Running Devices

New Garmin Forerunner 405 Coming This Year

2008-01-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

I posted this on my regular blog, but it looks like I need to start saving up my money for Garmin’s new Forerunner 405 GPS running watch when it comes out later this year.

I can't wait to get my hands on this sleek device and do a comparison review versus my current Forerunner 305, which seems gigantic in comparison.

It was a whole lot of fun doing a similar review of the just released Forerunner 205 versus the even clunkier Forerunner 201 way back in February/March of 2006.

In the meantime, check out this video of the upcoming 405 from the Garmin blog:

Tired Legs and Last Week's Training

2006-10-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

Last week was disappointing. My legs are still tired from the half marathon a couple of weeks ago and I came down with some kind of bug that has left me feeling rundown. Ran a total of 56 miles but bailed on a couple of workouts and took my first day off in almost 2 months on Saturday. I then struggled thorugh a MP run on Sunday and called it quits after 10 miles.

I'm taking it easier this week (didn't run yesterday) and felt re-charged this morning when I ran 14.2 miles with 4.6 @ around 6:41 pace. I plan to run the local Lafayette Reservoir 5K on Sunday and will probably get in a longish warmup (4-5 miles) before starting the race.

CIM is closing in fast in less than 6 weeks and so I'm hoping I can get my legs back soon.

It must be the shoes...

2006-10-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Check out my bright red shoes from last week's half marathon. Anyway, I had to deal with tired legs last week as I'm still feeling the race and all the training. Here's how last week shaped up:

M: 6.4m easy
T: 9.75m
W: 12.65m
T: 9.25m w/6x600m @ 5k pace at the track with 200m jog in between. Averaged 2:01.7 for the 6 or around 81 per 400m.
F: 8.25m
S: 7.2m easy, but it didn't feel that way
S: 22.1m - Felt tired the whole run and near the end wondered why I was training for a marathon. At least I finished although I still can't see how I'll be able to go another 4 miles at a faster clip.

Total: 75.6m

I think I'll take this week easier and just run a 14 miles at MP next Sunday. My last race before CIM on December 3 is the Lafayette Reservoir 5K in two Sundays time. Racing a 5K really won't help the marathon training, but who cares....

Half Marathon and Weekly Roundup

2006-10-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

I ran 69 miles last week, but all the training seems to be catching up with me. Feeling sluggish and having a harder time running at pace. I've been training through my recent races and following a modified Pfitz 18/70 plan so that probably has something to do with it.

Last Sunday, I ran my first long MP effort (12miles) so most of the week was spent running easier and getting in the miles. I did a 5K pace track workout on Thursday and ran easier on Friday and Saturday as my sort of mini-taper for my 2nd ever half marathon yesterday. Here's how the week went:

M: 7.15m recovery run
T: 9.7m
W: 12.05m w/2.4 @ 6:50 pace
T: 9.8m w/6x600m at the track with 200 jog. Averaged 2:02 (around 81 for 400m)
F: 7.95m easy
S: 6.55m easy
S: 15.8m w/Primo's Run for Education Half Marathon in 1:24:00. Over 400 people ran but the field upfront was sparse due to the inaugural running of the Rock N Roll Half in San Jose at the same time and next week's Humboldt Half Marathon (part of the Pacific Association USATF Road Cirucit). I took 5th overall and was 2nd masters (A member of my club ran in San Jose and was 3rd masters in 1:16+!). The weather was cool and dry but the course was slower than I expected. Lots of turns in residential neighborhoods and a number of hills in the early miles. I think there was a modest net elevation increase for the course and it defintely felt that way on the long straight sections on the second half of the course. I had a hard time getting into any rhythm and generally felt so-so throughout the race. At least I didn't fall apart at the end of the race. Even though I thought I could run faster, I'll take the PB. Splits were 6:10, 6:18, 6:29, 6:13, 6:20, 6:26, 6:25, 6:35, 6:33, 6:35, 6:32, 6:24, 7:00 (1.1m)

I knew coming into the race that my recent 5K/10K times were not indicative of how I would fare over longer distances as I'm more of a speed runner than endurance one. All the marathon training has definitely helped build my strength, and this race helped me decide to aim for 6:45 pace at CIM in December and tweak it as the date gets closer.

September and Weekly Roundup

2006-10-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

September was a pretty solid month as I ran my most mileage for the year with 303.6 miles. I ran every day and my current consecutive streak is now up to 45 days in a row. In September, I ran two 20+ milers, an 18 miler and a 5K race in 17:29.

October is shaping up to be a big month as well as the modified Pfitz 18/70 plan transitions from LT runs to 5K pace track stuff and long MP runs. The trackwork doesn't faze me but the long MP runs have me a bit apprehensive. That's uncharted territory in my book and so I'm not looking forward to it.

This past week I ran 71.3 miles altogether with a good amount at MP. All the recent mileage has kept me tired and so this upcoming week is a little lighter with a 5K pace workout and the Primo's Run for Education Half Marathon next Sunday. I'm still trying to figure out what pace to attempt for this race.

