Motoactv price slashed to $150

One of my best gadget purchases ever, the all-in-one fitness/music/life-tracking Motoactv GPS sports watch, just got a 40% discount. Unfortunately, I can't tell whether this is a good thing.

If the stock-clearing discount is a prelude to a new version of the product, I'm happy to hear that Motorola is sticking with the product, which despite some annoying flaws, is ahead of its time in the fitness tracker category. This device played a big role is keeping me motivated and disciplined in my half-marathon earlier this year. The Google executive now in charge of Motorola is a triathlete, so there's hope that he's pushing for a watertight, tougher version of the Motoactv.

But my fear -- and gut feeling -- is that the discount actually means Motorola is killing off the device. That would be a shame, but it wouldn't be the first time a well-conceived tech product has failed in the marketplace. And cleaning out the product catalog is common after an acquisition.

Still, discontinuing the device so soon after adding golfing features and advertising it so heavily would seem odd. And Google is pushing Android anywhere it can. I mean, come on -- This device is a whole lot more practical than Google Glasses.

But if Arrested Develoment can get cancelled, I guess anything is possible.

If the Motoactv is indeed being killed off, I hope the company does one last favor and give users a way to keep using the device, either maintaining the portal or enabling the device to transfer run data to third-party sites.

Taking the plunge

Gulp. I've begun training for my first full marathon, which if all goes well, will take place in early November.

I won't lie -- 26.2 miles sounds daunting. In January, I had decided to tackle a marathon by the end of the year, but chickened out after the San Diego Half Marathon last spring. When I had finished that one, I couldn't imagine myself being just halfway through.

And yet, here I am, ready to go for it. I've done enough training and reading that I'm convinced -- not delusional, I hope -- that it's doable. Oprah did it. Drew Carey is a runner. And while I can't stand their politics, even George W. Bush and Sarah Palin have respectable marathon times.

I'm trying to time things so that the bulk of my training occurs in the September-October timeframe, when my wife and daughter are in Brazil. I've tentatively selected the Santa Barbara International Marathon but am waiting for my wife to confirm her plans before I settle on mine. As part of my training leading to the full marathon, I will definitely be running the Zombie Runner Half Marathon on Labor Day. (Despite the name, no Zombies are actually running. The name comes from the store sponsoring it.

Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe I want to feel justified calling myself a runner. Maybe I just want the 26.2 sticker on my car.