Does My Workout Need an IT Department?

I have generally been pretty lo-tech in the workout department. If soccer calls for cleats and shinpads, so be it. If basketball requires me to fret like mad about buying cool-enough but not too flashy high-tops, I will do so. But beyond that, it has been my belief that all a workout need be is some version of running around the playground.

You can indeed do a surprising amount with your own body, maybe a ball and a stick. All the bands and machines at the YMCA frighten me slightly not to mention the Pilates machines that resemble torture devices. You know they do. And running? Why on earth would anyone need chips in their shoes and wicking shells that keep you dry, clean the toilet and balance your checkbook. Running is the most basic of all workouts. Strap on shoes, support for the girls (or lack there of) and mix and match the rest according to the weather. Viola. Off you go. Run. Sweat. Repeat.

When I met my husband, we happily discovered that we both run and could run together. The first time we headed out to the lakes, he picked me up at my apartment. When we got out of the car to run, he finally let out what he had obviously been chewing on since he saw me run down the stairs to meet him, "What are you wearing? You look crazy? Are those shorts Hypercolor?" They weren't (but remember Hypercolor? Shirts that changed color with your body heat? Awesome.) I told him my theory, that it didn't matter what you wore. He was in head to toe Nike, not a uniform or anything, but it all matched and appeared to be made of "smart" fabrics. I blew him off. And time after time, we ran and my gear took a beating. Josh finally tired of finding creative ways to tell me I looked like a fitness clown (thank God for small favors) bucked up and bought me some running shorts. Very snazzy orange running shorts.

I got it. I looked less wacky and more like - well - a runner. I have since amassed a rainbow of real running shorts, a couple of t-shirts that "wick" but unfortunately do not budget or clean toilets. Ultimately, I am a convert. Is it appalling that it took an intervention of sorts to pry me from my insistence on looking "crazy"? I think yes. But, moving on. Beyond the clothes, there are all sorts of gadgets that monitor your heart rate, your brain waves, endorphins, keep you from pronating, dehydrating, straying off course or pooping your pants (there aren't gadgets for that. I know. I'm not telling.) So I chose to draw my lo-tech line there. I will succumb to your fancy fabrics and colorful shorts, but if it requires me to employ a small IT department? I'm out. Back to basics, hitting the road with my orange shorts, Dri-fit hat and t-shirt. Run. Sweat (which is magically wicked away!) Repeat.

Obviously I set lines and cross them. I ditched those quasi-Hypercolor shorts for some shiny Nike numbers in a heartbeat. So it stands to reason that rants aside, I have let technology into my running life. It's a NikePlus band with a corresponding shoe chip. Since I don't wear Nike running shoes, my chip rides along in a little pouch attached to my laces. It's cute down there, like a little Baby Bjorn carrying cooing technological wonder. I wear the bracelet which registers the chip and together they conspire to keep track of how far I run, how fast, how long and how many calories I burn while doing it.

But this time I haven't had a "got it" moment. I feel sort of like a badass with the band, all sleek and black. But I also feel like I'm wearing Big Brother on my person. Am I running fast enough? Why am I slower than yesterday? Did I run off both of the ice cream sandwiches I ate for breakfast? These can be good questions, the kind that help me push through hard days and keep me from overestimating the sweets to miles ratio. Or they can make me crazy. Wouldn't that be rich, I finally don't look crazy but actually AM crazy. But I'm going to give it a shot, channel its powers and hopefully not obsess. When I upload the runs to my laptop (what? that phrase alone is enough to push me back to the ball, stick and Hypercolor theory) Nike gives me the chance to note how I felt on my run (Awesome is a choice. Well played Nike) what the weather was like, they type of surface I ran and then there is a little blank box.

The blank box. That's my lo-tech area! I can just write about the run. If I was alone or with my husband, if I got splashed by a bus or stung by a bee, if I had to go slow because I was going backwards. My words can support or override big brother band and my run can be mine. I can even jot a little note about what I wore. I'm still up in the air about hi-tech running, and I reserve full right to chuck the band in a creek if it gives me lip. But for now, me and my IT department are going to strap on the NikePlus, boot up our laptops, sync our chips, put on our orange running shorts, wicking t-shirts and hats, and hit the road. Run. Sweat. Download. Repeat.