But then I caught the bug. I fell in love with running, and became obsessed with all of the extra trappings. How long was my route? What was my tempo? Was my heart rate where it should be? And most importantly – how could I get better, faster?

My first purchase was the Garmin 401. I loved it for the first few weeks; it told me how far I ran and where. I could track everything online, most of the time. But I ran in a heavily wooded area, and often times the tree coverage interfered with the GPS. While I am sure GPS technology has improved since my first investment, making this work for me was a struggle.

My next purchase was the heart rate monitor, a Polar with a strap wrapped around my chest, and a watch I wore on my wrist. It was great to be able to track my heart rate while I ran. I tried to make sure I was in the zone, and I was able to push a little harder. But for me, in all honesty, the heart rate monitor didn’t tell me much I didn’t know. If you run, you can feel if you are pushing things or not. My comfort zone on the HRM was easily measured by my own assessment of my effort. While I used the online tracking of my heart rate in the beginning, this soon became too much work. In the end the HRM ended up in the same drawer as my GPS.

My third purchase was my Nike iPod attachment. This was an easy choice because it was cheap. I slipped the Nike piece into a self-made shoe pocket. and Lance Armstrong started cheering me on on all of my runs. Basically this is just an upscale step counter, but with a twist. It talks to you. Sadly, I could never get this device to work accurately. I don’t run on a track, so I couldn’t adjust the step counter to my stride. The Nike online tracking software was by far the most annoying tracking software of the bunch, and I only used it about three times. In the end I retired it as well, because I started to get really annoyed with Lance Armstrong.

In the end, after all of the apps and gadgets, I am right back where I started. I have my sneakers and my front door. For me, running is really about simplicity. But for anyone who loves a good gadget, have fun!

Beside being free, podcasts have the nice feeling of freshness that a lot of workout mixes lack. I often get distracted from my workout when I hear “that song” again; I just need to switch it before I can focus. The beauty of podcasts is you always have a new one, and don’t need to worry about becoming bored with the same old playlist.

Dance or electronica is usually the best choice for a high-intensity workout. With the Beats Per Minute up in the 130-160 range, you’ll be moving quickly the whole way through. I’ve been able to find many great, extended-mix workout tracks through podcast sources, like iTunes or PodCast.net.

If you’re into running or intense aerobics, you should look for PodRunner on iTunes. Each mix is roughly an hour long and is created for varying intensity levels based on BPM. PodRunner’s DJ Steve recently released PodIntervals, another set of mixes designed for aerobic interval training. If you want to work out to some high-spirited songs, look to Radio 538′s Tiesto podcast. With an hour to an hour and a half of high energy, low intensity house music, it will keep you smiling while you move.

Whatever podcast you pick for the gym, listen to an episode or two at home before you bring it with you. Is it something you can listen to for an hour? Will it keep you excited and help you get in your best workout? If it doesn’t make you want to get up and jump around at home, don’t take it to the gym. After all, it doesn’t matter if it’s dance, R&B or classical, as long as it will keep you motivated and moving.