PAULA RADCLIFFE
The fitness gadget that helped me after Covid
What tech might people be surprised to hear you’re a fan of?
My DIY tools. My dad was a keen woodworker. It’s something I love and now I’ve got a lot of his tools. My son is into scootering and skateboarding so he wants me to build him a half-pipe, which is a semi-circle slope that you go down and come up. My husband and my brother said, ‘You can’t do that!’ But I was like, ‘I can do that!’ I’ll build it using my Bosch jigsaw.
What tech has been most useful during the pandemic?
I had Covid in March, only mildly, but when I started running again I was aware that there was a strain on my heart so I wore a Frontier X heart-rate monitor for every run – to check everything was OK. I could see afterwards how hard a run had been so I could tailor my recovery. It does more than a standard heart-rate monitor and it’s been invaluable in helping my mum through atrial fibrillation because her cardiologist has been able to monitor that remotely during lockdown and even do an ECG.
What tech gives you the most freedom?
My Apple watch. I’ve got the Series 6, which is the latest one and it has a SIM so my children can call me if I’m running. A lot of the time when I was competing, I wanted to train without having anything with me but when you’re a mum, that changes and you need to have that contact there.
What tech have you most recently become a fan of?
My son’s Xplora watch. He’s had it since January and it links to an app on my phone. When he goes out I can track the watch to see where he is. I just tap on it to get a location. It’s got a SIM card called the X5 Play that lets me preprogramme ten numbers so he can only call and receive calls from those ten numbers and I get a notification every time he does. When I ring him he can’t not hear it because it’s strapped to his wrist. That also means he can’t lose it, which is great for a 10-year-old.
What’s your tech must-have?
If I’m not with the children it’s my iPhone 12. Otherwise, it’s my Kindle. I don’t have as much time to read as I used to but I’ve always loved burying myself in books. That’s my chill-out time – just me and a book.
What gadget would you invent?
I’m passionate about exercising as a family at events such as Families On Track and RunFestRun. They are safe, a lot of fun and have a great camaraderie. So I would invent an app that connects people and helps them stay healthy.