Running

Having information is all well and good but If running is purely about the numbers what's the point.

If you are just starting you will see such big improvements you won't need granular detail to know it's having an effect and IMHO it takes away from the fun of running and once this is gone then you'll loose your motivation pretty quickly.

I agree with this.

I still do intevals, but not with measurements. On the way out on a 8 km jog I do say 5 intervals between lamposts etc. at roughly 80% of full speed. On the way back I do the same 5 in full sprint.

The danger of just increasing distance all the time is getting into the habit of running slowly. This is'nt a problem if you are running purely for health and enjoyment of course.