What's with the need for gadgets?

[Ryan]

Interesting. I think there's a balance to be had. I find listening to music when I work, for example, allows me to focus better by not being distracted by what's going on around me. Having Internet on my phone means I have information at my fingertips at any time, so it's more convenient to read an article or watch/listen to a podcast at times when I would otherwise not be able to.

However, it makes perfect sense to me that the brain needs down time. For me, one of those times is definitely during the run. I just can't imagine keeping my sanity without having some time to unplug.

[Andrew A.]

This is also likely why meditation boosts cognitive ability.
http://www.dailycamera.com/recreation-columnists/ci_15607862

[Ed]

Good article.

[Andrew A.]

Interesting. I think there's a balance to be had. I find listening to music when I work, for example, allows me to focus better by not being distracted by what's going on around me.

I used to be the same way and I have younger coworkers who seem to thrive on having a constant stream of background noise (noise pollution to me) going on.  Anymore, though, I can do at least as well just plugging away in silence or near-silence.  I often employ the (meditation style) nose breathing, which seems to nicely center me in the present on what I am doing -- not to mention the relaxing effect. 

Having Internet on my phone means I have information at my fingertips at any time, so it's more convenient to read an article or watch/listen to a podcast at times when I would otherwise not be able to.

I simply tend to carry a book with me, instead.  I have probably about 100 books that I own and have not yet read (and want to read) - not including so many of the classics that I have yet to obtain or borrow - so that is where my preference lies.  I feel like I spend too much time on the 'net already, to boot.

[ksrunner]

I simply tend to carry a book with me, instead.  I have probably about 100 books that I own and have not yet read (and want to read) - not including so many of the classics that I have yet to obtain or borrow - so that is where my preference lies.  I feel like I spend too much time on the 'net already, to boot.

Ours is a book reading family. We almost always have a book that we're reading aloud as a family and usually we each have our own books to read as well. Sometimes, my wife and I may have separate books that we're sharing with our daughter for times when only two of us are present. We often take books with us to read in a waiting room if we're going to an appointment or to read quietly in restaurants while waiting for a seat or for our food. Two of our favorites that we will often turn to when we're waiting for a book from the library are A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck. The books are made up of chapters, but each chapter stands on its own as a short story and they seem to have an almost universal appeal. I am certain that there are times when we are entertaining others who are also listening, but we think that's great. Peck's Grandma Dowdel has become a member of our family.

[Andrew A.]

Likewise, I come from a family of book readers.  Though I do not recall my parents reading to me and my sister much, I certainly have memories going way back of my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles (and cousins) all reading for pleasure.  Most of them tended to be into fiction while I have a penchant for nonfiction, yet still it set the tone.  I recently picked up one from the local bookseller that I am really into, Jon Krakauer's Where Men Win Glory, about Pat Tillman.  I knew I liked how the author writes based on reading other books by him (Into Thin Air, Into The Wild) and I have been really interested in the subject matter for quite a while now.  Definitely not a kids' book.  Gives quite a bit of interesting background information on Afghanistan as well as painting a portrait of Tillman.  I will definitely be lending this one out to friends.

[Ryan]

Well, it's nice if you have an option of silence or near-silence. I have two options: lots of background noise and partial conversations due to sitting by a high traffic area or music to block that out. I find music far less distracting than all the noise that comes with sitting by this high traffic area.

As for books, I love reading books but I've found that there are times when it's more convenient to simply have essentially a newspaper in my pocket than carry around a book. Also, I found a pretty cool app that allows me to download a lot of the classic books for free. I have a few books downloaded and partially read. It's not the same as turning pages, especially with a not particularly large screen, but it's also more convenient to carry with and pull out at times, both expected and unexpected, when reading the news or a classic novel can be more productive than sitting around staring into space.

Anyway, getting off the topic of running and people who insist that they "need" various gadgets for running. I wouldn't consider such a phone a need but, with the right balance, it can be a useful tool.

