On I went, out of the wood, passing the man leading without knowing I was going to do so. Flip-flap, flip-flap, jog-trot, jog-trot, curnchslap-crunchslap, across the middle of a broad field again, rhythmically running in my greyhound effortless fashion, knowing I had won the race though it wasn't half over, won it if I wanted it, could go on for ten or fifteen or twenty miles if I had to and drop dead at the finish of it, which would be the same, in the end, as living an honest life like the governor wanted me to. -Alan Sillitoe, "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"

Thursday, May 13, 2010

I left my Garmin behind, and it was marvelous!

I ran home from work a couple of weeks ago.  I surreptitiously closed my office door and changed into my running clothes (am I the only one who uses her office as a changing room?).  I put my shoes on.  I put my Garmin - wait, where's my Garmin?

Duh.  On the kitchen table, where I left it that morning.  I had a very, very momentary feeling of "Oh, crap, can I run anyway?" before laughing at myself.  I've been running for years sans Garmin, and suddenly I can't run without it?  On a course I've run dozens of times?

Being without it was kind of liberating.  Even though I wasn't sure of the Garmin at first (in fact, I hated it on my first run with it), and even though I don't use all of the data as effectively as I should, the Garmin is addicting.  Somehow it's put itself on the same level as my shoes in terms of equipment I don't go without.

I'm not sure if this addiction is a good thing or a bad thing.  For now, it's just a thing.  I don't stare at it while I'm running and I don't even use most of the data, but it's nice to know that it's there.
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