Running With My iPhone…Yikes

So I finally talked my hubs into buying me the new 3GS iPhone with the Nike App built in. I’ve been bugging him relentlessly, so I wouldn’t have to keep carrying my iPhone and my Nano on my daily runs. I even tried the whole “I’m getting carpal tunnel syndrome and stress in my shoulders” and he would just laugh it off. Arrgghhhh! But with the help of my kids… mostly my daughter who ended up adopting my old iPhone… he relented on Valentines’ Day!

I absolutely LOVE my new iPhone!!! But I’m a little nervous about taking it on my runs. You see, in my head I have a vision of me running down the street, without a care in the world, when all of the sudden something happens… a snake jumps me… or gigantic Blue Heron pecks me… or a raccoon startles me… (Funny that these things have all happened!) and my precious iPhone goes flying from my hand … in slow mo… and lands in pieces on the pavement. NOOOOOO!!!! This would be a TRAGEDY!!!! A MAJOR TRAGEDY!!!

You see, I’m not a strap lover, because I prefer to see my screen while I’m running. I tried the armband, but found it was itchy and I got a bruise on my arm from tugging it to look at the screen constantly!  I tried the waist belt, but it bounced around so much that I was afraid it would break something inside. So, I bought a rubbery case that I can grip, and I’m hoping it works!!! Stay tuned!!!

By the way…do you think the iPad is too big to run with? I get separation anxiety when I’m without mine!

How was your Fat Tuesday?

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday! A day filled with excess in preparation for the 40 days of deprivation that begins with lent at the stroke of midnight! This is suppose to be a day of eating and drinking and excess. But for some reason I decided that I would blow it out with exercise instead of food or drink!! Not with the intention of giving it up for 40 days, mind you, but it just felt right!

I set out for an innocent bike ride, only my third in the “recent” past! After a very long, 90 minute ride the day before, I decided that I would ride for about 30 minutes and then run for 30 minutes. Sounded like a great plan! A little cross-training to ready me for the impending triathlon! I set off on my little ride, thinking that it would feel easy after the previous ride! OH BOY WAS I WRONG!!! I got 2 minutes into my ride and my legs were SCREAMING at me, already! You see, my legs didn’t really like the previous ride! And the fact that I was making them do it again, made them rebel! We struggled a little but finally found a gear that they would tolerate and we set out! It was a beautiful morning in Central Florida, blue skies and sunny, but cool with an occasional gust of wind.  Once my legs and I got warmed up, it felt great and I contemplated going a little longer. But the plan was to run too! So I begrudgingly turned around 15 minutes in and headed back to the homestead to begin phase two of my exercise excess day!

I felt great as I rounded the corner into the driveway. I was excited to head off on foot for my 30 minute run. But as I got off my bike, I noticed something was different! My legs got very angry again!!!! They refused to work properly! I think they knew what was coming! I tried to walk my bike into the garage, but my muscles weren’t having any of it! The term “rubbery” doesn’t even cover it! I, being a Taurus and, therefore, stubborn as hell, decided that I WAS doing this and my legs would just have to get over it! I grabbed my iPod and set out. As I walked down the driveway,  I noticed that my ankles were frozen in a flexed position. I have never experienced this feeling before! I cranked my music and started on my way. But my legs again complained! And this time I knew they meant it! I could barely pick up my feet! My stride was similar to that of a very old person with groin problems! I got a couple hundred yards from my house and I started to think that there was no way I was going to be able to do this! And even if I could, it would take me 4 hours to finish the 3.5 miles I usually finish in 30 minutes. But Fat Tuesday excess and my Taurian stubborn streak took over and I pushed on! It got easier the longer I ran! My legs finally relented and fell into the step. The run was actually very relaxing as I wasn’t pushing for time! I just wanted to finish two sports back to back.  I returned home and was surprised that I actually ran a better time than I had expected.

I am now wondering how in the world I am going to be able to complete a 1/2 mile swim (who knows how long that will take), followed by a 16 mile bike ride (at my current rate 90 minutes), and then run a 5K (usually takes me about 27 to 28 minutes)!!! This will be somewhere around 3 hours of exercise back to back! How will my legs react, then? Will they allow it? Maybe they were just rebelling because they thought that Fat Tuesday would be a vacation for them! Here I sit still wondering what many people wonder on the day after Fat Tuesday…”what have I done?”