Judging from the various calculators out there I have a number of paces to choose. For example, here are equivalents from recent races as determined by the McMillan Calculator and the Merv's Running Calculator:

Race
8/6 - 10K in 36:59
McMillian 1/2 marathon/marathon = 1:22:18 (6:17 pace) / 2:53:34 (6:38)
Merv 1/2 marathon/marathon = 1:22:13 (6:16.3 pace) / 2:52:36 (6:35)

9/17 - 5K in 17:29
McMillian 1/2 marathon/marathon = 1:20:49 (6:10 pace) / 2:50:26 (6:31)
Merv 1/2 marathon/marathon = 1:21:35 (6:13 pace) / 2:51:18 (6:32)

The 5K performance was better but the Merv calculator gives it less weight than the McMillan calculator. In my case I think I'll aim for the 6:15-6:20 range in the early miles and see what happens since I'm more of a speed runner.

Anyway, here is how last week went:

M: 6.5m recovery run
T: 9.7m
W: 14.25m with 4.65 miles towards the end at 6:45 pace. Didn't feel that bad on the MP section but I just couldn't go any faster.
T: 7.7m recovery run with 6 x strides at track
F: 10.25m
S: 7.8m on firetrail
S: 15.4m with 12.25m @ 6:40 pace. Pacing was all over the map and I had a hard time getting into a steady rhythm. The route I ran was up and down as well with long gradual inclines and some shorter downhill sections. It wasn't hilly but was far from flat so I guess it's a good test for CIM which has a negative drop and not much in the way of inclines.

There are 9 weeks to go to CIM in Sacramento on December 3. I have until October 30 to sign up online and not have to pay extra. Before I sign up I should book a hotel room soon as good ones in downtown Sacramento near the finish line (and buses to the start) will be harder to come by....

Tough Week

2006-09-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

This past week was a tough one. I was pretty pleased with my 5K last Sunday because I was able to run 32 seconds faster than I did in May even though the course was slower this time around. I was feeling the effects of the effort this week and that combined with catching some kind of bug either from work or from my kids made the week tough going from Wednesday onward.

Overall, I ran 75.9 miles for the week with a mid-week long run with some miles at MP, a HM pace session on Friday and 20 miles today. My body is definitely feeling it, but luckily this week shouldn't be so bad with mostly distance and 12 miles at MP next Sunday. In two weeks time I'm signed up for a half marathon and I hoping to run sub 6:20 pace for that one. We'll see. Here a summary of the week:

M: 6.05m easy
T: 9.7m
W: 13.6m with 4.2m towards the end at 6:39 pace
T: 7.7m with 8 x strides at the track
F: 11m w/6.2m @ 6:18 pace. I wasn't sure if I was going to do this session since I wasn't feeling well the day before. Decided to give it a try and stop if things got too rough. First 4.2m were on the roads and trying to maintain pace around 6:20 was a struggle. Finished with 2 miles on the track and although there seemed to be no extra gear, I was able to stay on pace with final miles of 6:20 and 6:12.
S: 7.4m on trail
S: 20.45m - The last 4-5 miles on this run were a struggle. Legs were heavy and I really wasn't enjoying things. First half of the run averaged 7:45 pace while the last half was around 7:13 pace.

Although the legs are heavy and I'm feeling tired most of the time, the marathon training is definitely helping me build strength and endurance, which has been sorely needed. I hope this carries over to next year when I focus on the shorter stuff.

Banana Chase 5k and last week's training

2006-09-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

After 3 straight weeks in the 70s, I cut mileage down to 60 last week. Most of the reduction came yesterday since instead of a lon run, I ran a 5K instead. The week was still hard as I came off a 21 miler last Sunday and the legs were still feeling it throughout the week with a Tuesday run at half marathon pace and a mid-week medium long run. Here how the week of September 11-17 went:

M: 6.5m recovery run
T: 10.25m with 5.1m @ 6:20 pace. First 2.85m were on the roads at around 6:23 pace and then finished the last 2.25 on the track with miles of 6:16, 6:12 and the last 400 in 91. A fair amount of the road portion gradually inclined and I had a hard time settling into pace when I hit the track.
W: 12.7m
T: 7.7m with 8 strides at the track
F: 9.7m
S: 6.7m recovery run
S: 6.6m - ran the Banana Chase 5k in San Francisco. This race is part of the Pacific Association USATF road racing circuit. I came in 76th in the time of 17:29. I was the 25nd master, and 6 fast women beat me including the women's winner, Magda Lewy-Boulet who place 5th at the U.S. Women's Olympic marathon trials. The course is slow so I was happy with the overall result. First mile goes downhill out of Golden Gate Park along the south side of the panhandle and is fast. Tried to hold back and hit 5:26. Second mile heads back to Golden Gate Park on the other side of the panhandle and goes uphill. I pushed this section and hit 5:41 for mile 2. The last 1.1 miles I ran in 6:22. It goes into the park does a 180 degree turn and then has some turns and more inclines before going into Kezar stadium for a short steep downhill before finishing up on the track. I had nothing left at the end and was just holding on. Still it's a 32 second improvement from the 5K I ran at the beginning of May on a much flatter and faster course.

