Lost my Garmin in T1, and threw down my best race yet. Racing with your Garmin? (Page 2)

I don't see it that way at all. Most of the points have been mentioned here.

I train with mine and really just record and log data. I'm not a slave to it. But I know exactly where I'm at and how I'm doing just because I can verify during my training. And I do "test" what I can do and keep pushing.

For races... it is much more common to go too hard at longer distances and blow up than it is to not get a PR. All I want to do is go.. the adrenalin is going, all these people are passing me, I want to chase down every one, and most of all I feel GREAT!... I'm not doing great though and I am way over where I should be. That was my last HIM and the run was a disaster. In my sprint and Oly, well ya, you just go as hard as you can.

At least for me... based on all my training, there are goals and paces I "think" I should be able to do, and they are usually optimistic. So I do keep an eye on stuff and keep working hard to keep making those times. But I am trying to go faster, not slower.

I can totally understand how more years of training... with fewer/smaller leaps in performance coming closer to your potential... that all this you would just know and there would be very little reason to look at anything and just go out and race.

 Ah...it all makes so much more sense now.    Thank you so much...I can now happily go about reading these threads again.

i train with mine and i race with mine.  for training i use it as a limiter so i don't over exert myself and get an injury, as well as data logging and progress tracking.  for racing i use it for two things: on the bike i use the HR and speed to keep myself from getting comfortable and slacking off, happened last race, i was at HR130ish and just cruising; for the run i use it to make sure i don't jump out of transition with a pace too fast from my bike cadence.  

thats it.  the rest of it is just for reference while im racing and data logging/review afterwards.  if im running up a steep long hill and i see an 8:45 pace, i don't let that get to me; same for if going downhill and i see 6:15, i don't slow down the pace.