Really Old Pulse Monitor
1881 direct sphymograph
Apparently invented by E.J.Marey
No, I’m not running with that on my arm!
In fact this weekend – I will be running my race [Eugene Half-marathon] sans the Garmin. But I will be wearing a watch!
Advantages
- I can set my own pace. (Occasionally sneaking a peak at the mile markers.)
- Frees up my left hand. (It’s too big to wear on my wrist.) So I can give by-standers the High five.
- Won’t be distracted by scrolling through screens.
- Don’t have to worry about negative splits. (Well might do some math along the way.) “Most athletes perform better if they run the second half of a race slightly faster than the first half.”
- Less chance of getting mugged and robbed. Though I will still have valuables on me, such as a cell phone and mp3 player. And my lucky dollar.
- Have no idea how fast I'm starting. (Must start slow…)
- Have no idea how far I’ve gone – if I miss a mile marker.
- Won’t be able to map my memorable run in Google Earth.
- No handy compass. Never know - might get lost along the way.
- No one will ask me, “Just how fast are we going?”
- We owe the second hand on watches to physician Sir John Floyer (1649-1734), who used it to time his patients' pulse.
Above image - Wellcome Images - 2000 Years of Human Culture
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