If you guessed that I ditch the phone for my runs, you'd be 100 percent correct. Yes, I know it's all beat to hell around the edges, but that's because I'm clumsy in general, not because the phone comes running with me.
I never run with my phone.
I tried once.
The result was less than optimal.
I carried my phone during a Rock 'n' Roll marathon, thinking it would help me locate my family post-26.2 miles. (It did.) However, my at-the-time landlord called me, repeatedly, mid-marathon. When I finally answered, he informed me that he was bringing a potential new tenant over to see my apartment THAT DAY. Despite the fact that it was illegal to not give 24-hours notice and that I was running a marathon, he insisted that he'd be bringing a stranger into my apartment in a few hours.
I was so angry, I ran faster. But that's the last time I carried my phone during a run.
Running is my away-time. I enjoy the hour (give or take) away from technological distractions and my OCD obsession with checking my email. (Yes, the phone is old and beat, but I have web access!)
In terms of concerns about running safety, I carry pepper spray. I figure that's a more effective deterrent than a phone, knowing that in a confrontation my hands might be too shaky to dial, but that pepper spray doesn't need a direct hit to work like a champ. (And hopefully you and I, dear readers, will never need to find out whether the spray or phone works better in a pinch.)
On the other side of the spectrum, I have seen runners not just carrying a phone, but full-on talking on the phone while running! And last week I caught sight of a woman running, talking on the phone, and walking her dog. Now that takes some skill. If it were me, I'd have dropped the phone while tripping over the leash... but I digress.
To be honest, whenever I see a phone-runner, a catty little voice in the back of my head thinks: "How can you be running hard enough if you're chatting? Put down the phone and RUN!" Then again, that's what people probably thought about me for answering my phone mid-marathon.
I should have turned it off.
What do you always/never carry on a run?
Do you ever run with a phone?
I am a running phone talker.
ReplyDeleteI know, I know.
Earlier this year, I was having motivational troubles and I wasn't getting out there to run. I run better with a training partner, but I didn't have one. One of my friends offered to be my "virtual" training partner. He's a runner, too, so he understands the disjointed and distracted conversations you have while running and panting. I bought some sweat proof headphones, which helps me not look like such a tool.
I love it! I couldn't think of a reason to talk while running, but clearly I hadn't thought of all of the possibilities. Motivation works!
ReplyDelete