by Melissa Brunner

I talk often about how I enjoy running, but every now and then, I admit, my motivation can slip a bit. Sometimes life just gets hectic, which is what happened over Christmas when I went more than a week between runs!

A gift from my husband, though, has gotten me on track this week. It's a GPS sports watch, so I know how far I've gone and what pace I've run. I can upload it all to the computer and even track where I was keeping a brisk pace and where I slowed. It's fun to see - and also motivating! I haven't run with a watch for a long time and, while I've never really "raced," I do enjoy seeing whether I've been able to maintain my times from one 5k to the next. The watch is making me see that I might need to focus a bit!

Don't worry - I won't become too obsessed! I just want to keep getting out there and doing something - and this is certainly adding to the fun right now!