[Andrew A.]

Every time I see someone use the term "tool" with respect to running (or life, I guess) and not in the context of  putting sheet metal screws into the soles of their shoes or building a shed or installing storm windows I think of this Vern Gambetta tweet: Great coaches don't focus on training tools & toys, they focus on the athlete. No BS, no hype, no marketing just coaching!  When I think of a tool, I think of something used to either fix or create something.  Not really about you and your use of the term, Ryan, just something that comes to mind for me almost any time I see someone use the term.

[Ryan]

I guess we just think of the term differently. When I think of the term tool, I think of an item or method that helps one get a certain job done. We sometimes have to know when something is a tool and when it is a crutch that is really keeping us from a better method. However, as a hammer and screwdriver and wrench can help one more easily and efficiently build a shed, certain tools might help in one's running or in keeping informed or in performing basic tasks.

One focuses on the end result. The athlete, the race, the shed, or (in my case as I use it to perform basic maintenance of Hillrunner.com in a more efficient and timely manner) the website. However, that doesn't mean one doesn't use tools. The tools help us achieve the end result in the best or most efficient way possible.

[Andrew A.]

I think you mean the process, as the end result is the end result regardless of whether a hand saw or a circular saw or a hammer or a nail gun or a screwdriver or a powerdriver is used in the building of a shed -- one still winds up with a shed. 

[Ryan]

I meant the end result. When I'm training, for example, I have my mind on the end result. I come up with a process/plan that will get me to the end result, then I apply the tools to help me implement that plan. Now, the key is still to know what's a tool that will help and what's a crutch that may seem to help but will in the end not help and possibly hurt. To go back to the original topic, when you "need" your music or your GPS or whatever, it's becoming a crutch.

[Andrew A.]

What also comes back to me is an analogy I once saw between training and painting.  Sure, one can go with paint-by-numbers and arrive at the same 'end result' of a painting as one would by taking lessons and practicing extensively to be able to paint something of one's own creation and original vision.  Is there any real value in a paint-by-numbers painting to anyone other than perhaps the person who painted it?  (On the same token, there are likely many who would say that painting-by-numbers is better than not painting at all.)  One who has developed skills will be able to do far better in creating original works of beauty than one who has to resort to paint-by-numbers or even copying others' paintings.  In the hands of one who is unskilled, even the most elaborate and cutting-edge tools will provide crude results -- in the hands of one who is skilled, even the most crude tools will do as well as the supposedly best tools in creating elegant results.  I would group GPS, HRM, iPod, etc. under the paint-by-numbers umbrella.  One who is skilled at painting could also paint-by-numbers, yet why would she or he?  It would be a pointless exercise.


Similarly, reading does far more to stretch and develop imagination, thinking, creativity, knowledge, etc. than watching teevee does.

[Ryan]

Agree 100%. To expand on the analogy, if one only paints by numbers, one will only develop his or her skills so far. If one works on painting freehand, one may make mistakes along the way and turn out some not so great looking art early on but he or she will develop much better skills. This is what I see happening often with people who "need" their devices. The devices allow for a quick progression early on but some runners rely on these devices so heavily that they never develop skills that allow them to go far beyond that early progression.

[Andrew A.]

Yep, I would say that painting by numbers develops only the skills to paint by numbers -- without expert guidance, the abilities for stroke, composition, use of blank space, shadow, etc. are not going to just magically develop on their own for the vast majority of those who take a swing at it.  Even just constructive feedback from someone who knows what they are seeing and talking about could do the trick.  One might have to consult a teacher by taking classes (get with a legit coach) or at least study useful how-to texts (the rare legit training guide), however.  Then again, we are likely talking about the types who paint stick-figures and a few foreground details while essentially leaving out the background. 

[Andrew A.]

http://www.runaddicts.net/stories/confessions-of-a-naked-runner