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Technology




These are my two favourite pieces of running technology. The top photo is my Garmin Forerunner 305. It's a running watch/GPS/heart rate monitor. I love it, because it gives me the freedom to go out and just run wherever I want, and not worry about having a distance pre-measured out. It uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to measure distance and pace/speed. The 305 also includes a heart rate monitor, so I can tell how hard I'm working, and it also measures time. So it is a great training tool. I can just go out and run anywhere, and it tells me how far I've run, my pace/speed, my heart rate, and how long I've been running. At the end, it gives me my average pace/speed, the number of calories I've burned, and my average heart rate. I can also set it to give me "splits" every so often (every mile or every kilometre for instance) and it will tell me my time, average pace, and average heart rate for that split. I love mine.

The second photo is, of course, a treadmill. We have our treadmill in our living room, in front of the TV, so that we can run on it for hours and not be bored. I love running outside, but sometimes it just isn't safe to do so - usually when it is very icy out in the winter or very cold. I will run outside in temperatures down to -20°C if there's not much wind, but when there's a biting wind, or when there's ice on the roads and running paths, it's just not safe to run outside, and so I prefer to run on the treadmill. Also, in the summer, when the temperature climbs to above +30°C, it also isn't safe to run outside. Or when the temperature isn't quite that hot, but it's very humid, you also run the risk of dehydration and heat stroke. So running inside, where it's air-conditioned, is much safer. The longest run I've ever done on the treadmill is 18 miles. I've also run several 15, 14, 13 and 12 milers on the treadmill, as well as many many shorter runs, too numerous to count. With a couple of good movies on, and a partner to change the DVD when required and to supply you with fresh Gatorade, it is quite do-able. I do prefer to run outside, whenever possible, but when the weather is uncooperative, the treadmill is a great piece of technology.

Both of these pieces of technology help me to stay on schedule, when training for a marathon, half-marathon, or a shorter race, or when I'm just running for fitness. When following a training program, they help to ensure I'm running the correct distance at the right effort, for that day of the program.

Tags: Photo Hunters, photography, technology, Garmin 305, Garmin Forerunner, treadmill, running