Gotta love gadgets

I remember several years ago walking into the makeshift study we had set up in the garage at home and taking a look at that brand new home computer - its sharp corners muted by it soft creme color, the tentacle of wires hooking up to the wall and the phone. This set up, bought at a not insignificant price, would allow me to tap into the enormous database at the newspaper I was working at, thus allowing me to read the wire services from home (this was just before the internet was born). I remember thinking that with this I could rule the world.

Home computers have long since lost their glamour.

Yet, that feeling of power and awe swept over me again last night. Only this time I was standing in the middle of a discount department store. The object of my desire? A global positioning system small enough to fit on your wrist. If you're a runner you've no doubt seen them or heard about them - a computer for your wrist that takes the guess work out of figuring out how long you just ran, and (for a few more bucks) keeps track of your heart rate and feeds the info to your home computer. And here it was, available for the common man (no speciality store required).

With my purchase (x-mas present from mom, I'll tell her tommorrow), I have become the complete runner. I have the speciality shoes (bought online, I'm waiting for delivery), the tech shirts (last Christmas), the spandex underwear (I like that feeling of being embraced by my exercise clothes), moisture wicking socks (love those dry toes), the belt that holds six little bottles of the high-tech, amino acid drinks (USTAF approved), the arm band to hold the I-pod (thank you for making my life complete Mr. Jobs), the pouch to hold the energy gel, and my cap made of breathable material.

My training problems are over. I feel like an East German from the good ol' days, programmed for success. No longer will I need to guess my mileage, no longer will I need to figure out my pace, no longer will I need to juggle my schedule to find time to run, no longer will I need to find motivation to get out there on cold and rainy days, no longer will I battle nagging pains, no longer will I ...

Well, you get the point.

** Two days of cross-training, using some of the best gadgets the area has to offer, from eliptical trainers, to stair masters, to treadmills, to ab crunchers. Still, a voice in my head keeps echoing, "To be a runner, you have to run (not just cross-train)."