Back in the eighties I measured all of my courses on the bike using a bike computer, it just counted how many times the wheel went round and you could calculate more or less how far you’d cycled Pixie. But then Garmin brought out a wrist watch thingy that was GPS…(satellite Navigation or Ground Positioning Satellites) and was frighteningly accurate…But it turned out that my bike computer wasn’t all that adrift afterall…You could download the data onto a laptop and it would apply it to a map of the area. Nowadays I’ve got an app on my smartphone that shows where I am on a map, how far I’ve run/walked, how fast, and at what pace…It ever suggests what colour socks go with your shoes… 
Well that might be a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea… 
That’s so interesting - especially about the bike computer.
I know about Garmin, I have one with Komoot on it (which I don’t use), but I wasn’t aware they had a wrist watch 
Oooh! That looks great! A proper number cruncher 
Was the outage really that serious or just a warning for when it gets really serious?
Have started a thread for those who want to back up all their files to a thumb drive or hard disk
No, I never did . I my case, I’ve always seen running as a basis for reducing stress (very important) and making way for fresh ideas to come up, for general fitness and well-being allowing you, say, to sustain longer tennis matches and tournaments. So it wasn’t about running the same distance faster and faster nor about increasing the distance but it was continuity that mattered. I’ve been running like clockwork since I was a teen yet as a means to an end, so to speak.
Not too long ago, though, my health insurance company introduced a bonus programme for sporting activities for which you need an app and a wristband. I didn’t like the idea of one more digital device on my body permanently sending data. So I stopped that.
This is similar to my thinking. While I don’t mind recording steps, miles (or km, depending on preference), I’m not really keen on the idea of attaching monitors to myself and having that data sent off. Its bad enough with the app on my phone nagging me because I only walked 8,000 steps as opposed to the 25,000 I usually do at work.
Being outside, should simply involve your senses, not sensors!
Nice pun in your last sentence, Pixie. 
In my opinion, doing exercises and fitness in general, apart from keeping us healthy, should also be regarded as a means of escaping from digital stuff and hi-tech for a while, rather than letting it interfere with these simple human activities which we’ve always managed so well, without the aid of apps! 
Same when they ask for consent, I click away from the site. The news item can always be found elsewhere.
Quite. Ironically, other people are forced to think differently about that. As a result of the war in Ukraine the living standard of many Europeans has lowered. One price we had to pay for Putin’s invasion was that an admittedly generous health club covering 6000 m² including four rooms for workouts, four saunas, a couple of Badminton and Squash courts, and two restaurants had to be shut down since it can’t be run as a profit-generating private company any more given the current gas prices.
The new reality is a health club where you won’t see a member of staff live and in person but on screens only. And that’s only if you ask them nicely. Instructions are hidden in QR codes and the room is only accessible if you have a smartphone which is why a couple of elder customers turned on their heel on the opening day. So no training without electronic gadgets. 
Before
After
So sad. 
I started running in 1978 Rose, before computers and smartphones were a thing. Being the sad and methodical person that I am, I recorded every run I did, a time and distance at the minimum, most runs had a comment, and I included all runs, training and later competition runs…In those days I used a diary (pen and paper) and later when I competed in long fell races and road marathons, the journal became useful for understanding what training worked, and what training didn’t. With the arrival of computers my journals were copied onto spread sheets and data bases and were extremely useful. Recording times, distances and performance, I learnt to read my body, not just for running purposes but also for health. Looking back through my journal I can see my past heart attack coming on weeks before it occurred. Although I don’t waste time getting too immersed in the digital explosion, I do find that keeping records has been extremely beneficial over the years, but have never let it interfere with my pure enjoyment of running. It’s the simplicity of lacing up the running shoes and spending time alone with my thoughts while the miles pass by…Unfortunately the distance and speed is deserting me these days, but I still record each and every Run, walk or cycle…
You do sound like a prof, Foxy. 
As you mention the loneliness, have you ever felt that runner’s high and did you have your best ideas while running?
If you are talking about cookies like the ABC tells you about, You have nothing to fear. You can install Addins/extensions to your browser that disable trackers and also set your browser to delete all cookies when you close it.
Cookies are used to tell who you are for example on this forum they are very necessary. You get them whether they ask for consent or not.
Personally I use Ghostery Ad Blocker which also disables trackers, I think it is available for most browsers but there are others.
It was the Millennium Bug, a bit late to the party 
I like running with my music on - with wireless earbuds playing from my phone play list.
I’m glad Ive got the technology and the app to do that.
I’ve known a few good runners down at the club (I only went a couple of times) who packed up running long distance because they hated the long Sunday run when there was nobody to run with. I looked forward to being out on my own with nature and my thoughts. Sorted many things out while out running Dachs. I always came home with senses heightened and feeling mentally refreshed, and since joining the forum in 2015 I couldn’t wait to get home and write down some of my experiences…You will find them here… Bob’s Bits.
It does carry a warning of sleep apnea and drowsiness… 
Problem there Bruce is, you have to sign into everything again and I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve got some long forgotten passwords on sites not often visited… 