When Fitness Technology Fails

How often does technology effect how, when, where, or how long we workout?  Running and working out in general should be the simplest thing in the world to do, but I think we as a society have made it more complicated by adding all these gadgets.

This was precisely what I was thinking about the other day.


I'll be honest here, there were times where I stopped a run because my Garmin died and I felt that I didn't want to continue if I couldn't record accurate data. 

Before I learned to love running sans music, I would stop a run if my ipod died. Or worse yet, there were times I got to my trail and realized I didn't have my earbuds so I scratched that run.

The first week of the new year I wanted to start wearing my fitbit again to keep my self accountable (since I was on hiatus from running) but I forgot to charge it and missed the first day. Since I missed the first day, I decided I wasn't even going to wear it for the remainder of the week.

And most recently, I wanted to ride my Nordick Track bike but my ifit and google maps was not connecting to it properly, so I got off the bike.

I look at all these examples and realize how motivated I am by the technology that goes along with fitness. I also realize that it should not be this way. I should run whether or not I have music or whether or not I can track my miles or pace. I should try to stay active weather or not I can track those steps and I should want to ride my indoor bike whether or not I can connect to virtual maps.

How has failed technology effected your workouts? -M



51 comments:

  1. Very interesting post, Meranda! I'm not an all or nothing girl, but I can vividly remember literally waiting 20 minutes trying to get a signal with my old Garmin (which led me to buy the new one eventually). What could I have done with those 20 minutes?

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    1. I will totally wait for a signal before I start a run. I've never had to wait very long though. Wow, 20 minutes, were you in a remote location?

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  2. It is extremely frustrating when technology fails! If my earbuds aren't charged or I don't have any new podcasts, I hate it! I'm with Judy... I've waited much too long for satellites! However, I would never not do my workout if I was missing a piece of technology. I would just not enjoy the workout as much- particularly without podcasts. Garmin I could do without easily. In fact this fall I ran for at least a month or two without a Garmin!

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    1. I definitely need my Garmin to keep me accountable. Some times I can use the tracking device on my ipod but i'm not sure how accurate that is but I suppose it's better than nothing!

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  3. Well, it's no secret that I am not a tech gal. I think I'm one of the few and the proud LOL I do love my music when I'm running solo, and I like to reference my splits and pace AFTER I finish a long run or a race, but I seldom ever glance at my watch while in motion. For me, it's just too much info and it totally ruins the "here and now" experience of running.

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    1. But see, regardless of when you actually look at the data, you still have it! That's what I am talking about. I don't usually look at my watch during a run but I do like to analyze the data afterwards.

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  4. Oh yes, you definitely need to find a way to push through those challenges. I don't even look at my Garmin until after I'm back home so really I couldn't care less about it. It's died plenty of times on my run. My tunes have definitely cut out too. Like at the starting line of the Berlin Marathon.

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    1. I could deal with my tunes cutting out but I hate when my Garmin does!

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  5. I freaked out when I washed my latest Ipod Shuffle (again) and it didn't survive -- because I knew they discontinued them. I love my Garmin stats. Yes, I'm an addict. Thanks for linkup!

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    1. I've had some scares with my ipod and don't know what I will do if it finally dies. Perhaps I should buy a back up while I still can!

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  6. This winter, for the first time ever, my Garmin died in the cold! I'm glad it didn't happen during that Lulu/Strava challenge--it happened before, so I was prepared and kept it warm under my sleeve. But it sure threw me off!

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    1. O gosh! I've never had that happen in the cold before. But I don't usually run when it is below 30.

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  7. How did you come to love running without music? I have totally scratched a workout because I had forgotten my head phones.

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    1. Actually, I was running on a path in the woods one day and I took my earbuds out to listen to something I thought I heard. At that moment I was so impressed with the sun beating down between the trees and the rustling of the leaves and even the smell. I decided right then and there that I just wanted to enjoy the beauty of nature sans music so I did the rest of my run without it!

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  8. This is so true. If Im not wearing my fitbit i not nearly as motivated to stay active, like it doesn't count or something if I can't record it. So silly and Im really trying to break that habit. I can't imagine a long run without music or some kind of distraction. To much time in my own head.

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  9. Definitely been there, done that! I once had my music stop working at mile 1 of a 10 mile race. That was a very LONG race lol.

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  10. I've been there and know how you feel!! Sometimes (admittedly very rarely) I will intentionally do a workout without my Fitbit so I can remind myself that I'm doing something good for my body whether I see the data or not. While my devices may not always work, my body is always tracking my activity!

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  11. I am so tied to my technology it's ridiculous. I've even wasted time resetting the cable/DVR so I can watch tv while I do my strength workout. I should just do it!

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    1. Haha, I would have taken the time to do the same thing!

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  12. I am obsessed with my FitBit and hate when my steps aren't counted. That being said, I only use Strava when there is a challenge (see my runfessions) and never Garmin b/c I always run too fast when it's being tracked. It's too much pressure.