My calves really tightened up after the race from the downhill pounding and my right piriformis is acting up as well. It sucks getting old :-)

Last Week's Training

2006-09-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

Finally getting around to posting last week's training for the week of September 4-10. It was the third week in a row over 70 miles, and I got in 75.25 miles last week. I've been trying to throw in some MP miles towards the end of the longer runs whenever I can so I can get use to the pace while tired and I hope it helps.

This week so far has been tiring but I will drop down in miles as I plan to run a 5K on Sunday as part of the Pacific Association USATF road racing series. Here's how the week of September 4-10 went:

M: 7.15m recovery run on fire trail
T: 9.35m
W: 13.55m w/4.2m near the end at 6:36 pace
T: 7.35m recovery run w/10 strides at the track
F: 10.15m
S: 6.7m recovery run on fire trail
S: 21m @ 7:34 min/mile pace - first 10.15m averaged 8:00 pace and the return 10.85m, which more than half of climbed gently 400+ ft, averaged 7:10 pace. Miles 15.7 - 19.2 (3.5m) @ 6:40 pace.

With 11 and 1/2 weeks to go to the California International Marathon on December 3 in Sacramento, CA, my training using a modified Pfitzinger 18 week/up to 70 miles plan has been going well. All the distance and strength work seems to be making a difference and I've already run 2 x 18+ miles and 2 x 20+ mile runs.

My current goal for CIM is to run sub 3 hours in my first completed marathon, but I think my optimal goal would be closer to the 2:55 range, which is around 6:41 mile pace. We'll see how it goes once the Pfitz program calls for the longer MP runs. Plus I plan to run a half marathon in early October which will help gauge my fitness level.

It's been a long time...

2006-09-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

More than 2 months since my last posting during the dog days of summer. At first I stopped blogging due to a lack of motivation. I kept on running but just didn't feel like posting about it. Then life got in the way and time for blogging went with it.

I started a new job in August and my kids went back to school at the end of last month. In order to get in the running and be back in time to get the kids ready for school (my son started middle school and has to leave for the bus at 7:15am), I'm now up even earlier in the morning. I usually wake up around 4:50am and get out the door before 5:30. The days I run longer, I wake up even earlier.

The whole family is trying to adjust to our new schedules as it's the first time we've had both parents working. Just what the world needs is more latch-key kids :-)

Anyway on the running front, training has been going well. In July, I missed 3 days due to travel and sickness and ran 283 miles. In August, I missed 1 day due to a achilles flare up and managed to run 297 miles. I ran a 10K race in 36:59 at the beginning of August, which was a nice sign that my training was getting better.

In August, I also started using a modified Pfitzinger 18/70 plan to train for a possible marathon attempt at the California International Marathon in Sacramento on December 3. For the most part following the plan (and adding some extra mileage) hasn't been too hard. The only difficulty I've run into is the mid-week medium long run that eventually goes up to 15 miles. The distance itself is not a problem, but the logistics of getting the run in is.

A 95-100+ minute run during the week means I need to get out the door even earlier than usual. For example, I ran 13.5 miles this past Wednesday and started around 5:05 am. Even then I got back in time for only a few minutes with my son before he had to jam to the school bus stop.

Once the marathon training is done, I'll have to reassess how much mileage I want to run and how early I need to get up because this current schedule is getting old fast.

I hope I'll be able to update this blog on a regular basis moving forward. Keep up the good running....

Aimless Trackwork?

2006-07-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

It always seems to happen. In my desire to get track fit, I tend to over do it, when a more convervative approach would be the safer course. Take this morning for example. It was another cool, windy and overcast morning with temps in the mid 50s and I headed to the track for a speedwork session.

I planned to do some 300s, aiming for 51-54 (68-72 400 pace) with the hope of dropping it down to the 48 region at the end. Of course, I haven't run anything close to this pace recently, but that didn't stop me from trying.

After a 2+ mile warmup to the track and some drills, I jumped into the workout. The plan was 2 sets of 3 x 300 with a 100 jog and a 400 jog between sets. The first set averaged 52.2 with the last one at 50.7. However, it was a little too fast with not enough rest for me, and I lacked any kind of zip during the second set and only averaged 53.6.

After 4 laps of easy running, I ran 4 x 150 strides to try and keep the legs turning over and then ran home for my cooldown. I felt a little twinge in my upper right hamstring/piriformis during the workout and so I'll have to watch it carefully over the next couple of days.

In hindsight, it's clear to see that I tried to do too much with the workout and it served very little purpose. If I wanted to focus on speed such as 800 pace then I should have lengthened the rest interval between repeats. A 100 jog was definitely not enough. And if I wanted it to be more of a strength workout then I should have slowed down the repeats to the 54-57 range (72-76 400 pace) and kept the rest interval.

