There are fringe benefits to working hard and saving sometimes. At Hinda Incentives (where I work) we have a points-based rewards system. This is particularly fitting for our company since it sells and fulfills - you guessed it - points-based rewards systems. We receive points for hitting quarterly goals, doing a little extra here and there, and doing things beyond the normal expectations. The points go into a personal "bank" and you can use those points to redeem for a huge catalog of different items (household stuff, toys, electronics etc). Being a runner and in the infancy stages of marathon training I had my sights set on one thing - a Garmin Forerunner 305.

This week - I got it.

If you don't know exactly what I'm talking about, I'll fill you in. This is a device that displays how far you've run, your average pace per mile, your total time and even connects with a heart rate monitor to let you know if you're hitting your target range. The watch also plugs into your computer, stores all of your training data into a program and will even provide a satellite image of your routes.

Pretty cool right? But isn't that too much?

I thought so for the past decade or so. I've always been one to just run for time and just see what happens. Getting caught up in the numbers and data of training seemed like a foolish waste of time to me. However, now I'm training for a marathon. Plus, I have no idea how far any of these routes are here in the city. I have been guessing on most (not all) of my runs the past year here. Marathon training requires a little more science and precision for training. I can't just randomly go out on a run. I need to learn my pace and be able to run my goal time pace with my eyes closed. With the pace gauge on this watch, this can be achieved.

Plus, I'm generally just a sucker for gadgets.