Gizmos and Gadgets

So I usually depend on my husband to figure out the latest and greatest when it comes to technology. But I’m beginning to realize that I actually NEED technology for my training! I’ve been using the Nike+ kit and iPod combo for a couple years, now. I LOVE IT!!! I enjoy my music while I run and the fact that I can gauge how fast or slow I am going just by pushing a button is wonderful! I can’t wait to get home and transfer my run over to the Nike+ website! And when my miles get posted into all my challenges, I am in HEAVEN!!!

But what about biking and swimming? Are there gadgets available for these sports too? I realized exactly how much I needed said gadget yesterday while on my bike ride. The training plan was to ride for 45 minutes. No problem, but how far did I go? What is my average pace? How many calories did I burn? I returned home feeling a little out of sorts not knowing my deets. So I set out to find some gadgets to help me out!

Turns out that there are these cool little bike computers, we’ll call them bike bling. You attach them to your bike and they will calculate not only mileage and speed, but calories and fat burned, too. Really? And it will even tell you when your bike needs a service! What? Where have I been? How did I miss this amazing advance in biking technology! Oh yeah, the last time I rode a bike…I was 12. So now,  my dilemma is which one should I get. How much is too much? I am not a professional cyclist, just a mom who is hoping to survive her first triathlon. I think I will start with the basics! I can always upgrade it later!

Swimming is another story! I guess my Lucky Brand bikini isn’t going to cut it when it comes to swimming laps, huh? The last time I had a Speedo, I was 6 and I put it on backwards. Come to think of it this might be why I stopped swimming! Anyway, I guess I will need to invest in the latest and greatest Speedo or Nike racing suit. But this one will have instructions on how to put it on and maybe just a little sparkly swim bling!

I also saw this little case that clips onto your goggles and holds your iPod shuffle, so you can still listen to your music while swimming! Major swim bling! Cool, but then I would have to buy the case and the shuffle, because I have an older style nano! Maybe if it kept track of my speed, distance and stroke it would be worth it! And what about the goggles? Can’t I use my cheap ones from Wal-mart? Do I need nose-plugs and ear-plugs? I guess I will find out after my first swim!

I could spend thousands of dollars on all these gizmos. But I won’t! I am a minimalist at heart! Well, a semi-minimalists…a girl has got to have her bling, right?

Do you run with your iPhone?

Good Monday Morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend! I certainly did, and since the kids didn’t have school today, I got to sleep in a couple hours! 7:30 is a much more civilized wake-up time, don’t you think?

iPhone

So, I was thinking during my run the other day how convenient it would be if I could run with my iPhone instead of my iPod. Sounds silly right? Let me explain. You see, I got hooked on the Nike+ kit way back when and have been using it for a very long time. For those of you that don’t know what this is, Nike and Apple got together and created a kit that includes a chip that fits into the soul of certain Nike shoes and a transistor that fits into the bottom of your iPod nano that keeps track of how far and how fast you run. When you plug your iPod into the computer, it transfers your information to the Nike+ website. This website gathers all your runs and adds up your total mileage and your times. It is an amazing training tool and for those of us that need to see progress, it’s a must!

Nike+ tracks your runs

So, when I heard that Apple was coming out with a phone, I immediately thought how perfect this would be for runners. We can take one hand held device and have our music, a pedometer and a telephone. No more juggling the phone and the iPod, how ingenious! Right? Wrong! You see the iPhone doesn’t work with the Nike+ kit!  I couldn’t believe it! How could Apple have missed this? It seems so simple, so obvious, right? Well they obviously have the capability because the iTouch not only talks to Nike+, it has a build in transistor. But the iPhone…nothing!

I’ve sent emails and made phone calls asking for an explanation and better yet a fix to this problem, but to no avail! I got info about the GPS applications that will use satellites to determine your location and track your path. That’s cool, but when I used it, the mileage was way off. I don’t know why, but a trail that is marked and should have been 3.5 miles came up to 3.19 which not only messed up my mileage but also my average time/mile. Not to mention the fact that I would have to give up all the mileage I already accumulated through Nike+. BOOHOO!

If any of you have a solution for my dilemma, please comment and let me know! If not,  I urge all you Nike+ lovers out there to write to Apple and Nike and let them know what we want! I know for us it’s obvious, but maybe they just aren’t runners! Maybe they need us to scream for what we want! Did I mention that I don’t want to have to buy another iPhone? I want a fix on the iPhone I just got for Christmas! Am I being too picky?