Technology Dependence Issues

Ugh, well today was a rocky start... was getting ready for my AM bike (on my new tri bike that I am in total love with now that I can actually balance on the thing lol) and my Garmin GPS watch was DEAD.  Not uncharged.  Not on the fritz.  D-E-A-D dead. 

The blank screen of death stared back at me as I jammed the Power button.  Puzzled, I went through the standard technology troubleshooting steps:

1. Push Power button.
2. Push Power button harder.
3. Push and hold Power button while swearing.
4. Swear some more.
5. Give it a rest, as though it needs a break or something.
6. Push Power button.
7. Push any button on the friggin thing.
8. Remember how much it cost and how much it will cost to replace it.  Swear some more.
9. Decision tree:  Either throw it across the room or come up with a backup plan.

Lucky for me I decided to go with my backup plan and worry about it later.  So I used my "old school" wristwatch and just looked up my route on MapMyRun.com when I came home.  My wrist felt naked without the bulky GPS watch on my wrist, and my workout lacked the freedom to make last-minute changes to the route based on the feedback on my watch.  Watching those miles build in real-time is a thrill that I didn't experience this time around.  And it made me reflect on how dependent I am on the little watch.

Back in the day, people just got on their bikes and pedaled.  They didn't check their time, distance, pace, etc.  They just went.  So I took a deep breath about mid-ride and just "went."  And I felt a new kind of freedom -- avoiding getting wrapped up in the numbers and just enjoying the ride.  I came back home, did a 1-mile post-ride run, and then started my day with a better attitude.

The GPS gods must've smiled too, because with a calm mind, I googled my GPS issue and found that a simple reboot gave my Garmin watch new life.  And to think I almost threw it across the room.