The first Apple Watch hit stores a decade ago on April 24, 2015. When mine arrived, I had no idea that putting on the Apple Watch would be the first step toward me becoming a half-marathon runner. At 24, fitness was never a part of my identity. Like most habits, it started with a streak. 2015: Starting from zero My only memory of running before the Apple Watch dates back to eighth grade in 2005 when I “completed” a mile run in gym class by walking with my friends for 20 minutes. The next known record of me attempting something called exercise occurred on May 9, 2015. I needed a screenshot of closing my rings for my Apple Watch review. Then I decided to do it again: stand up and move around for at least 12 different hours of the day, capture at least 30 minutes of exercise at a brisk walk or more, and burn my self-assigned goal of 500 active calories in a day. That was the start of a streak of closing my Activity rings with the original Apple Watch. This model would later colloquially be called Series 0 when Apple replaced it with two new models. 2016: Series 2 adds standalone GPS Apple Watch Series 1 introduced a new chip for a better overall experience. Apple Watch Series 2 brought the same speed boost and included the first built-in GPS. I started my ring-closing streak by going on daily outdoor walks with the original Apple Watch. Bringing the iPhone was required to map outdoor workouts for better accuracy using assisted GPS (i.e. the phone’s GPS). Summer brought heat and humidity, so I bought a used elliptical for the house to keep my workout streak alive without melting outside. Reviewing Apple Watch Series 2 for 9to5Mac, however, meant logging outdoor workouts without my iPhone. This was the only way to show that the Series 2 could map outdoor workouts without bringing the phone along for the walk, run, or bike ride. Apple heavily marketed the Series 2 for runners because of its GPS. Naturally, I decided to test it out by running. The only problem? I couldn’t run — like, at all. Fortunately, the cardio work I started with the original watch and the ellipitical helped me ease into running without keeling over or giving up. I wanted to close my rings as early in the day as possible, and it wasn’t exactly cool outside yet either. I started by running for as long as I could (a few seconds), then walking until I caught my breath (several minutes). After a few weeks, I could comfortably run a mile without stopping. I was finally using the Apple Watch Series 2 the way it was marketed, and I fell in love with running along the way. 2017: Series 3 brings LTE Listening to music while running has always been the secret to me finding joy in the first mile. After that, the endorphins activate and I don’t want to immediately stop to quiet my breathing. In 2016 and most of 2017, playing music while running outside without the iPhone required syncing media to the watch ahead of time and using Bluetooth headphones. I started with a cheap pair of so-called wireless earbuds that had a wire connecting either side, and I only paired them with the watch. Then AirPods were invented! The term “truly wireless” was required for a while to distinguish between wireless with a wire and wireless without. AirPods were also nice because they paired to your Apple Watch automatically just by setting them up from your iPhone. Playing music while working out got much better when the Apple Watch Series 3 added standalone cellular connectivity. This unlocked the ability to go for a run and stream music with just the Apple Watch and AirPods without strapping an iPhone to your arm. Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE, Apple Music streaming, and AirPods worked together to make an overall better running experience. Exercise went from something I did once to make a screenshot for a review to something that brought me great joy. It created a space for me to enjoy music, think without interruption, and set goals to reach and exceed. I logged my first workout with the first Apple Watch. I ran my first mile with Apple Watch Series 2. Then I ran my first 5K, 10K, and half marathon with Apple Watch Series 3. Apple Watch Series 4 introduced a larger display, and Apple Watch Series 5 introduced an always-on display. Testing accuracy and battery life in different scenarios while running races made evaluating those versions especially fun. Between 2015 and 2019, I went from never thinking about fitness to completing a total of seven different half-marathon races. Now my identity will always include being a runner. While the Apple Watch doesn’t make you a runner — going for a run makes you a runner — I can’t imagine another scenario where I would have had the same fitness journey. 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