What's your favourite gadget?

I have a number of favourite running-related gadgets.  My Garmin forerunner measures and records my pace, mileage and heart rate to help keep my training on track. My smart phone is useful for planning routes and taking photos of the places I run. A fuel belt lets me carry everything I need when I'm "running long" - gatorade, snacks, phone, kleenex, keys, etc. And my purple lululemon headband keeps my "big" hair back and out of my face on the wet, windy days that are so common in this part of the world.

But I have a few non-running gadgets I love too. Two of my favourites (pictured above) were gifts from my best friend - a parmesan cheese grater that has fostered what will likely turn out to be a life-long addiction to freshly grated parmesan, and a small battery-operated whisk that foams hot milk perfectly for my weekend caffe latte.

In general, I'm not a gadget girl. I prefer cooking the old-fashioned way - using simple, fresh ingredients and good quality pots and pans. I keep the number of electronic devices in other areas of my life to a bare minimum as well. That said, I love a really good gadget - one that I'm inspired to use often because it noticeably improves the quality of my life

What's your favourite running or non-running gadget and how does it improve your quality of life?

Springing on a grey and gloomy day!

I love my Garmin. It keeps me honest about my pace and distance and makes tracking my weekly mileages a piece of cake. Lately, though, my favourite gadget on my long runs has been my smart phone - both because it ensures I have a way to call for help when I need it and because it has a built-in camera that lets me take photos of the places I run.

I was especially useful during my long slow run yesterday. The day was grey and drizzly so it was hard to enjoy being out the way I usually do.  None of the scenery I've been savouring in recent months looked as pretty in the low light. Nevertheless, out of force of habit, I spent much of the run looking for potential photographs and began to notice something wonderful - many of the buds that were barely promises the week before had suddenly burst into bloom. Hot pink azalea, soft pink and white magnolia, and yellow daffodils and forsythia added bright splashes of colour to an otherwise gloomy day.

It wasn't possible for me to get really good pictures of any of them given the subdued light filtering through the rain and clouds, but the effort to do so inspired me to pay more attention to the beauty around me, instead of the discomfort in my legs near the end of my 26km long run - which was a good thing in and of itself.  And I did get one shot I liked as I ran through an old rail cut on a completed section of the Centennial Trail. The clouds lifted just enough to let soft sunlight reach the mosses and plants that seemed to grow straight out of the rocks - wonderful examples of mother nature's resilience.

More on the places my run and thoughts took me this weekend when I get back to my home computer tonight!