Running is a mental activity as much as a physical one. It’s monotonous, painful and long. It takes willpower more than anything else. Anyone can write and set a training regime to get from their geek desk to the marathon starting line. The trick is to follow that regime through, day after day.
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So you’ve got to stay healthy and motivated; spiritually, physically and mentally. And what better way to do that than by employing top tech? Log your stats. Make excel graphs. Push through the burn with the power of science. Here are four great gadgets to keep you going for that extra mile.
The Fitbit Watch for Health
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The Fitbit is pretty famous by now – and for good reason. A simple watch that’ll strap on and stay on during exercise, it comes at a variety of price points for your perusal. The Fitbit can track each step, each calorie burnt, the quality of your sleep and active minutes spent throughout the day. There’s no better way to keep your heart and lungs in tip top condition while looking so subtly stylish. If you want to run a marathon, this is a great first buy. The stats and feedback are a great way to keep track of fitness and progress and the battery life is practically long.
AfterShockz Wireless Headphones for Entertainment
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There’s no two ways about it: exercise can be boring. Running the same routes, completing the same sets, losing yourself in the ache and twitch of every muscle – it’s a real pain day in and day out. And that’s why, for decades now, athletes and newbies alike have used music to alleviate the mundanity. A pair of AfterShockz wireless headphones is a secure, wire free way to enjoy any and all albums you have available without a tangling mess. And if you’re not one for rock or jazz, consider a podcast instead. The iTunes store is just one online location full of pop series, stand-up comedy gigs and interesting conversation. And besides that, there’s always the radio! Most smartphones can tune in at will these days completely for free. No more running in a soundless void.
Your Journal for Motivation
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Not all effective gadgets have to be high tech, top of the line inventions. Sometimes the most effective way to keep motivation up and fatigue down is to simply sit down and write. Write about how you’re feeling, about your goals, about your motivations. Taking the time to mentally and physically recharge is just as important as taking the time to train and exercise in many cases; a marathon, triathlon or other competition is no mean feat. If you’re no good at writing, consider finding someone to talk to instead. A therapist, a partner or even a stranger can help. TheCircle has a list of practicing mediums who can speak to you on the phone or online, for example, able to help you push forward into the future and your successful self and explain the past and the present in detail.
The Strava App for Tracking
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Able to connect to the aforementioned Fitbit or use your smartphone itself, the Strava app is one of the most popular exercise trackers around. It’s free, it’s effective and it’s social. Simply turn your GPS tracking on and fit the pavement! By bike or foot, it’ll take records of every kilometre and mile speed and provide a summary come the end of your session. The Strava app is one of the most cost effective and satisfying investments a runner can make, with a paid version full of extra bells and whistles should you find yourself interested. More detailed than the Fitbit alone and more competitively minded.
The alternative here is a good old fashioned track and stopwatch, counting laps in your head. Medieval, in comparison.
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When we exercise, we’re taking the time to improve both mind and body. Gadgets that can track speed, gadgets that follow us via GPS, gadgets that monitor heart rate are all well and good. But at the end of the day, no matter your budget or list of accessories, what counts is putting foot to pavement over and over again. That being said, there’s nothing more satisfying than a new PB flashing up on your fancy HD screen!