Unfortunately I tried to have both and failed. I hope the hamstring problem is minor. In the meantime, I learned of an all-comers meet in my area on July 20 so I'll see if I can get in one 800 race this summer before shutting down the trackwork and starting on a marathon buildup....

Two on the Fourth

2006-07-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for the results to be posted for the small 2 mile road race I ran in my town the morning of July 4th. The race together with a 5 miler were to raise funds for the local high school track team.

The morning was overcast in the mid-50s and there was a decent breeze blowing from the west. I warmed up by running about 2 miles to the starting area and paying my race fees. I really didn't follow my usual pre-race routine, and just did some easy jogging and strides while awaiting the start of the race, which went off 10 minutes after the 5 miler.

I tried to run conservative at the start since the first two-thirds of a mile is a gentle downhil that drops about 40-50 feet in elevation. There was a small group of young guys and one other old dude in the front pack once the sprinting kids were dropped.

The course was mostly straight except for a hard right turn from the street to a path at .75 miles, and then a 180 degree turnaround on a cul de sac a little after the 1 mile mark. It was at this point that I passed the other old guy and moved into third behind two younger fellows.

The last part of the course climbs a bit. Not a huge amount, but very noticeable when your lungs are screaming for air and your legs feel like lead. I was gaining a little on the guy in 2nd on this section, but had no more gears left when the course turned for home with a quarter to go.

So I ended up 3rd overall, and first master in a field of probably less than 100. My time for the course was 11:17, which the Garmin 305 measured at 2.05 miles. Although I didn't catch the splits on the course, SportsTracks and MotionBased had me at 5:28, 5:32 + 17 seconds for the .05 miles at the end.

It wasn't the finest effort, but I was able to run steady for the most part and I didn't fall apart too much at the end. It actually felt more like a very hard workout than a race so I guess i can't complain...

Over Caffeinated

2006-07-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

My former boss was a professor from Italy, who started up a software company during the boom years. The man use to mainline espresso like it was going out of style. He must have averaged at least 6 or 7 doubles a day, and that might be a conservative estimate.

While the company ended up going under, I developed a taste for espresso drinks during my time there. So when I started consulting and working out of my house, I use to hit Starbucks on a daily basis to get my Java fix.

After a while I realized it made more economical sense to purchase my own espresso machine and make my own drinks at home. I figured I would end up saving a nice chunk of change by not handing over $3+ a pop everyday.

It was a smart move as I would go to the local coffee shop weekly to get some beans ground. This worked out for a while, but I wasn't entirely satisfied with the espresso I was producing. Then I started reading some of the coffee forums, and realized I needed a grinder as well. And not just an ordinary grinder, but a quality burr grinder.

After months of going back and forth on which grinder to get and trying to justify the hefty price, I finally gave in and puchased one last week. It arrived today and thanks to the Internet I picked up a bunch of tips on how to use it.

This afternoon was spent trying to find the right grind settings with some fresh roasted beans and sampling the output from the espresso machine. I must have gone through almost a half of pound of beans, but it was worth the effort. The grinder with fresh beans has made a world of difference and the result is a much better end product so I am very pleased with my new gadget and also over caffeinated at this point.

I hope it doesn't affect my sleep tonight as I plan to run a 2 mile road race in town tomorrow morning.

Training wise, I put in a steady 9.55 miles this morning. I planned to run the local golf course and made it down one of the holes before realizing it was open. Not wanting to get hit by a stray golf ball and get in trouble with the country club, I cut out and made up my route as I went along. This is one of the benefits of having a Garmin Forerunner.

Hope everyone has a great fouth of July holiday.....

Numbers Game

2006-07-02T16:34:00.000-07:00

Since I plan to run a 2 mile road race on July 4, I decided to move my long run to Saturday so I wouldn't be too tired for the race. I ran 14.5 at a steady clip and followed it up with much neglected yard work and weeding to make me good and tired. I then stayed up past my usual bedtime to watch the movie "High Fidelity" with my wife only to realize that our DVD was scratched and unwatchable with only 5 minutes left in the movie. Arghhh.

Today, was an easy 8 mile recovery run with 8 strides at the track. The heart rate stayed nice and low, but I was feeling tired throughout.

With half of 2006 in the books, I decided to take a look at how my training has been going from strictly a numbers standpoint. Here are the stats for the period from January 1 to June 30:

Total miles: 1584.5
Missed days of training: 10 days
Most consecutive days of running: 71 days
Average miles per run: 9.25 miles
Average miles per week: 61.7 miles
Average miles per month: 263.6

It's really just a bunch of numbers signifying nothing. It's also the longest stretch of I've been able to stay healthy so that's always a good sign. I'm hoping I can build on this solid base in the second half of the year and post some decent road race times and survive a marathon in December. All I need to do is use common sense and not do anything stupid. It might be hard because us males aren't known for that.....

