One rebate dividend from REI + a $50 rebate from Garmin + one very understanding (and maybe a little indulgent) wife = my new running companion.
It arrived yesterday in a plain, brown box that was left sitting on our front porch. Truly humble wrappings for such an amazing innovation.
I realize that the purists out there would think this all a bit silly. Grab a pair of running shoes, an old t-shirt and hit the streets, they would argue. My friend Henry is an accomplished runner who occasionally dashes in to a department store when it is time for new footwear. “I pick whichever ones are on sale,” Henry says.
Maybe it is a bit silly to get over-gadgeted with fancy-schmancy watches, mp3 players, shirts and shorts of high-tech fabrics and shoes seemingly designed by NASA engineers.
Laugh if you will, but I am besotted by my new Garmin.
Last year I had a brief dalliance with a Forerunner when a friend loaned me one to try out for a few weeks. As I boxed it up to return it one morning last summer, my daughter looked at me and said, “Dad, you are sad about giving that back, aren’t you?”
She’s a wise girl. I was.
It’s so comforting to know that when the training schedule calls for a 6 or 8 mile run that you are really running 6 or 8 miles. A quick glance at the sleek device on my wrist and you get an instant reading of distance, with pace as an added bonus. It sure beats driving a new course the night before and trying to remember the various mile markers while running the same route the next day.
I had been making similar glances at my trusty Timex for years. All it would tell me though was how many minutes and seconds had elapsed, triggering a conversation in my head: “Hmmm. 23 minutes and 12 seconds. Let’s see. I’ve gone about 2 and a half miles so that means my pace is about…..” Not a good thing for me to concentrate on math while keeping an eye out for ankle-twisting potholes.
With the Garmin, those conversations aren’t necessary. Now I can concentrate on something more important such as: “Hmmm. I wonder what I can have for breakfast when I get home…”
I charged it up last night and took it out this morning for a maiden voyage. A bright glowing ball of a moon shined down as I trod along the streets in my neighborhood. An encouraging little electronic beep ticked off each mile.
Then when I got home, I plugged it into the PC and was truly amazed to see a map pop up showing my running route, complete with splits for every mile. 4.01 miles.
Technology sure has come a long way since the days I borrowed an old stopwatch complete with a sweeping second hand from my big brother.
It arrived yesterday in a plain, brown box that was left sitting on our front porch. Truly humble wrappings for such an amazing innovation.
I realize that the purists out there would think this all a bit silly. Grab a pair of running shoes, an old t-shirt and hit the streets, they would argue. My friend Henry is an accomplished runner who occasionally dashes in to a department store when it is time for new footwear. “I pick whichever ones are on sale,” Henry says.
Maybe it is a bit silly to get over-gadgeted with fancy-schmancy watches, mp3 players, shirts and shorts of high-tech fabrics and shoes seemingly designed by NASA engineers.
Laugh if you will, but I am besotted by my new Garmin.
Last year I had a brief dalliance with a Forerunner when a friend loaned me one to try out for a few weeks. As I boxed it up to return it one morning last summer, my daughter looked at me and said, “Dad, you are sad about giving that back, aren’t you?”
She’s a wise girl. I was.
It’s so comforting to know that when the training schedule calls for a 6 or 8 mile run that you are really running 6 or 8 miles. A quick glance at the sleek device on my wrist and you get an instant reading of distance, with pace as an added bonus. It sure beats driving a new course the night before and trying to remember the various mile markers while running the same route the next day.
I had been making similar glances at my trusty Timex for years. All it would tell me though was how many minutes and seconds had elapsed, triggering a conversation in my head: “Hmmm. 23 minutes and 12 seconds. Let’s see. I’ve gone about 2 and a half miles so that means my pace is about…..” Not a good thing for me to concentrate on math while keeping an eye out for ankle-twisting potholes.
With the Garmin, those conversations aren’t necessary. Now I can concentrate on something more important such as: “Hmmm. I wonder what I can have for breakfast when I get home…”
I charged it up last night and took it out this morning for a maiden voyage. A bright glowing ball of a moon shined down as I trod along the streets in my neighborhood. An encouraging little electronic beep ticked off each mile.
Then when I got home, I plugged it into the PC and was truly amazed to see a map pop up showing my running route, complete with splits for every mile. 4.01 miles.
Technology sure has come a long way since the days I borrowed an old stopwatch complete with a sweeping second hand from my big brother.
1 comment:
Besotted? Great word. Is your Garmin a 205?
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