Make sure you can boss the watch before you buy it.

For Christmas 2008 I received the wonderful gift of a Garmin Forerunner 405, the ultimate tool in exercise timekeeping.

Gone would be the days of my old stop watch, and my black notebook filled with entries only I could understand, outlining date, time of run and distance (approximated of course). Now I could relax, knowing that everything I could possibly want to know about my run would be recorded, on a website. Speed, distance covered, a map of my run, pace, heartrate, elevation and other attributes were now magically uploaded to my own space on the web for me to pour over. I was in detail heaven.

Except that’s not how it went. What had gone from a 7 mile run in 1hr 4mins (on a good day!) was now broken into mile splits and I was set against the virtual partner whom I became determined to “beat down” at every opportunity.  Due to what I am convinced is a slight case of OCD on my part, my once enjoyable runs (that’s how they look when I remember them now!) have become an hour filled with “check the watch…how far have I run?…how fast am I going?….what do I need to do to beat my best?….what’s my heart rate?”.

These devices are amazing. Get one if you’re so inclined and able. But don’t let the compulsion for detail take the enjoyment out of the activity.