跑步，盡在“掌”控

By+Jennifer+Stahl

身穿運動服，腳蹬運動鞋，這樣就上路跑步？你忘了一件重要的裝備—手機。沒有手機或其他運動追蹤設備，你如何知道自己跑了多遠，跑得多快，消耗了多少卡路里？新技術為跑步這項傳統的運動注入了活力，吸引越來越多的人成為奔跑一族。

This summer， I went on one of the most visually stunning runs of my life. My path took me to the top of a 16th-century fort1） in Siena， Italy， as the rising sun lit the surrounding rooftops a brilliant yellow. But as much as I enjoyed the experience， I couldnt shake the feeling that it somehow didnt count， that it was less legitimate than my usual runs.

The reason： I wasnt connected to wi-fi， which meant I couldnt track myself with my Runkeeper app the way I usually did. Without it， I had no way of knowing if I was running as fast or as long as my marathon training plan dictated. I also worried that the friends who followed me on Runkeeper would see that I hadnt logged anything all week and assume Id been slacking2）—both silly things to worry about while enjoying such beautiful scenery， I know. But I also know Im not the only one who has these anxieties.

Anybody whos noticed the surge of sweaty Sunday-morning photos on their Facebook feed can likely vouch for3） the fact that marathons have recently exploded in popularity. To put it in perspective， during the first “running boom” in the 1970s， around 25，000 people in the U.S. ran marathons each year. Nearly twice that number ran in the New York City Marathon on November 1， 2015—and thats just one of 1，200-plus marathons that now take place in the country annually. According to Running USA， an organization that tracks the sports growth， a record 550，637 people finished the 26.2 mile distance in 2014.

Running USA has also found that 52 percent of runners today track themselves with some sort of GPS-enabled device， like a smartphone， a fitness tracker， or a specially designed running watch. This statistic has likely played a role in runnings growing appeal—the influx4） of easily available tracking information has lured people to the sport， and kept them going， by making it possible for anyone to see in real time how its affecting their bodies. These apps and gadgets allow people of all skill levels to run more strategically—and to stay motivated， which is very likely the biggest hurdle to becoming an after-work endurance athlete.

“Run-tracking technology has traveled light-years in the past 25 years，” says Bryan Boyle， the gear editor at Runners World magazine. “Back then， to track distance， we either used the track or a pre-determined route using the cars odometer5）. Maybe we used a Swatch6） to measure time.” Today， free smartphone apps give runners information on pace， distance， and elevation7）. If they upgrade to a top-tier watch， they can find out things like the number and length of their steps， their heart rate， even the estimated volume of oxygen they consume per minute and their vertical oscillation8） （the amount they bounce up and down on each stride）.

All this information can act as a reward and a motivator for the runner. “Its one thing to hear encouragement from a coach，” Boyle explains. “Its quite another， however， to digest and appreciate—at a glance—progress made during weeks and months of running. Miles logged piling up. Pace per mile improving.”

In some cases， these reminders can make the difference between new runners pushing forward through an exhausting marathon-training program and simply giving up. “It has a self-reinforcing function，” says the sports psychologist and Temple University professor Michael Sachs. “You have charts and graphs to show your progress. When youre meeting your metrics9）， it builds self-esteem， making you feel more competent and motivated to keep running.” Knowing that Ill be able to see evidence of my improving distance and pace—and that other people will be able to see those numbers， too—has often been the thing that pushes me out the door. I doubt Im the only one wholl dash up and down the same block a few extra times to record exactly five miles rather than calling it in at 4.6.

But run-tracking technology doesnt just help runners train harder. It also gives them the power to train more intelligently， doing what a coach might do for professional athletes. Recreational runners today no longer have to guess how far or how fast theyve run， or what their body is doing and how its adapting. If they can monitor their heart rate， they can make sure theyre hitting the most strategic pace on each run， which can significantly increases their odds of having a positive experience on the course during race day.

Many apps are specifically designed to win over the ever-growing market of new runners： The average pace among Runkeepers 50 million users is over 11 minutes per mile， which in a marathon would make for a time just under five hours. “Its about taking the sport that the hardcore [runners] know and love and packaging that in a way thats really approachable，” says Jason Jacobs， the CEO of Runkeeper. Along with tracking data， the app offers training plans， tips， reminders to work out， and rewards for accomplishing personal records. It takes advantage of the data runners gather to keep them running—and， of course， using the app more often. “Its about patting them on a back when they do well， giving them a gentle kick in the butt if theyre slacking，” Jacobs says.

