Used to be I didn’t carry any sort of device while running. However, because I really want to be a fancy boy, I’ve positioned myself at the forefront of a new trend – carrying binoculars while running. More about this in a minute.

A couple women once complimented me for not getting sucked into carrying a GPS unit. They said sometimes the pleasure of running is lessened by giving so much attention to all the stats a device gives.

I had to deflect the compliment because not carrying a GPS unit is mostly because I lack initiative. Sometimes I am interested in the pace or how far it was, and I’ll ask someone I ran with who has one.

Usually though, judging my pace and distance works for me, and I can often be pretty close. It’s only recently that I finally started using any kind of device – a headlamp for nighttime running.

However, for those who insist on using electrical devices while running, you should be aware of an issue that could upend your life if you overdo it.

Several years ago I wrote a post about how Amy Smet DePaolo, a former, running club regular, used multiple electrical devices while running. Her bio-rhythms got enmeshed with the electrical fields of all her devices, and she morphed into a droid-like state, abandoning her family and becoming a solitary, elusive, bio-electrical unit. You can read about this disturbing incident by clicking Gadgets Take Over Runner. Friends Say She’s No Longer Human.

In a post from earlier this year, How to Become a Really Slow Runner, I detailed how I’ve slowed down immensely. This is the real reason I run with binoculars – not because I’m trying to be a fancy boy.

When I’m unfamiliar with the route at a running club get-together, and I’ve fallen way behind everyone else, I can keep the group in sight. This prevents me from losing my way and becoming lost.