How do you keep your earphones in when running?

I can't work my new toys but I was pleased with my 10k medal - until I discovered it wasn't 10k. Pic submitted (Image: Archant)

Keola's standing by the door, trying not to sigh.

I've said I'd love her to come running with me and she's been ready for ages. I've been with Thalia on her scooter and we alternated between me grabbing her coat to slow her down to sitting on the ground waiting while she drew chalk pictures on the road.

Naturally Keola wants a turn and after I'd explained the coat grabbing and lengthy stops she decided to run not scoot.

She knew she could keep up, I've been trying to run with my friend Sarah twice a week for ages but that's more about my mental wellbeing than running endurance - I very much like the walk run walk method.

I bet the marathon runners heading to the start of the Unique Bars Running Festival don't have gadget troubles. Pic submitted (Image: Archant)

I've got a running goal in mind and I'm trying to fully embrace modern running. So rather than just putting on my trainers and going, I've a bunch of birthday presents to help me run further, faster, more efficiently and, possibly, stylishly.

But modern running isn't straightforward. It took four days to work out how to persuade my first ever fitness monitor that I existed and to count my steps and finding a decent, free 'music to run to' app for my phone took nearly as long.

So Keola's waiting while I put my phone in my new strap-on-your-arm holder, which takes a few goes as I can't get it the right way up so I can both see it and have the earphones plugged in. The earphone cable is really long and flaps about, annoyingly. My birthday headband with a hole for my ponytail is easy, but how do you get earphones to stay in?

Keola's bored so we set off, me still faffing with my earphones. Putting my sunglasses on dislodges them, and I have to hold the spare cable in my hand, and then I can't work how to put my arm in the right place to see my phone to turn the app on.

Every time I stop Keola starts running to the nearest telegraph pole and back.

'That's seven times,' she shouts, as my phone locks itself again. I check my fitness monitor, but I can't see the display with my sunglasses on. Taking them off dislodges my earphones, again.

In total I ran about half a mile, Keola ran about four.

I try the Unique Bars Running Festival 10k and I'm chuffed to get round with my walk run walk plan. But it turns out the 10k was 0.5km short, so I didn't do a 10k. Modern running is a lot harder than I thought.