Tis the season to be a good consumer

In addition to the annual holiday gift business, I am currently finding myself weighing options and considering two big running-related purchases: a new treadmill and a gps watch. Both are expensive and relatively unnecessary in the food/water/shelter sense of things. But, there are seemingly good reasons to consider both. As to the treadmill, the one we purchased new for $500 (which was and still is super cheap and at the very lowest end of the market) 7 years ago is showing its age. Like a crotchety old woman, it has developed some not-so-cute quirks.

While spontaneous rapid acceleration might be good for getting the heart going, it is not a desirable feature for anyone already trying to test their limits at a 12 min mile pace. I only wish that the display accurately showed how fast I end up going at these moments, as I frantically press buttons and try not to fall on my face. And having to turn the whole damn thing completely off, resetting the timer and odometer, is a real motivation-suck. Recently, the belt has also started slipping, which adds to the excitement. In my usual fashion, I researched this problem online to see if it is fixable - which it is. However, the variety and complexity of suggestions I found gave me such a headache, that I just became convinced that I should just trash the entire thing and start fresh.

So, long story short, I am seriously thinking about hitting up the nearest Play It Again Sports to see if I can get a good used model for a decent price. We'll see.

The gps watch is a bit more frivolous, but I sooooo want one. A few weeks ago, I set out to buy a good sports watch, mainly just for an easy-to-read stop watch function. But, as I am known to do, I did a little research beforehand. Of course, the more I read, the more features I discovered I needed. As a stop-gap measure, I picked up a $10 pink plastic basic sports watch at Target. When the stop watch function of said watch stopped working after only one run, I took it as a sign that I deserve better.

Enter the Garmin Forerunner 110 (drool) which would allow me to accurately measure my outdoor runs and upload my results to an online tracking system. And, it comes in a super cute gray and pink model (sigh). The $250 price tag is the only minor catch.

So, maybe the treadmill comes first and the watch becomes a reward I can work toward over the next few months. Maybe if I set a new PR at the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon in February, that $250 won't seem quite so excessive.