoyable.

  18. I normally run with my Garmin in races just to see how I am doing. I don’t use it to push myself or make myself stay at any certain pace but sometimes when I glance at it and see I’m going faster than I thought or that I’m really making good time it helps to motivate me more.

  19. mmm, i love summer food too! ๐Ÿ™‚ that bean salad looks perfectly refreshing and delicious!

    i don’t have a garmin and i’ve never run a race, but one thing i think a garmin would HELP me with is making sure i didn’t start out too fast like i see so many other runners caution against in their race advice posts. i know i ALWAYS start my runs out faster than i intend and then have to slow down at the end….not sure if that might be an issue for you too or not!

  20. Oh you are braver than I to run without a Garmin. I love my little guy…ha. I just really like knowing how far I have gone. I try not to obsess over it, but it definitely is nice to know I am on track. I think it helps me run smarter.

  21. I say ditch the Garmin! I don’t have one. When I do track my time\distance I use and iPhone app.

    That salad looks so good! We had our first bbq last night and it was great. Summer foods are delicious. My favorite lately are zucchini & yellow squash grilled and then drizzled with an evoo, balsamic, garlic and basil dressing.

  22. I adore all if the color and freshness…seasonal eatin is by far the best!

  23. Tina says:

    I enjoy anything cold in the summer. I love cold salads like yours! I also love smoothies in the summer. I need to go food shopping and stock up again.

  24. runblondie26 says:

    What a pretty salad.

    Hmmm, that Garmin question is really a hard one. Some races it’s been a godsend (especially the few times when the courses had no mile markers!). But it’s also been a great saboteur as well (making me think I was on a faster pace than I really was, psyching me out from going faster and then finishing with gas in the tank, etc)

    Being that heat will be a factor in your races for the next few months, and your still getting a feel for your true racing ability….I’d say skip it.

  25. I actually don’t own a Garmin so don’t follow my pace too closely during race. I still do wear a stop watch so I have some idea where my pace is and I especially like to know during a faster race such as a 5k. However, I would only wear it if you truly feel it would help rather than hinder you, you don’t want to be distracted by it!

  26. Lauren says:

    I only wear a basic watch while running & racing, and it’s nice to have just to see my time during my runs. If you wanna just enjoy your race, maybe don’t wear it and just run based on how you feel.

  27. I still somehow don’t have a Garmin! But if I did, I think I’d wear it in a race. Usually there are pace clocks along the way, but they aren’t always accurately placed (especially in smaller races, I’ve found).

  28. THere are definitely days where I just put on my Nike watch and run for time. I don’t worry about pace and just run what I feel. There are also days where I wear my Garmin, but am specifically running “easy” so I try to worry less about my speed, but still it’s tough.

  29. Karen says:

    I would try going without it. You might surprise yourself at how much faster you go without keeping to a specific pace on your garmin. On the other hand, the garmin can be nice if you want to know where you are on the course (i.e. 3 mi, 4 mi, etc.). When I wear mine for a race, I typically just use it to keep up with mileage.

  30. I ran my first ever race on May 1.. it was a 10k. I honestly had no idea what I should be aiming for or anything. I would hoping to have an average pace of about 8:20 a mile. On race day, with my baby Garmie strapped on my wrist.. I took off. I was flying at the beginning.. sub 7:00 pace. This was one reason I liked having my garmin.. because I had no idea how fast I was going. I kept trying to slow down.. but it didn’t work out too well .. and I actually ran much faster then I though I would.. with an average pace of 7:33. Never. Ever. In a million years did I think I could do that.. for 6.2 miles.

  31. Michelle says:

    Looks delicious!!

    I wish I had some really great inspiring thing to say about running with or without your garmin, but I don’t. I ran my first half marathon with one because it mentally helped me to keep track of my milage and pace. I think I would run a race with again as well.

  32. You will hit sub 1:00, piece of cake for you, superstar! Seriously, 10k is my FAVORITE distance. Good luck, Tina!

  33. jobo says:

    I go both ways on this too…I like it to gauge my heart rate and how long I’ve been running but also am just fine without it too. but if you are aiming for a specific finish, you may want it this time? It’s a tough call because I see both sides to the argument!! Game day decision? ๐Ÿ˜‰ And delish looking salad! I love summer meals too, so fast and tasty!

  34. I am the least technical runner…I never know how fast I am going! I find out at the finish line haha! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Good luck with the 10K!

  35. I’m in a very weird place in my relationship with my Garmin, so maybe I’m not the best one to comment on this, but lately my Garmin has contributed to me focusing much more on speed than I want to be. I’ve lost some of my ability to run by feel, and that’s really thrown me off. I think my running has actually suffered since getting (and perhaps not properly using) my Garmin. That being said, it can also be a very helpful tool and help people not go out faster than they want to in a race.
    I think it’s so different for everyone, so you just need to make the call for you!

  36. Helen says:

    Yay for summer food! I love the burst of flavors that you can get out of summer produce, oh and the coolness helps in 102 degree heat…yep 102 at my house!

    I say go without the Garmin. I do not own one, although I would love one, so when I do any races I am on my own. Your main goal is to finish strong, which is what I always aim for (of course I only run occasionally), so there really is no need in tracking. I say do your first one solo and listen to your body, then you can throw in the Garmin for future runs.

