I have always loved running. I played competitive soccer as a youth, I was on my high school cross country team and also ran the 2500m for my school's track and field team. Of course as life progresses we get busy with other things (work, kids, leisure time) which puts us off track of hobbies and in some cases even consideration of our health.
So, after I hit 40 (I still can't believe it!) I thought it was time to start getting back in shape and it has taken a long time! It all started with the purchase of a treadmill where I struggled for several months to try and be able to run 5k all in one shot. The treadmill was a great way to get my confidence up so when the weather improved I was able to start running outdoors.
The only problem I had was that I didn't have any way to track my pace/progress until I discovered software called Runkeeper that works both with my iPhone and my Pebble watch. I am able to track my pace, top speed, distance, etc. and see whether I am improving over time. I have now gotten to the point where I am averaging under 7:30/mile for 5k (3.2 miles) at a comfortable pace (which is a vast improvement over the 10 minutes per mile I was doing when I started).
So, no more cheating! Also when someone tells me to "pick up the pace" I am able to actually track whether I am or not!