This year， the San Francisco Marathon partnered with Runkeeper， as well as the popular step-tracker Fitbit and fitness-app FitStar. “We see wearable and mobile technology as one of the most exciting things happening in the sport right now，” says Michelle LaFrance， the SF Marathons marketing director. “Its driving the democratization of running.” She argues that the social element of this technology—like my ability to see friends activity on Runkeeper， and to display my own for their consumption—is driving more runners to the sport. “When you track yourself and then you share that on social media， you become a force of inspiration in your network，” she says. “We see a huge correlation between the volume that runners share and the number of runners that they get to come run with them.”

No matter how much technology can enhance the experience of running， though， many veteran runners argue that the biggest allure of the sport remains the chance to go off the grid10） for a little bit. Race training offers a rare chance to get outdoors， away from the computer， for an hour or four. “Theres so much more to the experience than metrics，” adds Boyle. “Fresh air. Camaraderie11）. Travel. Shoot， just overall feeling better.”

Like any good trend， run-tracking has already experienced its backlash12）—the term “running naked，” without any tech. Many runners now deliberately leave their watches and phones at home in order to better tune into their bodies—or say， enjoy the Tuscan13） scenery. Theres no app for that.

今年夏天，我經歷了人生中最具視覺沖擊力的一次跑步。我登上了意大利錫耶納市一座16世紀城堡的最高處，看著冉冉升起的旭日給周圍的屋頂鑲上了燦爛的金邊。不過，雖然那次經歷讓我非常享受，但不知怎的，我總覺得那不能算數，覺得沒有我平時跑步那么符合規矩。

原因是：我沒有連接無線網，這意味著我不能像平時一樣用Runkeeper軟件來追蹤自己的運動過程。沒有這個軟件，我就無從知道跑步速度和距離能不能達到我的馬拉松訓練計劃的要求。此外，我還擔心在Runkeeper上關注我的朋友會看到我在這一周沒有任何運動記錄，就認為我偷懶了。我知道，在欣賞如此美景的同時擔心這兩件事簡直是荒謬。但我也知道，有這種焦慮的人不止我一個。

不管是誰，但凡留意過Facebook推送里涌現的那一張張周日清晨的流汗照，大概都能證明一件事：馬拉松運動最近火了。為了對這件事有個恰當的估計，我們來看看20世紀70年代的第一次“跑步熱”，期間美國每年有2.5萬人參加馬拉松。而在2015年11月1日當天，參加紐約市馬拉松的人數就接近這一數字的兩倍，這還只是現在美國每年舉辦的1200多場馬拉松賽中的一場。美國跑步協會是一家關注跑步運動發展的機構，據該機構統計，2014年共有550，637名跑步者跑完了26.2英里（編注：馬拉松全程）的路程，跑步人數創下了新紀錄。

美國跑步協會還發現，如今52%的跑步者會用一些有全球定位功能的設備來追蹤自己，如智能手機、健身追蹤器或是專門設計的跑步手表等。這樣的統計數據也許有助于解釋跑步的吸引力為何越來越大：易于獲取的追蹤信息不斷涌入，讓任何人都能實時觀測跑步對其身體的影響，從而吸引了人們參與其中并且持之以恒。這些應用軟件和設備讓各個水平的跑步者都能更有策略地跑步，并且一直保持動力—動力很可能是成為業余耐力項目運動員所面臨的最大障礙。

“跑步追蹤技術在過去25年中取得了巨大發展，”《跑步者世界》雜志裝備版編輯布賴恩·博伊爾說道，“25年前，要確定跑步距離，我們要么用跑道，要么用汽車里程表提前確定好的路線，也許還得用一塊斯沃琪手表來計時。”如今，免費手機應用就能為跑步者提供速度、距離、海拔高度等信息。如果升級設備，使用最先進的手表，跑步者還能獲得步數、步距、心率甚至是估算出的每分鐘的耗氧量和垂直擺動（每一步躍起和下落的高度）等數據。

所有這些信息對跑步者而言都可以是一種獎勵和激勵。“聽到教練的鼓勵是一回事，但隨意一瞥就能領會與欣賞自己周復一周、月復一月跑步所取得的進步是另一回事。記錄的跑步距離越來越長，每英里的速度也越來越快。”博伊爾解釋道。