    • Tina says:

      That’s a good point. For the first run go without and then in the future if I have a goal PR to set or something where I could use the pace more, maybe use it then. Thanks!

  37. I use my Garmin during my outdoor runs, so I also used it during my 5ks. I find that I don’t look at it often during the races, but I like having it there if I want to track my pace! ๐Ÿ™‚

  38. I ran my first half marathon without my garmin. I was upset at first that I didn’t have it, but afterwards was glad I didn’t. I trained without it the whole time, and basically just kept up my pace where I felt it was fast enough and trying to just get past the people in front of me. I felt like if I had it I would have constantly be checking my pace, wondering if I was going too slow or fast. After finding out I kept an 8:22 pace I was soo excited, and then I realized I would have slowed down if I looked at my garmin and it told me that in worries of burning out. I think with or without is up to you, I like taking it on my runs and pushing myself and would take it to races, but just saying I ended up doing pretty awesome without it ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Tina says:

      Thanks for sharing your experience without it. I think I sometimes hold back on my pace bec I think I shouldn’t be going that fast. On training runs, I will go awhile without checking my pace and then notice I was going much faster than I thought, but felt okay.

  39. Maren says:

    I would take it! I know, personally, from running track in high school that once I’m racing I get a huge adrenaline rush and the idea of ‘pacing’ kinda goes out the window. Having something to say ‘hey slow down!’ would be a great thing! I hope your race goes well ๐Ÿ˜€

  40. Carly says:

    I’ve run with my Garmin for races, but I seriously don’t care about my pace and time as long as I am running comfortably. Truly the most important thing for me to keep track of is my heart rate. I constantly monitor this to make sure that I am not OVERdoing during the race because of adrenaline!

  41. I always run my races with my garmin. I started to get too obsessive with it (always looking down) but that changed when I ran my second half marathon. The only time I looked down was when I pressed the lap button (I was a doofus and didn’t figure out the automatic lap until 6 weeks later) and I got my PR!
    I like seeing the stats so I always wear it. When I’m racing a 5k I’ll look down fairly often to make sure my pace is keeping up. Other than that I’ll just glance down to see my splits.

  42. I use the Nike+ with my iPod and when I ran my 10K in April I went to start my time and I realized I forgot to put the receiver in my iPod that picks up my chip!! I didn’t even have a watch to time me so I just had to go off of the time that the volunteers were yelling out at each mile marker. I was stressed at first, but then I just ran and it actually felt kind of liberating to not be constantly worried about my pace or how much longer I had to go. ๐Ÿ™‚

  43. I LOVE my Garmin, but I didn’t have it for my first half marathon and I did better than I thought I would! It can kind of stress me out during a race to see my pace, so when I ran a half without it, I just ran as fast as my body would let me and finished faster than I planned ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Tina says:

      That’s what I’m wondering about. I think I try to hold a safe pace and then could do more. But I don’t want to get overzealous and over do it either!

  44. Colleen says:

    I ran a 10K last weekend with my mom and decided ahead of time to stay with her for the whole race and let her set the pace. I left my Garmin at home and it was liberating! I plan to mix it up and leave my Garmin at home for some runs and use it for others.

  45. When I was a new runner, I never ran races with my Garmin. I just wanted to see what my body could do and really just trying to establish a base line. Now that I’m a bit more seasoned, I like to race with my Garmin. I know what I can do and from there I’ve established goals. Once you have an actual finishing time in mind, I think it’s good to run with the Garmin. Before you’ve reached that point, I think it’s perfectly find to just do your best.

  46. Anna says:

    My favorite thing about summer food is the simple fact that I can grow my own food and go to farmer market’s and get freshly picked produce ^_^

  47. Katheryn says:

    I don’t own a garmin and I have ran a 5k, 11k, 4 half-marathons and 3 marathons. I know I would focus more on my numbers than how my body feels. I just use my regular watch and start the stopwatch at the beginning of training runs and races so I have a ballpark idea of how I’m doing. This has worked great for me and I’m getting close to having a qualifying time for Boston.

  48. vivoir says:

    i think that you’ve already answered my favourite thing about summer food with your recipe ๐Ÿ™‚ colour, crunch and freshness. even looking at it feels like one’s body is hit with vitamins and… LIFE

  49. I don’t focus too much on my Garmin pace unles it is a long run for me. Then I use it to help me keep my pace slower at the beginning. Especially for a race, I get all excited and often go out too fast (which ends up with me crashing midway).

    My favorite things about summer food are 1) that there is actually good produce to be found, and 2) that it is more affordable when I do find it. Hurray for summer!

    Good luck with your race!

  50. I ran my first half with the Garmin and did just fine. I got annoyed knowing how far I had to go and I looked at it a little too much.

    I had planned to run with in on the next half, but I Couldnt get it to work so I said screw it.

    I enjoyed the second race SO Much more. I ran more intuitively. Quite simply, it allowed me to just run. I hit a comfortable pace and had no idea what my time was. I had no idea how far I had left and I figured I would just stop when the time came at the finish line. I LOVED EVERY MINUTE.

    and turns out–i beat my other race by 10 minutes.

    no more garmin for me during races.

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