I tried running without a fitness tracker for the first time in 10 years—here are three things I learned

A man in shorts and a t-shirt runs down a gravel road in a rural setting as the sun rises.

I'm the sort of person who tracks every single element of their workouts. In the gym you'll find me scribbling down my sets, reps and weights, and it's been more than a decade since I went on a run without my fitness tracker. 

That all changed over the festive period, when I decided to try running without monitoring my pace or distance. I didn't even track the length of time I spent on my jog. I simply slipped on my running shoes, opened the door and ran.