Does technology make us better?

Phil's cabin (four hours north of home) is one of my favorite places to run. Winding dirt road through immense stands of pine trees. Around by the lake and always on the lookout for deer. I saw one car and two people on a 55 minute run. And so quiet that all you can hear is the birds and the wind in the treetops.

Running can be a fully unfettered experience. Given the right conditions one could run naked (not this one, but "one" could) and get the same physical benefits and emotional lift. At the same time, strap on your GPS-enabled heart rate monitor, your moisture-wicking shirt and shorts, lace up your $140 shoes, start up your ipod Nano, and you have a vastly different experience than the birthday suit runner. But is it a better experience? Does the technology help you listen better to the sounds of the nature through which you run? Help you better feel the rhythmns of your body? Clarify the window into your thoughts that running throws open wide?

I am not a running Luddite, because knowing how far and how fast is a strong motivator. But I do not want to miss the sound of the wind in the Aspens becasue I am listening to a song I can hear any time. That may be part of why I love to run. It makes me slow down enough to really listen and see. It gives me time to imagine ...