For a long time I thought running should only be enjoyed in the peaceful wilderness, unaccompanied by headphone chords, and distracting techno beats. There is something meditative about a pounding pace that as always been able to give me pause to a hectic city lifestyle; the repetitive sound of my feet hitting the trail, my breath that effortlessly falls in stride with my cadence, and being able to fully hear the wind as I round the corner at Land’s End.

However, I have a confession to make and I can’t lie about it:

Over the past year, I have become addicted to my nike+ and I’m not afraid of saying so. Since I discovered this pace calculator/training coach/team motivator device, I’ve tracked my nearly every running move. In fact, I almost go into withdrawal whenever I forget my nike+ chip and have to run sans electronics. I have even personified the pedometer/chip combo calling it Joan (after Joan Benoit Samuelson, who so embodies my idea of a female coach).

Here’s a little about how the thing works, or at least how I use it. There’s an iPod nano, which plugs into a microchip. The microchip is synced with a small pedometer which sits inside a custom made pouch on top of my shoelaces (strapped in with Velcro). When I run, the nano displays several options, and I choose which type of workout I want (basic, time, pace, etc.) When I finish a long run, I immediately plug my nano into my computer to visually re-live my entire run.

The first time I realized my addiction, I was a little sad; I no longer felt like the purist I had once been. But as a millennial, I can justify my way out of or into anything, especially when anything Apple or Nike is involved. (Us “genwe” folks do so love our uber brands!).

Recently, Nike+ added another reason for us tech nerd runners to get excited about using their product: the Nike+ Avatar – fully customizable to digitally replicate our runner-selves. It rests when we rest, it runs when we run (and it’s a little sassy to boot!). Mine lives here (she doesn’t have a name yet… so I am taking suggestions): http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=runners,avatar_viewer,1358811171

One of these days I’m hoping to get back to basics and leave my nano, Nike+, and headphones at home when I head out on a long run. And as my avatar evolves, maybe she’ll take on more of the technologically driven responsibility that comes with being a digital runner.