Speeding Up

2006-06-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

After a recovery run yesterday where the heart rate was a little higher than usual but still within range the 70% range, I went into this morning's workout with a bit of trepidation. I wanted to get in some speedwork at the track because I plan to run a 2 mile road race on July 4 in support of the local high school's track team. I could run the 5 mile race instead, which would probably be more beneficial in the long run, but I just don't feel like putting in the extra effort when the temps will most likely be hot. I'm a wimp.

I was kind of waffling over what workout I should do during my 2+ mile warmup to the high school. I couldn't decide between 400s, 600s or even on and off 400s. The track was the most crowded I've seen at 6:30 am with a few walkers, individual joggers, some unleashed dogs plus a group of 5 women doing laps and straightaways. I guess with school out, early sunrises and pleasant weather that happens.

Usually I have the track all to myself at this time so I was hoping I wouldn't have to do a lot of weaving in and out of human traffic, other than moving out to lane 3 at the 200m mark for 20-30 meters due to work being done on the infield that was fenced off and jutting out into lane 2.

After some abbreviated drills and strides, I settled on 6x600m with a 200 jog as the workout and I wanted to run around 80 second 400 pace for the repeats.

In contrast to my 200 workout last Friday, where I felt like I pressing too much and overstriding, the 600s this morning felt more under control. I was able to maintain at a steady pace, and while in the beginning I had to hold back a bit from going out too fast, at the end it was definitely getting hard.

Overall I averaged a bit over 2 minutes for the 6 x 600s so I'm pretty please with the overall effort. It's interesting how last week's 200s made today's 600s feel a lot easier.

I know if I hit the track on a regular basis I could quickly regain fitness and speed for the shorter track distances and road races. Of course there would be a greater chance for injury so I think I'll just stick to putting in the miles, building strength and possibly attempting a marathon in December...

In Search of Flatlands...

2006-06-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

I live in a hilly area so I'm usually going either up or down at any point during a run. Most times this doesn't bother me, and although I'm not the biggest fan of running uphill, at least I know the hills are good for my training.

All of this does bother me when I'm running a tempo or marathon pace (MP) effort. It's hard for me to maintain a steady pace/effort when I'm climbing or going downhill.

For example, this morning I wanted to run a MP run and decided to try a new route in hopes of finding as much flat sections as possible. After a 2.5 mile warmup, I slowly ramped up to what I thought was my goal MP effort (sub 3 hours or 6:51 a mile). However, I was still feeling tired from my 17 miler on Sunday, and it was a struggle for the first few miles.

The route I chose started off relatively flat before hitting a 1+ mile straight section that gently inclines. I then turned off into a residential area and ran a section I had never run before so I was counting on the Garmin Forerunner 305 to measure it accurately. What I wasn't counting on were the hills. A couple of parts were rolling and then the road climbed steadily, but not too severely for about a half mile. It was not fun.

When I reached the top I turned around and retraced my route. so that the inclines became downhills and vice versa. I ended up going around 6.1 miles @ 6:48 pace, but due to the ups and downs the pace was up and down as well. Splits were: 6:56, 6:49, 7:10, 6:49, 6:39, 6:38.

Only after I examined the training data in SportTracks and MotionBased, did I realize the elevation change was much more than I thought. The out portion climbed roughly 240 feet, and the return dropped about the same amount. No wonder the first few miles felt slow and tiring.

I'm wondering what type of route is best for future tempo and MP runs. I can use a flatter 1.85 mile loop or opt for more variety and tolerate all the uphills and downhills. Then again there's always the track, but that gets to be quite mind numbing in its own right after more than 12 laps....

Summer Shuttle

2006-06-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

OK, my kids have only been out of school for a little more than 2 weeks and it's already killing me. Since I work at home, I get to play chauffeur and shuttle them around to camps and activities. Last week was OK because my 10 year-old son and 8 year old daughter went to the same camp. Drop them off and pick them up at the same time. 2 car trips altogether.

However, in my own stupidity, I decided be a good dad and sign them up for different camps this week to better reflect their personal interests. Ummm, bad idea, because now I'm driving somewhere almost every other hour. My daughter's soccer camp goes from 9am - 2 pm, while my son's computer (AKA nerd) camp runs from 12 noon to 4 pm. Getting to the soccer camp is 10 minutes there and back while the computer camp is 20 minutes roundtrip.

For the rest of the summer, I'll have to remenber to schedule their camps at the same place and time so I won't go crazy.

On the running front, today's recovery run was uneventful. 8 miles dreadfully slow over the wet golf course grass. I was beat from yesterday's 17 miler so I'll play it by ear tomorrow whether I decide to run a MP effort....

Basket Case

2006-06-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

I'm really starting to remember why I didn't want to train for another marathon after my first attempt in 2002 went up in flames at around mile 18 due to a piriformis injury.

Those were the good old days and I've been trying very hard to forget them, especially the long runs, which almost always left me a mess for the rest of the day. Until today that is.

Although I won't start training for the California International Marathon on December 3 until August with Pfitzinger's 18 week/up to 70 miles a week plan, I do want to get use to running longer and have a solid base in place. Hence longer weekend long runs.

