Note-taking while running?

Broadswordbabe · Apr 23, 2010

I recently started running and find I quite often get ideas about my current WIP while I'm doing it, but have no way of recording them - and as I'm still very much a beginner I'm largely concentrating on just getting around the route, and by the time I've thought 'I can make it as far as that tree, I can I can,' several times, any plot ideas I had have been forgotten.

Is there any sort of 'runner's dictaphone' or something one can get? Preferably not wildly expensive? Even more preferably really cheap?

Or if anyone has any other ideas about how to take notes when exercising, I'd be very grateful.

alleycat · Apr 23, 2010

The new digital recorders are tiny and some are not that expensive. I hate the damn things because of their tiny controls, but if you use an MP3 player, you probably wouldn't have any problem with one.

I have one I would give you if you lived in the US and the shipping wasn't very much. I bought it, hated it, got a Olympus Pearlcorder to use instead.

Maryn · Apr 23, 2010

Maybe the OP would pony up shipping to the UK? It should cost about $13 US. In fact, maybe some sort of arrangement would be feasible in which Mr. Cat

ships it at his expense and Broadswordbabe gives twice the shipping cost to AW.

Or something.

Maryn, on occasion a toady for Mac

PaulaO · Apr 23, 2010

I've been known to call my home phone and leave a message for myself.

samoht9 · Apr 25, 2010

When I ran I used to listen to a sansa clip made by san disk to listen to music. It's really small and easily clips to your pants or shirt. There is a built in recorder for it to so while you are running you could easily switch to the recorder and record your thoughts and then get back to your music.

Right now they are running $30 bucks on amazon for the 1GB model, but I got mine off of woot.com for $10 when they had them. Little expensive right now, but they can definitely be found on the cheap.

Also on a side note, not that it matters, I got hit by a car riding my bike and was listening to this. Still works like a charm even though I landed on it.

Kitty Pryde · Apr 25, 2010

Get a digital recorder and stick it in an mp3 player's armband, then it will be at your wrist so you can record your breathless epiphanies for later. Good luck

defyalllogic · Apr 26, 2010

i think a lot of MP3 players have built in recorders. my Zen did and it's quite old. i could even set the shortcut button to record.

Broadswordbabe · Apr 26, 2010

It never occurred to me that MP3's might have recorders, I will check it out, thank you! And Alleycat, thank you for the thought (PS love your avatar).

RedInk · Apr 29, 2010

If I am running {and can still actually talk} I use the voice recorder on my mobile. I also use this feature when it would be too awkward to take my notebook out of my bag. Like when I hear 'the perfect' piece of dialogue on a crowded bus - I just pretend to make a call and repeat it very quietly.

Jamesaritchie · Apr 29, 2010

Those small digital rcorders work well, but I've always believed that any idea I forget wasn't worth remembering. The great ideas stick in my head and won't go away, even if I want them to. The bad ones fade away, and I don't miss them.

Bufty · Apr 29, 2010

I agree, but sometimes an idea - perhaps a changed dialogue response - has a chain reaction and it's the chain I don't want to lose, so I scribble the lot and hope I can interpret the scrawl later.

Note-taking while running?

Broadswordbabe

I'd rather be a cat.

alleycat

Still around

Maryn

I Tried

PaulaO

samoht9

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

defyalllogic

i'm a girl. (i have tendonitis)

Broadswordbabe

I'd rather be a cat.

RedInk

Jamesaritchie

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?