Carrots for the Ponies #1
I’ve been thinking about rewards for my journey from Shetland Pony to Mustang Sally. Treating myself to things that would be counter productive to my progress are not permitted. As much as I would love to have a gorgeous dinner at Cheesecake Factory, I think items to keep my motivation would be more suitable.
Running Mates
Nike+ SportBand in Natural Gray/Pink Flash (#WM0057-64; $59.00) and/or Nike+ iPod Watch Remote ($69.00). The SportBand comes with an additional sensor, and up to eight different sensors can be synched with it. This would be useful if I want to go for a walk/jog with a friend or if I want to go for a walk in the city and take in the sights and sounds without a personal soundtrack. When I travel and want to conserve my iPod battery, this could be a great way to record my walks. For times when I am jamming out to my iPod, a way to check progress or change music without craning my neck to read my armband would be ideal. Plus, the clear overlay on the armband I have makes the touch wheel less responsive. The variety between workout options would give a little spice and keep things fresh.
Though a long while off, I am looking forward to the arrival of spring. There are lots of parks and nature areas in Westchester, and I am looking forward to feeling the difference between road running and trail hiking. I don’t know how quickly I’ll adapt to the change in paths, but it would be nice to go for some nature walks and visit places that aren’t in the immediate vicinity. I should be a smart cookie and scour the shoe racks at Nordstrom Rack or DSW, but I want to be selfish and treat myself to a pair of Nike Air Pegasus+ 26 iD GTX (size 8; $135.00) Trail Runners (I’m quite partial to the turquoise/ yellow/ black design). Like my current pair of Nike+, these also utilize the iPod technology with a space in the sole of the sneaker for the running sensor. Each shoe is customizable with up to six characters each, but the hardest part is figuring out what to write on them. I was thinking of having ‘SHTLND’ on one and ‘MUSTNG’ on the other in memory of this mission, but I wonder if that is too cheesy…
Currently, I am running with pocketed sweatshirts, so I am able to store my bulky keys easily, however, once the weather starts to warm up and dropping layers will become necessary, I need a better way of transporting my keys. Generally, I don’t take my phone with me, but in the event of an emergency I may need the numbers of someone to call (or worst case scenario to be called). Road ID® Shoe Pouch ID in Black ($19.99). I should also carry a form of photo identification and my insurance card copy in the event of an emergency, but I don’t have the pocket space for them.
Swimming With the Fishes
I’ve been kicking around the idea of swimming laps with my iPod, but I am concerned about the safety of my little Code(RED) Generation 3 iPod. However, I would like to purchase the necessary accesories to do so before they get yanked off the market. The iN3 Waterproof Case for iPod nano (3G; $79.99) and Waterproof Heaphones ($49.99-$99.99)by H2O seem to have rather positive reviews. Though dropping money on a smaller, less expensive iPod Shuffle and a swim kit seems to the be safer bet, it’s also the more costly. I would need to figure out a place to swim laps that wouldn’t require my swimming with the school swim team (or at least until I have a body I don’t mind them seeing in a swimsuit). I don’t plan on worrying about this until it warms up here. Though the pools are mose likely heated, I don’t want to feel insecure about what I am wearing and who sees me in the mean time.
Like the Nike+ hardware, I am hoping that these items would motivate me to regain the swimming skills I used to have. As a teenager, I could swim the 100m backstroke or the 100m free-style constinually without problems. I wasn’t particularly fast, but I could swim steadily without stopping. Last summer, I did water aerobics with my mom and enjoyed it thoroughly. However, cranking my music didn’t particularly agree with my father’s music tastes. This would help keep the peace and rock out in the water when I am at home visiting the parents.
I’ve been eyeing these items for a couple of years now (pretty much from the time I purchased my iPod), but it’s taken this long for me to finally decide to make the purchase. I don’t know if there is an online monitoring/coaching community like Nike+ has, but I would like to find something that I can help record my progress.
I’d be curious to know which tools, applications, equipemt, or methods people use to track their fitness journeys.