在有些情況下，這些提示信息能決定跑步新手是會挺過令人精疲力竭的馬拉松訓練項目，還是直接放棄。“這些信息有自我強化的作用，”運動心理學家、天普大學教授邁克爾·薩克斯如是說，“你可以通過圖表看到自己的進步。完成衡量指標會讓你建立起自尊，讓你覺得更有能力、更有動力跑下去。”我能看到自己跑步距離增加、速度提高的證據，而且別人也能看到這些數據—對這一點的了解常常是我出門跑步的動力。我想肯定有很多人和我一樣，繞著同一個街區來來回回多跑幾趟，就為了跑到5英里整，而不是讓數據停留在4.6英里。

然而，跑步追蹤技術不僅能幫跑步者更刻苦地訓練，還讓他們有能力更明智地訓練，就像教練訓練專業運動員一樣。把跑步作為消遣的人如今不用再猜測自己跑了多遠，跑得多快，或是身體如何運轉，適應狀況如何。只要能監控心率，他們就能確保每次跑步時達到最有利的速度，這樣比賽當天在跑道上獲得積極體驗的幾率就會大大增加。

很多應用的設計就是專門為了贏得日益擴大的跑步新手這一市場：Runkeeper的5000萬用戶的平均速度是每英里11分鐘多，若以這個速度跑完馬拉松只需不到5小時。“我們所做的就是將鐵桿（跑步者）所了解和熱愛的這項運動打造成一項真正人人可參與的運動。”Runkeeper首席執行官賈森·雅各布斯表示。除了追蹤數據以外，該應用還提供訓練計劃、建議、鍛煉提醒，對完成個人目標的用戶還有獎勵。它利用跑步者收集的數據來讓他們堅持跑步，當然也讓他們更頻繁地使用該應用。“就像是用戶表現好時拍拍他們的背，偷懶時在他們屁股上輕輕踢一腳一樣。”雅各布斯表示。

今年（編注：指2015年），Runkeeper和流行的計步器Fitbit及健身應用FitStar一起，成為舊金山馬拉松的合作伙伴。“我們認為，可穿戴和移動技術是這項運動目前出現的最令人激動的變化之一，它正在推動跑步的民主化。”舊金山馬拉松營銷總監米歇爾·拉弗朗斯表示。她認為，該技術的社交元素正促使更多跑步者參與其中，就像我可以通過Runkeeper看到朋友們的活動，也可以展示自己的活動供朋友消遣。“當你記錄自己的運動并在社交媒體上分享時，你就成了自己所在網絡中的激勵因素，”她說，“跑步者分享的越多，就會有越多的跑步者加入他們的行列，我們發現這兩者之間有很大的關聯。”

不過，無論技術能在多大程度上提升跑步體驗，很多資深跑步者還是認為，跑步最大的吸引力仍然在于它給了人們短暫“拔電”的機會。跑步訓練給人們提供了一個難得的機會，讓他們遠離計算機，在戶外活動一到四個小時。“這種經歷包含的遠不止那些衡量指標，”博伊爾補充道，“新鮮的空氣，志同道合的感覺，沿途的樂趣。哇，整體感覺都會更好。”

同所有好的潮流一樣，跑步追蹤技術已經遭到了反對聲。反對者提出“裸跑”這個說法，即跑步時不使用任何技術。很多跑步者現在故意把手表和手機放在家里，為的是更好地感受他們的身體，或者做點像是享受托斯卡納的景色這樣的事。這可不是應用軟件能實現的。

1. fort [f??（r）t] n. 堡壘，城堡

2. slack [sl?k] vi. 懈怠，懶散

3. vouch for：證明

4. influx [??nfl?ks] n. 涌進;匯集

5. odometer [???d?m?t?（r）] n. （車輛等的）里程計

6. Swatch：斯沃琪，瑞士手表品牌，以高質量、低成本為特點。

7. elevation [?el??ve??（?）n] n. 高度，海拔

8. oscillation [??s??le??（?）n] n. 擺動;波動

9. metric [?metr?k] n. 衡量標準

10. off the grid：脫離公用系統（如水、電等）

11. camaraderie [?k?m??rɑ?d?ri] n.〈法〉同志情誼

12. backlash [?b?k?l??] n. （尤指對某一集團或政治運動的）強烈反應，強烈反對

13. Tuscan：托斯卡納區的。托斯卡納是意大利中部的一個大區，文章開頭所說的錫耶納市即位于該區。