“Come on, I still work.”

“Your face is busted, but yeah, you still have your stuff together.”

“Wanna see me do a trick?”

“Umm, what kind of trick? I’m trying to get you to send a message to my husband.”

“I can turn around really fast, see. Look I’m going from Facebook to Messenger just like that. Wheeeee!”

“Hey, that is cool, but stop it. Really. I need to send a message to my husband.”

“I can’t stop. This is so much fun. Look at me! This is so awe…”

“Hey, are you OK? I’m getting a blank stare. Are you OK?”

And that’s how my latest phone, an iPhone called Nicole’s JARVIS, died. I was unable to find a carrying case that will hold the phone in a protective case while I run, so I went without the case.

Mountain Kid 2 dropped it on the floor, breaking the screen, but it still worked. At least it worked, until I went on a four-and-a-half hour long run for marathon training purposes.

And now No. 10 is gone. *sigh* And I’m living my real life without Facebook, my wonderful fitness apps and a plethora of other distractions.

And you know what? It’s not that bad. I missed a lot of stuff while being buried in my phone. My kids did too.

Someday, I’ll get another phone. But for now, I’m enjoying everything life has to offer, warts and all.

—

I’m going to revamp what it means to be a Running Mountain Mama. This time away from the smartphone and computers has given me time to be creative and think.

Before I leave, I want to give a shout out to Spitfire Athlete, which launched its Kickstarter campaign. The creators hope to raise money so they can expand the app’s offerings. I’m looking forward to the strength-training program for runners. Go to Kickstarter and check out Spitfire Athlete’s campaign. It’s very well presented and a good business plan, with long- and short-term goals. I wish them the best of luck.

Keep running and have fun. See you soon.