Sure, I could invest in a Garmin forerunner watch or other SatNav device. I could even borrow my husbands super-techno phone. But for me these fancy systems cannot replace good old-fashioned mapping and there is nothing like plotting a path with pencil and string (or these days with lines on-screen), and setting off knowing you are heading to a new destination or passing a particular landmark. Without looking at a map, you could easily run past wonderful and unique sights, oblivious to routes which would have taken you past them and added amusement or interest to your run.
One of my favourite runs used to take me past Jane Austen's house in Winchester, something I would not have known to look out for if I hadn't studied a street map.
I have given in to technology in one way- for christmas I was given a Nike Plus gadget which plugs into my ipod and tells me how far or how fast I have run. I quite like running with it, hearing a voice encouraging me every km and watching my distances accumulate on my pc afterwards is quite satisfying. But I will never stop using maps completely.
One evening recently I set out for a short run thinking I would just see where my feet took me, relying on my Nike Plus to tell me when I had completed my goal of 4 miles. After about a mile, I took a turn down a convenient road which seemed to be going in the right direction for a homewards loop, and abruptly found I was facing the steepest hill I've seen since San Francisco. I didn't want to turn around so launched myself at the slope thinking it would soon be easier. A whole mile of climbing later, when my thighs were burning and I was barely moving forwards with each step, I had to admit defeat and go back. Relying on technology that simply tells you how far you are going means you don't know where to avoid running, whether it is because of steep hills, heavy traffic, or poorly-lit or otherwise unsafe areas.
Of course a map can't tell you where the dodgy areas of town are either, it is only through exploring that these things can be worked out and your own personal preferred routes discovered.
One of my favourite runs used to take me past Jane Austen's house in Winchester, something I would not have known to look out for if I hadn't studied a street map.
I have given in to technology in one way- for christmas I was given a Nike Plus gadget which plugs into my ipod and tells me how far or how fast I have run. I quite like running with it, hearing a voice encouraging me every km and watching my distances accumulate on my pc afterwards is quite satisfying. But I will never stop using maps completely.
One evening recently I set out for a short run thinking I would just see where my feet took me, relying on my Nike Plus to tell me when I had completed my goal of 4 miles. After about a mile, I took a turn down a convenient road which seemed to be going in the right direction for a homewards loop, and abruptly found I was facing the steepest hill I've seen since San Francisco. I didn't want to turn around so launched myself at the slope thinking it would soon be easier. A whole mile of climbing later, when my thighs were burning and I was barely moving forwards with each step, I had to admit defeat and go back. Relying on technology that simply tells you how far you are going means you don't know where to avoid running, whether it is because of steep hills, heavy traffic, or poorly-lit or otherwise unsafe areas.
Of course a map can't tell you where the dodgy areas of town are either, it is only through exploring that these things can be worked out and your own personal preferred routes discovered.
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