Coming up: how tech boosted Lisa’s marathon dreams

Can gadgets (and a healthy dose of orange) help kick-start Lisa’s plan to run a marathon?

1. [artbot]

   The first thing that came to mind when seeing this pic is how much I miss the SF weather. Just seeing the quality of that light and that sky and the slight ocean-dampened haze makes me so nostalgic.

   As for gadgets, my wife (the runner in the family, unless you count our 3 year old) swears by her Nike Ipod thingy that records all your workout info and even has superstar athletes commend you on your achievements. She admits it’s cheesy, but every little bit helps.

2. [Anonymous]

   Technology Interaction:
   1) iPod (given, and a truly NEEDED accessory)
   2) adequate and comfortable shoes
   3) mapmyrun.com for your route…
   4) a camel-back with water and…
   5) Gatorade or other electrolyte solution.. and..
   6) i swear by the Espresso Love flavor of GU carbohydrate/caffeine booster…

   there you go…5 essential pieces of running technology

3. [grimc]

   I’ve never (nor want to) run a marathon, but friends who have say that Vaseline to prevent chafing is a must. Can petroleum jelly be considered ‘tech’?

4. [kbrookes]

   Definitely want to follow this story! My wife and I have signed up for our first marathon and half-marathon respectively, kicking off in September.

   I’m going to need all the help I can get!

5. [colonel gentleman]

   #3 – Vaseline never worked for me, but I swear by Body Glide.

   /Here’s a post I don’t want attributed to me without context…

6. [icky2000]

   I just ran back to the computer from the fridge and I’m exhausted.

7. [HeatherB]

   Polar makes some of the best heart rate monitors and watches IMHO. I love them for spinning and running. They can not only give you your important stats but they can save and track information and even be set to push you harder by beeping at you in an irritating fashion if your heart rate drops below the level you should be at.

8. [Beedie]

   I second Colonel Gentleman in swearing by Body Glide. I don’t know about marathons, but Body Glide has saved my skin on many a long hike in the New England mountains.

9. [sammich]

   gosh – what a small world – helluva coincidence that Lisa and Steven live on the same corner!

10. [GeekMan]

    http://community.livejournal.com/jumpingpictures/

11. [trialex]

    Definitely a Garmin Forerunner. It’s very satisfying to track you progress, both during the run, and overall back at home on the PC.

12. [grimc]

    @#10

    http://bookworm.pilcrow.biz/2008/07/04/jump/

13. [nahmyq]

    i believe the best technology to prepare for a marathon is a thorough training, a cool head and starting the serious excercising half a year before the event. it helps to carry a watch, and jot down the difference in time from start to end into a notepad after running + plotting tracks on google earth to get distances. of course you could use an ipod, but mind you, there is scientific proof that running with the aid of music can strain the body of untrained runners too much. and you need good shoes. those i cant name, as there are shoes for every size and style of running.

14. [gogsy1999]

    Great, i need to run the Edinburgh marathon in 5 weeks and the furthest i’ve managed in a single session so far this year is 7 miles. Oh, and i’m 2 stone overweight and enjoy beer. If there’s a gadget that can help me beat last year’s pathetic time of 6 hours, let me know please!!!!

15. [stupidnickname]

    I third the Body Glide love. It’s annoyingly expensive for the small stick, but it works and you can’t really argue with that. Or rather, the first time you get chafed . . . areas . . . because you forgot the body glide on a LSD run, you won’t argue with that.

    A friend of mine is an ultramarathoner. He says, “lubricate everything that’s supposed to move, duct tape everything that isn’t, and you’re on your way.”

    Are we listing runner’s tech here? New Balance is good, Yankz are good, Timex Ironman series is simple and cheap and reliable, iPod shuffle or other knock-off (I’ve got a Sansa now because it has the radio built in and there’s no iPod with that), http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ and a Fuel Belt. Other than that, just run.

16. [stupidnickname]

    @ gogsy1999

    No, you’re boned.

    Best tech for you: A calendar, to start your training 10 weeks out.

    And I say this with love, as someone who was under the (mistaken) impression that this Sunday’s half marathon was actually two weeks from now.

    Whoops. That’ll show me for letting work get in the way of the important stuff.

17. [colonel gentleman]

    In addition – I use mapmyfitness.com to track my progress. I can try out routes before hand and a few of my friends have joined so we can share maps and compare our progress/training logs. You can run reports, helpful for those of us who obsess over weird details (I can tell you how many miles I’ve walked from the parking garage to my office this year, for example).

    They have a few iPhone apps as well that use GPS will upload to your profile at the end of a run. I used it few weeks ago at a car show and was suprised to see that I had walked over 8 miles.

18. [historyman68]

    “there is scientific proof that running with the aid of music can strain the body of untrained runners too much.”

    citation?

19. [Anonymous]

    My recommendation is to do several 1//2 Marys first. I find that running for more than 2 hours is a drag and causes problems with my feet. If you do a Marathon do the SF; it is my favorite. The early start and costal location insures you’ll have a cool run. (No fun finishing up a 4 hour run in 80F heat!) Good luck in whatever distance you do.