GPS Running

For my birthday, my parents got me a cool "GPS-enabled trainer with heart rate". It's one of those big watches that tracks your pace, distance, time, heart rate, approximate calories burned etc. while you run. Pretty cool!!

I got it in the mail on Tuesday. I was supposed to have a baseball game last night (but it got rained out), so I didn't take it out for a trial run until today.

It's awesome! I only did two miles today because it's been more than a week and a half since my last run (what with baseball games and then the baseball tournament in Baltimore this last weekend) and I wanted to easy myself back into things.

Turns out I ran my first and second miles at the same average pace-- 10:51 minute/mile. However, this does not actually mean I'm a consistent runner. In fact, I know from glancing at my watch while I ran (and from looking at the digital upload on my computer) that my pace actually varied quite a bit while I ran. I also noticed that when I focused on my breathing and my running form, I naturally picked up my pace without feeling like I was exerting more effort.

Ah. Technology. :)

It was also nice to just be able to run around the park and make up a route, rather than having to carefully plan it ahead of time so I'd know how far I was going!

Yay for my fun birthday present!