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    1. I've read about people using Strava but I haven't looked into that.

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  13. Unfortunately I have had Garmin fails so many times and yes, it freaked me out to run a half marathon with no stats.

    As a result I went and bought a very old Garmin. It is big and clunky but works all the time!!!

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    1. I would be bummed if my Garmin wasn't working during a race but it wouldn't annoy me as much as if it wasn't working during a regular run. At least in a race I would still get a finish time!

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  14. I realized I had forgotten my Garmin yesterday while driving to meet my friends for a run. Yup I turned around and went home to get it!

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  15. I agree that we, as a society, have become so dependent on technology and gadgets. I love them too! I runfess that I have ditched a run because my ipod wasn't charged. Sometimes, I miss those early days back when I found my running feet ...no Garmin, no running selfies and no social media to post it on. Just running, pure and simple.

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    1. Ahh yes! I remember those days too. When I first started running I didn't even know I was suppose to be tracking anything!

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  16. I will runfess here and now... with some shame, that I will not run without my GPS watch. Once we drove all the way to a race and I realised I had forgotten it. We had to drive all the way back home to get it. Thankfully the race started late... But I was ready to sacrifice my race. Gosh, I am so embarrassed writing this down! LOL!

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    1. Haha, no shame in that. I've never forgot my watch at a race (although I've dreamt about it)!

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  17. Oh yes! the technology struggle!! I worry most about having my phone with me, but I would run without it.

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    1. I don't listen to music or track pace or anything on my phone so there is really no need for me to carry my phone on a run. Although if I am at an out of town race I will make sure I have it with me.

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  18. I'm thankful that I'm not that tied to my technology. I might be frustrated if my Garmin dies mid-run or isn't charged pre-run but I'm still heading out the door. In fact, my radio that I hook my iPod up to in my garage for my strength workouts crapped out last week and so .... I worked out in silence. lol It was okay. A little quiet but not terrible. I definitely still prefer music though so I started using Pandora on my phone. Not my preferred playlist but hey, beggar's can't be choosers, right? lol

    I won't run without my phone, though. The last time I did that was when I tore my meniscus and I had to hop a little more than 1/2 mile home. Never again. I always have a way to call for help!

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    1. I don't use my phone for anything while running but I suppose I should carry it for safety purposes!

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  19. While I will admit to getting mad at myself if I forget to restart my Garmin after a pause, I don't end the run because of that - I guess, while I use some technology with my workouts, I'm not an all or nothing person, so there's that? ;)

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    1. As long as my Garmin still has battery life, I wouldn't end a run either just because I forgot to restart it. Actually that has happened to me before and I just have to estimate how far I ran without it tracking.

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  20. I've stopped runs if my iPod dies or the headphones get wonky. I almost panicked in Vegas because I forgot to pack my headphones. Thankfully there were plenty of shops and I was able to get some earbuds. Otherwise I would've been toast.

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    1. In Vegas there was so much going on that I don;t think it would have bothered me to not have my headphones since there was music on the course (if I remember correctly). It's always nice to have your own music though. Glad you were able to find some headphones!

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  21. I've been there with my Garmin watch. If I can't accurately measure my running distance, then how can my run actually count?!?!?

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  22. I've had it happen where I forgot to charge my Garmin and then didn't go for a run because of it. Crazy! How did we all get so dependent on these gadgets???

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    1. I get it. I don't go out for a run if my Garmin isn't charged either!

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  23. I remember the days before the Garmin and tracking devices when i would run at the rail trail because each mile was marked!

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  24. I would have a hard time running without a Garmin. Luckily I still have my old one so if my new one dies I have a back up plan!

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  25. Having my headphones or Garmin die during a run is a bummer for sure! Not being able to measure my run is the worse!

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  26. Honestly, the only thing that will stop me from a run is not having my phone. And that's for safety reasons. I used to be really crazy about having to run with music but that doesn't bother me at all anymore. The phone thing, though...

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  27. I can run without music but not without my Garmin. I like being able to check my stats after each run.

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  28. Nothing wrong with being motivated by technology. You just need to keep everything charged up!!!

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  29. Hmmm. to be honest I don't LIKE it if my technology has failed me, but I will go forward with whatever my training is anyway. As painful as it is... sometimes I wonder how people ran before all the gadgets came along!

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  30. My garmin has died in the middle of a run... I had to stop and open up runkeeper to record the rest of the run.

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Fairytales and Fitness is a personal blog authored and edited by us, Meranda and Lacey. The thoughts expressed here represent only our own and are not meant to be taken as professional advice. Please note that our thoughts and opinions change from time to time. We consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind in an ever changing society. Any thoughts and opinions expressed within our out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those we may express today. Some links may contain affiliate links. Some links are just to pages we'd like to share.