Does anyone train by feel anymore???

I train by feel and HR monitor.

In my interval training I focus on hard vs easy not a specific HR. When I feel like crap or am overtrained it is difficult to get HR up. 3minutes at "hard" is much more intense than 3 miles at hard so it is variable.

I have found my HR monitor to be valuable for charting progress and reminding me when to so ease up on my recovery workouts. It also lets me know when I'm getting anaerobic especially when climbing hills. But I try not to use it as a limiter but rather a complement.

Some days I go without it, too, especially my long rides.

Nope, I think HRMs are under/mis-used. 

They are a tool.  A valuable one, but still a tool.  They can help provide feedback during a workout (or race), as well as helping to monitor progress, training effects, etc.  Especially for the vast majority who are self-coached, having some "unbiased" feedback should be a big asset to training. 

"Feel" or RPE is also important and should be used in conjunction with HR (or power or pace).  But it takes experience (and a certain internal objectiveness) to be able to accurately "measure" RPE and use that information wisely.  Witness all the people who post about how great they "felt" on the bike leg of their tris, only to have terrible runs.  Most think they need to work on their run, but really they need to work on their pacing.  HR provides a good way to help do that.

I doubt your watch was innacurate, it doesn't gauge speed anyway. What your body was telling you was that, in that time period, your body was covering more ground than your dumb ol' brain thought.

So much for training by "feel."

I do both.  The HRM has helped me sync up mentally what a particular zone feels like when I run it, and I like being able to see what my HR is doing when other factors come into play such as heat, etc. 

I have a Garmin and I love the GPS feature on it, cause it's just nice to know how far I've really run, the auto-lap is a nice feature, and being able to actually see what my pace is helps me a lot, because I've never been able to gauge my pace for crap. 

I don't use the HRM exclusively by any means - there are days I just want to get out and enjoy the run and not worry about zones and such, and I do just that.  I will take the Garmin along though, for the reasons stated above - I'm still working on being able to tell what a 10m mile actually feels like.

I feel the same way about timepieces as you do about heart rate monitors.  I think watches and timepieces are great, but what about estimating time by feel.  A watch can't tell you need to run faster.  Sure, you can look at the time and a map and know how fast you've been going, but watches are electronic or mechanical, and like everything else they can be inaccurate at times.  Sure seems like everyone is hooked on watches these days. 

I think watches/clocks are overused/misused.  I'm not hating on watches or other timekeepers, but I'm gonna start working out on "perceived" time.  

(Just kidding around)

My thoughts exactly.  Weird.

Seriously, I started out thinking I'll just do my own thing.  Then, after seeing the results of base training/cult of kicking a**, I gave in.  I don't have a HRM but after low intensity running for a couple months at a nice slow pace I put up a 6:58 pace 5k race.  I was convinced.  I'm following whatever training advice on the subject I can get and when I can afford the gizmos to allow me to get more into it, I'll get 'em.

I do all of my training with HR, GPS, compu buddy etc. I take full advatages of the tools we have availible to train and get better.

Racing... I go by total feel...

I have talked to a few pros and some will not even wear a watch during a race on anything less that a HIM. It is all feel and perseved exertion for them.

Leave it to you Bear to call me out on that.    What I was trying to say was at the end, it felt like my pace was much faster then what my watch was saying.

I guess I have two comments.  Keep in mind that this comes from a total newbie at racing and I have no aspirations other than to get fit, have fun, and maybe to edge myself toward MOP.

1.  In my youth, I loved gadgets.  Any hobby I started, I would get all the latest and greatest.  As I get older, I find I am reversing that trend, i.e. the simpler the better.  Or better known as K.I.S.S..  For example, in my early days of backpacking, I had a fancy stove and a fancy tent and a fancy sleeping pad, etc, etc.  Now I am happy to take 5 minutes to throw in a tarp, an old closed cell foam pad and a homemade alcohol stove and off I go.  So in my attempt to keep it simple, I think a HRM or GPS would just add clutter to my brain.   

2.  Again in my youth (oh doesn't that get old!  LOL!), we walked to school 5 miles each way in a blizzard and it was uphill both ways.  Oh, that's not what I meant to say.

2.  Seriously, I remember working out in college in the days of the jazzercise/aerobics craze.  Heart rates were taken manually every so often and a lot of emphasis was placed on perceived exertion.  So just because I don't use a heart rate monitor, doesn't mean that I totally ignore heart rate.  If I perceive I am going too hard or easy, I will take my heart rate to kind of keep track of things.  It's amazing how I can usually tell where I am at within 5-10 bpm.  I know it is not as good as a HRM to those who swear by them.  BUT it is simple (see #1) and it does keep me on track somewhat.

If I was training to be competitive and actually try to win races, I would probably do HRM monitor training, but that's not where I am at. 

Diane

I'm a firm believer in using a HRM for training.  When I first started using a HR monitor, I found that I was constantly training in zone 3.  I felt like I was pushing hard but all I was doing was delaying my recovery.  Using the HRM, I sooned learned what zone 2 and zone 4 felt like, so that I could accurately schedule my training.  I've been good about it on the run and need to implement it on my bike.  I think that the HRM is essential for people doing their own training (not using a coach).  If you can't measure what zone you are in, you won't train as efficiently as possible.  Yes, you'll improve but not as well as you could.

Ernie

I'm sure by the cutoff you'll be getting a massage at the finish looking at your cool new medal and chowing down!

Me too! I'm not anti-HRM or anything else, I just never use anything other than my watch and bike computer.

I always use my HRM for biking and running...but I check my RPE to see how I feel as well. I love to exam the data and see my progress. When I first started running I always went to fast, with a HRM I slowed down and was able to run.

I've been a bit to caught up in it all and now have taken a week off...no HRM, no bike computer, just go out and enjoy myself riding, running and swimming. It is very different and freeing. Now I know how hard  each zone feels, so I can pace myself better. I'm racing w/out watch, HRM or bike computer tomorrow in a sprint. It will be weird for me but I hope it will allow me to enjoy my experience free from pressure of pace/time/placement. I wonder if I'll miss the data from afterwards...I'm thinking yes.