So this morning, after having a small slice of homemade bread with peanut butter and honey, I got out the door a little before 7 am. I ran my usual Sunday route of 2.5 miles to the local park and then out and back on a paved, measured trail.

I ran the 5.5 mostly gentle downhill miles all the way to the end and then turned around for the uphill return portion. Averaged roughly 7:30 miles for the out and back and felt OK for most of it. The final few miles home were a bit of a struggle as I tacked on an extra mile to put me at 17.15 miles for the run and a tenth short of 70 miles for the week. It was my longest run in years.

Once I got home, I drank a slimfast to speed recovery with its 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein, and then tried to re-hydrate as best I could. I was pretty much a basket case the rest of the day just going through the motions. My stomach wasn't feeling great, and this gave me flashbacks of previous long runs that wiped me out. Fun.

At this point, it's hard to fathom running an additional 9 miles at a faster pace and the coming months of training will be even more painful. So why am I even considering running a marathon again? Why not is all I can think of for now?

No Zip

2006-06-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

I use to run the 400 and 800 in college and always focused more on the trackwork and less on the mileage. I think I rarely went above 30 miles a week back in those days. Those were the pre-world wide web days so if I only knew then what I know now. Doh!

One of the results of getting old and putting in more mileage has been a loss of speed, which is a bit disheartening because in my delusional state, I still think I can run fast on the track even with my 41 year old body.

My goal since turning 40 last year was to race some 800s and see if I could get anywhere close to 2:00. Due to an achilles injury last Spring/Summer, I never got to try. After fully recovering, I decided to take a more patient approach and build a base and my strength throughout the fall, winter and spring, which I was mostly succesful at doing.

However, for the past couple of months I was hampered by a mysterious energy zapping ailment that left me unable to get in the proper speedwork for the short summer track season.

So with the local Pacific Association USA Track & Field masters track championships fast approaching next Saturday, I decided to use this morning's workout to assess whether I should try and compete in a 800m race next weekend.

I warmed up with a couple of miles to the local high school and then did some drills and strides. The plan was to run 2 sets of 4x200m at 800/mile pace with a slow 200 jog between repeats and 400m jog between sets.

I tried to keep the 200s fast and relaxed where I would float the turn and then focus on form down the straight. For the most part they felt forced and I seemed to be overstriding. There was no zip in the legs, which makes perfect sense as I haven't attempted any speedwork in almost a month.

I averaged 33.7 for the first set of 4 and then 32.2 for the second. Although I wasn't going all out, it was a hard effort and I'm just not ready to keep up that pace over two laps. If the temps are not in the high 90s by late afternoon/early evening, I might go out again for a short shakeout run to get the lactic acid out of my legs.

based on the workout, I've decided to bag the meet next Saturday and just continue with my normal training. One thing I need to do is re-introduce strides once a week to keep the legs turning over.

I might try and jump in to a all-comers meet later in the summer if I can find one near by, but it won't be a focus. So it looks like my 800 plans are on hold for another year and I'm obviously not getting any younger (or faster). Oh well, I guess I just have to punish myself and try the marathon....

Mixing it Up

2006-06-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

Since I follow a huge number of blogs and news feeds for work, I've tended to stay away from running related blogs and stuck to some of the running forums out there. However, I'm slowly being sucked into reading other folks' accounts of their running and training, and frankly it's been fascinating.

And through the intial blogs, I've come across more and more runners, both slow and fast, via links and comments, such as Jason and Leah, Chris, Mike and Greg. And I seem to be adding more feeds to Bloglines on a daily basis. Very cool, because you can learn a lot from other people's training and their drive and determination to improve is pretty contagious.

From Mike's blog, I found this Running Times about Brad Hudson, a former prep star and now coach to some of the U.S.'s top distance runners. Hudson makes some interesting points regarding his training philosphy. While the jury is still out on his coaching ability (I hope Dathan Ritzenhein can run some fast 5000s this Summer before making a successful debut at the New York City Marathon), I like his idea about mixing it up. However in my case I need a plan otherwise I'll just do the same thing over and over again.

With that in mind, I going to make sure my recovery days are easier, and try to incorporate a longer mid-week run as I get ready to start formally training in August for a December marathon.

I tried out Leah's pre-run fuelling suggestion and had a slice of homemade wheat bread with peanut butter and honey after waking up this morning. On a side note, I think I go through a jar of peanut butter every week and a half. It's definitely a post-run breakfast staple with bananas on toast.

The pre-run fuelling didn't seem to bother me as I ran about 11.35 miles. It was a pretty relaxed effort and I kept it at around 70% of max HR. Tomorrow I'm thinking of going to the track and trying to run some 200s at 800/1500m pace.

I'm still considering running an 800 metter race at next week's Pacific Association USATF Masters meet. But having done no speedwork in the past couple of months, I want to see where I stand so hence the 200s tomorrow. Common sense would be just to skip the meet, but I've never been known to have much of that....

