Running Towards a Half - Update
It will probably come as no surprise when I confess I'd fallen off the running wagon lately. First it began with the scorching heat of the Rocky Mountain summer. Then when it wasn't blisteringly hot it was crazy stormy.
Not the most running conducive weather. What I should have done to keep up momentum was to head to the gym instead. But I didn't.
Then I went on vacation and swan instead of run. When I came back home I found myself enveloped in a province rampant with wild flowers. You could almost taste the smoke outside (and you could definitely smell it).
All in all the reasons not to run racked up and I never got beyond a walk.
But this week I decided to make a change; I read one of Marelen's (Mission to Another Marathon) post - she's so consistent and has come so far. And yes it guilted me into running.
So for the past two nights, the fiance and I have been at it again. On both nights we've run about 3 miles. It's been somewhat slow going 'cause my (left) leg feels stiff and tends to cramp up. But it feels so good just to be out there running again.
In the process I've tried a new approach to running - just taking off. No iPod. No Nike+. No gadgets. Just me, the fiance, and my running shoes. I have to admit it's been somewhat liberating.
In some ways I miss the music but I don't miss my Nike+. That little guy drives me insane sometimes. You see at times it won't sync with my iPod and other times (like currently) it just doesn't update my profile.
All of this has me considering a less cumbersome approach - perhaps a Polar heart rate monitor or a Garmin. Any suggestions? Will these tools be lost on a newbie like me?
Looking forward to hearing the feedback! :o)
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7 comments:
I have the Polar heart monitor. It's distracting because there is a band that goes around your chest with a long hard plastic bit. When you're running it shifts around and the moment it starts to shift it will lose contact with the watch and it will no longer pick up any info. I would stick to just running without gadgets.
Nancy,
Do you use anything to track your mileage?
Try this
http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm
Zoom in on your neighborhood, mark out your run and it will tell you the distance
I used the Nike+ for more than a year (and for training and running 2 half marathons) and now have a Garmin 305.
The Garmin gives you more information, and is probably more accurate overall, but truth is I miss my Nike+.
I really just worry about mileage for training - no real interval workouts yet like Marlene does - and find myself more annoyed with the Garmin not picking up satellites (today it didn't find them for a whole 2.5km!) than I did with the inaccuracies of the Nike+. Plus I think the website for the Nike+ is way more fun and engaging. And I miss my power song. I'm actually thinking of wearing mine along with my Garmin just so I can have that feature...
Anyway, I'm sticking it out with my Garmin for now because I *would* like to get better at pacing myself etc (plus I've already shelled out the moolah!) but I wouldn't be so fast to run from the Nike+. If it's really that bad, maybe it's just your chip? You can bring it into an Apple store, or call, and they might replace it for you.
Just my 2 cents!
Oh, and however cheesy it is, I loved when Paula and Lance would say sweet nothings to me at the end of a workout ;)
AND now I am wearing 2 things instead of one - since I still need to have my music out with me!
Run 'au naturel'...well maybe not quite completely au naturel (shoes, shorts and a shirt are good). But, no more music, no more gadgets...get out there and feel the rhythm of the run, listen to the sounds of nature, let your mind wander. You'll see, it can be so relaxing if you don't have a heart rate to watch or a GPS to follow. Some of my best thinking has been done on runs or bike rides with no gadgets! Just me, my bike, and the rhythmic movement of my legs.
I used to use a heart rate monitor. I really can't be bothered anymore, it somewhat takes the fun out of things. Also, I found that I never had a heart rate with that thing on! Also, I lost the watch part of it. :-P
One more thing, try this too:
www.gmap-pedometer.com
Jenn,
I think you may have convinced me to give my poor Nike+ another go! And I agree Paula and Lance are a big bonus! LOL :oP
biker,
Ummm . . . me thinks all of you are right. Perhaps I will run with the Nike+ but mostly so that it will keep track of pace and I can see the graph afterward. But not being as dependent on it as I have been in the past!
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