Gadgets on the go!

Technology is infamous for having turned us into couch potatoes and for having limited our worlds to small screens of iPads and still smaller screens of iPad minis and iPhones. But then there is this other side to technology that can totally contribute to keeping you healthy. Although little known off, there are gadgets that help monitor fitness if their features are optimized and a sunny view of the gadget world is taken. Of course, the gadgets won’t run on your behalf, but they sure can help you plan and organise your run. So as you gear up for the iCan marathon, we try and find technology to aid your training regime.

An iPod or a Music Player
“Nothing inspires a run like music does,” says Naveen Kokkaly a regular marathon runner. “My ideal running partner is my iPod. I love the tunes that stimulate my legs and my will to run. Music on the run helps me focus and meditate,” he says. So if you too are the kind that needs music for inspiration, then this is the gadget for you. A music player can sync to ITunes or windows media through a wifi connection and has a built-in FM radio. It can also use bluetooth to connect to an app on your smartphone to handle calls and texts if the phone is in range. Depending on your budget and music library, there are plenty of choices to fit your needs.

GPS Sports watches
GPS sports watches record distance, time and pace so you can keep a check on your work outs. Some versions of these watches also include heart rate monitors, so you can conveniently keep a check on your cardio activity. What's more, you can even see the route you have travelled, on a map. The rechargeable batteries make this gadget an apt running companion.

Pedometers
Pedometers are basically sensors that collect information of your run. The gadget tracks pace, distance, duration and calories burned, speed, elapsed time, steps per minute, and function as a stopwatch and alarm. So if you are training for your first marathon, then this is the device that will keep you updated on your progress. Some pedometers also have fancy features such as talking, playing music or reading your heart rate. Thus, packed to the brim with features to assist your training regime, pedometers make efficient marathon companions.

Pacesetters
When it comes to meeting a time goal for a run, a pace calculator is the device to own. Pace setters help keeping a steady stamina throughout the race, if you want to maintain pace and keep strong all the way to the finish line and not lose towards the end because your energy reserves have been zapped due to lack of pace. “Most of us aren’t professional runners and so a pace calculator will help keep you on time with your goal,” says Shivam Agnihotri who has run a few marathons himself.

Cameras
Marathon photography can be a lot of fun, specially considering the variety of emotions and outfits at display. There is such a mixed range of emotions to capture in a marathon setting, that it will add that much more depth to your pictures. However, it is also a challenging location to shoot in, so therefore it is very important to carry an apt camera and lens. “On marathon locations your desired subject for the picture may be at a long distance from you so make sure you have a long lens, somewhere in the 70-200mm range should do. If your lens has image stabilization, turn it on; even the slightest movement at the 200mm end of the lens will result in motion blur. It is also important to keep the shutter speed high enough to avoid blurs” advices Agnihotri who also happens to be a photographer.

Well, with the gadgets enlisted above you can go ahead, go out and make your training regime and marathon experience that much more fun.