Summer Slowdown

2006-06-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

Today's the first day of summer and time to slow things down as the temps are picking up in my area, and it is expected to hit close to 100 today. At least it's a dry heat. Yeah, right.

My consulting work has also slowed a bit too, but that has been compensated by doing more family stuff. Both my kids are out of school, which means trying to keep them busy and shuttling them around to camps and activites. Lots O' fun.

Regarding my running, I made sure this morning's run was truly a recovery effort. I used the Mizuno Revolvers without orthotics, and ran about 7.75 miles at a very slow 8:58 minutes per mile pace. I closely monitored my heartrate throughout the run and averaged 126 beats per minute for the hour+ effort.

This was about 59% of my max HR based on the heart rate reserve method. A little less than one third of the run was in the 60-70% zone and the rest was below 60%, which is right where I wanted it. This is the main reason why I upgraded to the Garmin Forerunner 305 to make sure I don't run the easy days too hard.

Although pace and heart rate wise, the run was easy, it really didn't feel like it. I know it sounds funny, but I'm just not use to running at that pace, and consciously had to force myself to slow it down, which is why I never felt really comfortable. I have to get use to this because I plan to run my recovery efforts this way from now on, although I might attach some strides at the end of some of them.

Lastly, I've never been much of a long-term planner when it came to my training. I sort of made things up as I went along on a daily or weekly basis, but basically I just put in the miles. This is why I purchased Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning book for its structured schedules in case I attempt a marathon in December.

I aslo decided to print out some blank Outlook calendars for the next few months so I can write down a proper training schedule. We'll see if this structure helps at all....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, HRM, Heart Rate Monitor

Fuelling Up

2006-06-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

No, this isn't about the astronomical cost of gasoline, which in my town costs $3.25 a gallon for regular while a couple of towns away it's only around $3. Since my sleepy little bedroom community is sort of out of the way, there is only one word for the large price differential - gouging.

On to the real topic at hand. I've never really thought of my diet during my 27+ years of running. It wasn't a consideration while running competitively in high school, college and post-college. I wasn't too picky and pretty much ate whatever was available. I guess from a health standpoint, it's a good thing that I didn't frequent fast food places much and was never a big fan of sodas.

Now that I'm older and supposedly wiser too, I'm starting to think more about what I eat. I guess some of this can be attributed to my long-suffering wife finally wearing me down after all these years. However, I think the blame and/or credit lies with my 10 year-old son.

A little over three months ago, he decided to become a vegetarian. We were having a delicious meal at a Chinese restaurant, and while he was gorging himself on the tasty Peking duck, he suddenly came to the realization that killing animals for food was wrong. And that's when he decided to stop eating meat.

It has been a challenge for the entire family (mostly my wife) to cater to his new dietary needs, and it's like we've gone back to the days when the kids were much younger and there was one meal for the grown-ups and one for the kids. I thought those days were long gone. Sigh. I believe we have reached a happy middle ground now, and while we are eating more rabbit food and tofu, the carnivores in the family still get to enjoy some meat at time (we're beef free due to my wife's mad cow paranoia).

On a side note, one thing I have noticed, since I do most of the food shopping, is the plethora of meatless food products out there. It's seems to be a growing cottage industry and the product's ain't cheap.

I have to give the boy credit that he's still sticking to his guns after three months. He came up with the decision on his own, and hasn't been bothered by his friends and classmates kidding him about it. However, I almost wrung his neck when he was wondering out loud if he should become a vegan (we do live 15 minutes away from Berkeley :-)). It was one of those days when my tolerance level for my children was very low, and so I flew off the handle and told him he couldn't become a vegan until he was 18 and preparing his own meals. The thought of trying to feed him without dairy and egg products was just too much.

So when it comes to running, am I eating healthily and fuelling my body properly? I work out of my home as a PR and marketing consultant and I'm an inveterate snacker so I always seem to be eating. Mostly nuts and my new favorite, dried apricots. I also love cakes and cookies so it's gets dangerous when I'm on one of my baking binges. Thankfully I run because otherwise I'd be 20+ pounds heavier.

I run in the early morning, and I don't eat anything before hitting the roads. I only drink a glass of water. For a long time, I use to have a pack of GU too, but stopped that when I realized I didn't need it. So far I've made it upto 16 milers using this approach, and taking some sips of water at water fountains along the way.

However, now that I'm considering training for a December marathon, I need to rethink my fuelling strategy, especially for the long runs, because 20+ milers and 2:30+ hour runs are a totally different ballgame.

Should I resume having a GU before the long runs? I don't want to carry any liquids with me so I'll probably have to leave a bottle somewhere and hydrate on the run. Do I carry GU with me or try something else? Through Jason and Leah I've learned about Jelly Belly Sport Beans. They sound like an easier and less messy solution for energy on the run. Now I just have to find a pack to try them out. The factory and headquarters is less than 40 minutes away so I could always just drive there.

Any other fuelling ideas?

