The Bionic (Old) Man

The Bionic Man, or the Six Million Dollar Man, was a 1970s TV show where the hero had a horrible accident and was rebuilt with better hearing, eyesight, strength, etc.  All for the low, low price of Six Million Dollars. Man. What a deal. Steve Austin was hooked up with all sorts of monitors and gadgets to track his vital signs. He was the singular marvel of modern science. These days, scientifically enhanced humans are common place.

I just got myself a Garmin Watch and I feel like a device with all sorts of read outs for heart rate, VO2 max, endurance, rest, sleep, steps taken, floor climbed, workouts completed, etc.

I never thought I would like this much information about my running, but Lisa convinced me to get one as a treat after receiving a bonus at work. Keep in mind that I have been running since High School, then Basic Training, then the police academy, and finally as a lifestyle over thirty years ago. In all those decades I never once cared about my heart rate, or what "zone" I was running in. For ten years I kept everything on Run Keeper to compare runs and keep a log of all my activities – 1600+ events in the past decade.

And now I am connected. Connected to my body. Connected to my performance. Connected to the 21st century.  Perhaps I will become a healthier person and a better and faster runner in 2025. 

Well, better and more informed; faster might be out of reach.