Promotion: Performance computer provides athletic motivation

by Steven Mostyn - Jan 19 2012, 10:48

Back in 2010, I was just shy of 200lbs thanks to leading a largely sedentary lifestyle that revolved around working from home, rarely leaving the house, and avoiding anything more strenuous than lumbering between my office and the kitchen.

Beyond the snowballing weight gain, vitamin D deficiency, pallid skin, and distinct lack of social interaction, I was becoming a lonely and deeply unhappy 36-year-old man. Something had to change. Everything had to change.

I therefore took it upon myself to go from festering on my increasing large behind to running a marathon—because, as you can tell, I’ve never been very good at self-moderation. That being said, my doctor had diplomatically suggested I “do something about the weight” during our last check-up appointment.

Whether down to genuine health concerns or the result of a somewhat premature mid-life crisis, my decision to confront a sprawling 26.2-mile road course before thousands of spectators meant finding a passion for running—something I’ve always despised—and finding a source of motivation beyond wishing to avoid the humiliation of paying for two seats at airport check-in.

Indeed, although I figured the months of training through inclement weather, muscle strains and destroyed toenails would hopefully prolong my existence and banish my sloth-like lifestyle, I desperately needed reliable outside influence and expertise to help find a focus.

That invaluable input came while in a local sports store searching for marathon-appropriate footwear capable of carrying me through a mammoth 16-week course of progressively more demanding training runs. And boy, was I glad I found it.

Ordinarily, shop assistants in sports stores don’t tend to be trained athletes, they’re generally ‘fit-looking’ employees dragging themselves unenthusiastically through the hours in order to make a little money. Luckily for me, the buoyant young girl who checked my feet and stance in order to select the right running shoes was a semi-professional sportswoman who’d competed at national level.

And it was she, while offering gentle reassurance that the hindrance of flat feet could be tempered with support-based footwear, who answered a query regarding sustained focus by recommending a cutting-edge sports computer infused with a motivational personality. How I scoffed.

After deciding on the best possible running shoes for the seemingly insurmountable task at hand—and feeling my bank account lighten considerably in the process—I was then presented with said training computer, and the gadget-lover within me knew instantly it would be a vital component in conquering the marathon.

Worn on an arm strap and functioning in conjunction with the wearer’s MP3 player, the system was apparently not only capable of tracking distance, speed, time elapsed and calorie burn, it also provided all this information in a pleasingly human voice and at the touch of a button through the user’s headphones.   

Having already talked me into parting with close to $200 USD for superb running shoes, the shop assistant could well have just seen a sucker willing to splash the cash on a gimmick that would sit abandoned in a matter of days. However, her clear knowledge and attentive attitude suggested a genuine willingness to help me achieve my goal, and I therefore had no hesitation in spending a further $200 USD on the training computer.

And its effect on my performance was immediate. Honestly, having that little slab of technology intermittently cutting through my music and delivering congratulatory progress reports during hours of lonely pavement pounding felt something akin to having Mickey Goldmill yelling encouragement to a dejected Rocky Balboa.      

Trust me when I say that without the support of expert guidance and the contributory input of a faceless virtual trainer, the spent rubber and hundreds of miles would never have passed beneath my feet, and it would have been my commitment not the weight that dropped off.

But, after 16 weeks of undeniable agony, the purchase of another set of exorbitantly expensive running shoes, and the kind of incessant sweaty stink that tested the loving resolve of my wife, I was finally ready to get my feet and my life on back on course. 

Nine months earlier I’d been a rotund nobody fond of doing pretty much nothing. However, as I fed on the stadium atmosphere during the final 400 meters of the marathon I sprinted across that finish line with an unshakable belief I was someone capable of anything.

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