by Douglas DeBono, 2006

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED AT StandingOrders.BlogSpot.Com, August 15, 2005

Gear is important to sports. For a long time, I pooh-poohed the idea of needing anything but shoes, shorts and shirt to go running.

A year ago, my bride gave me a pedometer and a heart rate monitor. It was off to the races!

Stats, gizmos and measurement--just the thing for a nerd in running shoes!

A year later finds me decked out with Omron pedometer that is smart enough to discern running from walking; head phones tuned to talk radio or music; New Balance running shoes; a Camelback hydration system and (drum roll please) a Garmin ForeRunner 301.

After hearing all the stuff I hang on my body for 3 - 5 mile run, a buddy said, "So you look like a space alien."

It must be the antennae on the head phones.

The Garmin Fore Runner is a combination heart rate monitor / lap timer / GPS / mapping system / calorie counter. There may be a Swiss Amry Knife in there too.

Thank goodness for the mapping system. In twisty suburbia and unfamiliar park trails, it is real easy to end up somewhere else. Last Saturday I hung a left and ended up running into the next suburb over.

That was a long run back to car, but at least, I knew how to get back to the car.