My evolution as a runner: from eggtimer to Fitbit

… from Egg Timer to Fitbit

When I first started running, eleven years ago, I took with me an egg timer. I was following a couch to 5k training plan, and I needed the egg timer to tell me if I could stop running already.

4 bucks worth of watch

After a while I started to take myself and my running seriously enough to invest in a real watch. It cost about 4 bucks, but I managed to make it beep every 11 minutes. So I ran 10 minutes, walked 1 minute and repeated that. I didn't get any other use out of it, because I didn't understand the manual.

Nike Chip and sensor

This watch was followed by the Nike Chip and sensor. I bought a second hand iPod and by using the Nike Chip and sensor I could see how far I had run. I really liked the Nike Chip, and the fact that all the info from my run was automatically sent to the Nike+ website.

Polar heart monitor

I think it was about three years ago I invested in a heart monitor. The heart monitor proved to be quite a revelation: it turned out I didn't have to run as fast as I was trying to, to get a good work out. I liked it even better than my Nike Chip and Sensor.

And after buying a Samsung smart phone I tossed the Nike Chip and sensor to the curb, because Runkeeper works as a GPS and tells me how much miles I have run too. And my Polar heart monitor told me how many calories I have burned, so my Nike Chip had become obsolete.

But I also read a lot about the Garmin Forerunner. It seems like all the 'real' runners are using it.

After some time my Polar heart monitor didn't work properly anymore.

Charge 2

In 2018 I wore a Fitbit Charge 2. I know this is not technically a sports watch but an activity tracker. But it offers me the kind of information I like. I don't need anymore, and I like the way it's so easy to use.

Apple Watch 2023

Times keep changing, and nowadays I wear an Apple Watch to keep track of my runs.

What kind of gadgets do you use during your run?