But You're DOING!

Lately my daily run has not only involved my running shoes and GPS/running app, but also the BOB (dun dun dun). A twenty pound running stroller paired with a 34.5 pound toddler has made for some pretty challenging runs.

A few days ago I was near the end of a run, struggling to run and push the stroller up a hill that normally is no big deal, and repeatedly checking my watch to see how much farther I had to go. One of our neighbors was out and cheered me on, "Keep it up, momma!" I replied, "Thanks! I think I'm dying!" And he immediately shot back, "But, you're DOING! And that's what counts!" How right he was.

Lately when I'm gearing up to go for a run, and Marcus sees me lacing up my shoes and strapping on my running watch, Marcus will say, "Mommy runs!" I love it. He's putting together the pieces that Mommy works out. I sure hope the examples Scott and I are setting will be carried through to the little man as he gets older.

#djv5k
#iamseriouslysobadatselfies

Speaking of my running watch, I wanted to share a few things that my watch and running app do that I find pretty useful as well as motivational.

My watch is a Nike, and I use the Nike+ app. With both I am able to synch and download all my workouts to nikeplus.com. It's there all my runs are neatly organized.

The biggest appeal of the watch is that it has really helped me set and keep paces. Once I download my runs from my watch to Nikeplus I am able to get more detailed information from my runs (my route, my elevation, etc.). The app I use is downloaded on my iPhone. Vocal commands tell me how far I've gone, how far I have left to go, what my average pace is. At the end of each run I can immediately see the route I've taken.

Nikeplus awards "trophies" when certain achievements are reached. This last time I logged on I'd run three times in a week as well as logged 25+ miles in a month. These virtual medals are a nice little push to keep pushing onward.

All the "trophies" that have been awarded.

The comparisons between myself and other nikeplus runners is also fun. Who doesn't love good, clean competition?

Seeing the different locations of my workouts is kind of cool when placed on a map.

Tracking month to month, what days of the week I most often run, and what time of day I usually run are also tracked.

This is just for this month. These charts can also be broken down by week, month, year, and all time.

And, seeing my total miles, well, words can't describe how great it is to see over 1,200 miles run.

Between the watch and the app there are so many other things that I can track to see how my workouts are going, how my pace is, and if I'm improving on my runs. It's the extra "help" I need to keep me motivated to get up and get out there and push myself.

What devices do you use when you run?

Are you tracking your Fall Virtual 5k workouts on InstaGram and Facebook using the hashtag #djv5k? Get your workouts out there, we want to see how you're doing (and, if you're like me, we want to see those awesome, post workout, sweaty selfies!)