Ode to the GPS
The emancipation of fun running RhalouThursday, 11 August, 2011
Scroll back to previous blog entries and you’ll see I think of myself as a happy go lucky freestyle runner, who’s usually more concerned with my running attire than my mileage. I’ve never been particularly competitive and on race days was always extremely happy to make it round the course alive. If you’d asked me a few months ago about minute miles or PBs I’d probably have laughed in your face and showed you a picture of me dressed in my favourite Nike Lunarswifts and hot pink spandex leggings. Who cares how fast you run as long as you look superfly, right?I still subscribe to this fun runner attitude and definitely think it’s vital to enjoy yourself. But as with most runners, once you get stuck into your training, the inevitable occurs and things start to get serious. One minute you’re bouncing along in pajamas listening to the birds and the next you’re speeding through the park in considerably shorter shorts trying to get your minute mile up to speed. I fought it off for a while, but when you’re running regular races and writing about it everyday, it’s impossible not to at least start getting competitive with yourself, if not the runners dressed as bananas who keep overtaking you.
Wonder Woman had nothing on Rhalou's freckled wrists of steelMy light bulb moment finally occurred when the good folk at Nike sent me a Nike+ Sportwatch GPS. I’m always telling disillusioned runners to leave the gadgets at home and run for the hell of it. But as soon as I had that smooth black and green bad boy strapped to my wrist and could see exactly how fast I was running, something clicked. Run a little faster, get home a little quicker, have more to brag about at work, it’s a simple logic.Once home, after uploading my runs to my computer and tracking my progress, I knew I’d never return to my former chilled out runner self and a speed demon was born. I now know exactly how many miles I clock each week (25 and counting) and exactly what my average speed is (10 minute miles, but I’m working on it). But most importantly, my Nike+ watch goes really well with my spandex leggings, and that’s what really counts, right...
Wonder Woman had nothing on Rhalou's freckled wrists of steelMy light bulb moment finally occurred when the good folk at Nike sent me a Nike+ Sportwatch GPS. I’m always telling disillusioned runners to leave the gadgets at home and run for the hell of it. But as soon as I had that smooth black and green bad boy strapped to my wrist and could see exactly how fast I was running, something clicked. Run a little faster, get home a little quicker, have more to brag about at work, it’s a simple logic.Once home, after uploading my runs to my computer and tracking my progress, I knew I’d never return to my former chilled out runner self and a speed demon was born. I now know exactly how many miles I clock each week (25 and counting) and exactly what my average speed is (10 minute miles, but I’m working on it). But most importantly, my Nike+ watch goes really well with my spandex leggings, and that’s what really counts, right...