Most of us newbie runners (I still consider myself a newbie)
run with our cell phones. Some runners have them strapped to their arms; others
have them in that “special pouch” that is built in to the more expensive
athletic clothing, while others just carrying their phone in hand during a run.
I myself carry mine in a running belt. You can call it a fanny pack, or a hip
belt, or a hydration belt call it whatever you want. I get made fun of for mine
because it does look more like a fanny pack than a hydration belt but it has
bottles that came with the belt. SO THERE! LOL
Either way, I carry my phone in my “running belt”. I don't
use any of the free apps like some of my fellow newbies use anymore. I now use
my TomTom Runner Cardio for recording data and measuring performance. But, I
still like to run with music which is on my phone. I KNOW, I KNOW!! Some still stand firm in the
belief that it is dangerous to run with music. I can see the point they are
making. But, we have more than one type of sensory system in the human body (ie.
Smell, Taste, Sight, Sound & Touch) and I am not afraid to use them all.
Some of them I can use in concert like when I run. I hear my music and I watch for cars, pedestrians, and any other potential problems both ahead of me and
behind. I even carry pepper spray for the occasional stray dog that is found on the country roads out here where I still run on occasion. Yes, I have been bitten once. And it only takes once to learn to carry some protection. But, that's another subject for another blog entry isn't it?
But, I’m not writing this entry to begin a debate over the
subject of running with or without music in your ears. No. I’m sharing my personal disappointments with a situation I had play
out surrounding my phone as it applies to my running life.
Ya see back in November of last year I was running with some friends of
mine on the trails at White Rock Lake in Dallas. I was doing some speed work.
Or at least what I call “speed”. And I had worked up a pretty serious sweat
doing so. My phone was in my “running belt” playing my favorite tunes just as
loud as I could play them knowing that the threat of cars coming up on me were
far fewer on the routes I normally run
alone. It was around the 7.5 mile mark
of the 9 mile route around the lake when my music stopped. I looked at the screen
to my phone and it was blank and not responding at all. CRAP!!! What’s wrong
with my phone!?!?
My fellow runners already know reading up to this point
exactly what has happened. My frothy sweat storm had dripped its way into the “running
belt” and seeped into my phone rendering it useless. I couldn't even get it to
power up to call home and let my wife know I was going to breakfast with my
friends after the run so she wouldn’t worry.
Now what!?!?! I had just upgraded to this new LG G3 a month
prior. Now it’s already dead? And if the little water dot indicators inside
make it look like I dropped it in water then the warranty won’t cover it. Here
I was worrying about my own well being on the run when it was my phone I should've
been concerned with.
Well, I took the phone to the AT&T location where I
bought it and learned that the water indicators were dry and it showed no signs
of water damage. WHEWW!!! Now, all I had to do was take to the warranty center
in North Dallas and get it replaced. YEAH RIGHT!! As usual, AT&T can’t
communicate properly (Go figure, from a communications company) and the
warranty center doesn’t keep the G3 in stock. Now, I have to go an entire week
with my phone dead and no way to listen to my tunes on the run. Really?? “This
was my biggest concern?” you might ask. No. Not really. But, it was my first
thought. How can I "Run Against the Wind" without Bob Seger there to motivate me? Sorry for the punny joke. I couldn't resist. But honestly, with as dependent as I am on my cell phone, it shut me down for a
week, all because I wanted to get some speed work in.
Well, long story short…I got the phone replaced after some other
issues along the way. I had to have the replacement replaced as well because it
came with the same defects which lead to yet another week with no phone.
But, it made me realize that I depend on my phone way too
much. Though, I still insist on running with my tunes.
But, it makes me want to ask the question of you all.
Do we rely on our cell phones to much these days? Let me
know your thoughts. Click the “comments” link below and share your opinion. Do
you use your phone to run? Are we too reliant on our cell phones as a whole?
Let’s hear it…
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