Gear Talk

This is my Garmin 405. It is probably the second most important piece of gear I own. I love this thing... it is with me every step of my training and marathon race.

It tracks

distance via GPS
lap (mile) time
actual pace
heart rate

it also has many cool features such as auto-pause (stops when you stop), training partner (programmable interval training)...

I would say that this is a must have for intermediate to advanced runners.

I am runner

Who qualifies as a “runner”? Is there a magical pace that separates a jog from a run?
I often get questions from people who are curious about my running. I think for the most part people are genuinely interested in the topic of marathons and running. But sometimes, I get a line questioning from THOSE OTHERS to gauge whether I am a “real” runner. Sometimes it is followed by a kind of a dismissive smirk (I am not fast). Yet some others will arrange another line of questioning to illustrate the (admitted) absurdity in participating in “so many races.”
What’s your PR?... oh…
Have you ran Boston?
Didn’t P Diddy (insert name of celeberty here, Oprah, etc.) run faster than that?
Do you win in these races? Do you win any money?

I think what qualifies a person as a runner is simply his/her commitment to the act of running. A runner moves her body to improve herself. She lifts her mind, body, and spirit with the physical act. She inspires others. That is a runner.

He is an extraordinary runner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbKp2HeUpkY (2:08)
And so is she: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x32P3eiZDkc (10:04)

I am proud to be a pedestrian runner. Each of us has our own race, pace, and goal. Get out there and run. We are all runners.

One race, one mile, and one step at a time,
Jeff
1/20/11
http://connect.garmin.com/player/64330976
6M – 50:18 sick/cold
836/842/834/802/804/816