Running Nerds: Gadgets! Gadgets! Gadgets!

Now you may be fooled into thinking that running is not a high-tech sports and all you need are a pair of running shoes and hopefully running shorts and a t-shirt and off you go…

You are wrong! Sorry to be this blunt!

I don’t know any runner anymore who heads out the door without at least one gadget. I know plenty (including myself) who don’t leave the house without more than one gadget. And I just added to my gadget family. Sigh!

Back in the days I started off with the good old Garmin Forerunner 305. I am not going to lie. It wasn’t beautiful! So when Nike came out with their GPS watch I decided to switch in the name of fashion.

I have since fallen out of love with the Nike GPS watch. I run a lot of hills and neither Nike+ as an app nor the watch gives me the elevation information I need.

Currently I am transitioning.

I am still using the Nike GPS watch (’cause I am only a few miles away from becoming purple! You Nike+ users know what I mean…), but am also tracking on the Gamin Fit app which gives me much better elevation information.

As of today, I added the Garmin Vivofit to my arm (literally). The Vivofit is the new activity gadget from Garmin, similar to the Fitbit and Jawbone.

So as I went out I had these 2 gadgets on my wrist:

Nike GPS watch & Garmin Vivofit

Further up on my arm I had my phone armband running the Garmin Fit app. I am wondering if I need help?

Well, running all 3 gadgets at the same time, I did notice that the Garmin Vivofit measures miles pretty accurately (as opposed to the Garmin Fit which tends to be ~10% off). The Vivofit also nags me when I sit for longer than an hour and reminds me to get up and move. Kind of like my mom used to when I was a kid…

And now I can see all kinds of stats on my activities:

OK. You both are right. I am a nerd.

I am proposing a new challenge (and this one will mess with you mentally big time!!):
Run “naked”! No! No! No! (you dirty mind, you!) Read the first sentence: with running shorts and t-shirt, but without any gadgets: no phone, no watch, no activity tracker!

Can you do it??