As for today's run, I decided to opt out of a speed workout at the track, and ran fartlek instead. Warmed up for about 1..7 miles and then did my usual 5.1 mile tempo route with 15 x 1:00 on and off. Overall, the time for the loop was the same as last week's MP effort at 33:29, but this morning felt a lot harder.

It was probably a combination of still not being fully recovered from Sunday's long run combined with running the 1:00 off sections a bit too hard. Note to self: run easy the next two days and get a proper recovery.

If all goes well then I might hit the track on Friday to see what kind of speed is left in my old legs....

Auto Pausing?

2006-06-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

Definitely felt the after effects of yesterday's 2 hour run this morning as I puttered around the dew-laden/recently watered local golf course. I felt slow and tired during my recovery run, and I'm questioning whether he golf course is the best place for an easy day since there are some painfully steep uphill sections. I guess I'll stick it out because it's nice to run on the grass and the course is closed on Mondays. Plus the hills should be good for me, right?

I've been noticing some heart rate spikes on my new Garmin Forerunner 305 at the beginning of runs. I'm guessing it's due to the fact I'm not getting good chest contact with the transmitter strap. I currently use water and/or a heart rate monitor electrode cream back from my Polar HRM days. I read somewhere that a light amount of soapy water does the trick so I might try it tomorrow.

Last Friday, I read a post at the Garmin Blog about the virtues of using the Auto Pause feature on the Garmin Forerunner 205/305. I commented on the post that:

I personally don't use the auto-pause function because I'm a data-driven geek too keen on tracking every mile and second. The auto-pause is a great feature, but I find you gain a couple of seconds over the course of a run when you use it. I prefer to use the start/stop button instead, because at my age I can't afford to get any slower :-)

My non-technical guess for these gains in time is due to GPS lag. I don't know how often the Forerunners ping the various satellites , but it is never instantaneous that the device pauses at exactly the same time you stop at a light or something. I know you can set it so that it pauses when you slow down to a certain speed (i.e. 20 minutes per mile), but I wouldn't want the device to stop in the middle of a run because of a weak GPS signal.

This is why I just use the start/stop button to pause during a run. I'm use to it from my track days. It might make sense for a cyclist to use auto pause, but I'd rather have the seconds back.

Any other runners out there who use/don't use the Auto Pause feature?

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, HRM, Heart Rate Monitor

The Long Run

2006-06-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

Now I remember why the long run is such a pain (literally and figuratively). This morning as my Father's Day present to myself, I let the wife and kids sleep in as usual and hit the roads around 7:15 am. My usual Sunday run is 2.5 miles to the local park and then out and back on a paved, measured trail before concluding with 2.5 miles to my home.

The out portion is mostly downhill, which means the return trip is uphill and doubly tiring. I decided to try and run 15 miles and so ran the out portion at a relaxed clip. There's nothing worse then getting carried away on a long run and running too fast on the out/downhill portion only to realize you're out of gas with still too many uphill miles to go.

The return trip was a bit tiring both physically and mentally because I knew I had a ways to go. For some reason I always run the return part faster, even with the hills, which ends up making the run harder.

The less few miles were a struggle, mostly because I wasn't used to being on my feet that long. I ended up running 15.2 miles in 1:56:41, which was my longest run since early January. I guess I'll need to get used to going longer if I want to run a marathon in December. I'm definitlely not looking forward to the this.

At least I got the run out of the way before 9:30. However, there was no time to relax and recover. My kids wanted French Toast for breakfast and my wife wanted no part of it. Happy Father's Day!

Maxing Out?

2006-06-16T08:53:00.001-07:00

Now that I plan to do some heart rate training with my new Garmin Forerunner 305, I tried to determine my maximum heart rate (max HR) this morning. The easiest and least accurate method is just subtracting your age from 220 to come up with the max HR. In my case, this yields 179.

I decided to hit the track and to do 8 laps or 3200 meters in which I progressively increased the pace in hopes of getting a clearer picture of how high my max HR was. I figured that at the end of the run, the highest beats per minute (BPM) reading would be reasonably close to my max HR. I would then unscientifically add about 5 BPM to that number since I probably wouldn't be going flat out at the end.

After a long, slow warmup of about 4 miles, I made my way to the local high school and started the 3200 meter run. As I mentioned, I wanted to gradually increase the pace each lap. I actually felt OK throughout the run, and while the last couple of laps were hard they weren't all out. Here are the 400m splits:

96.4
94.7 (3.11.1)
89.4
87.7 (2:57.1/6:08.2)
86.3
84.2 (2:50.2)
84.2
78.0 (2:42.2/5:32.7/11:40.9)

In itself, this run really doesn't show anything other than I can run close to 5:35 for a mile in a workout. Nothing more, nothing less. At the end of the run, my BPM hit 177 so I'm going to estimate my max HR is 182 for now. Above is a chart of my % of max HR (based on 179 BPM) versus the pace during the run as pulled from SportTracks.

I might try and revisit this test or try Pete Pfitzinger's hill workout method (3 times of 2 to 3 minutes up a moderate hill with the last 2 close to all out) at a later date...

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, HRM, Heart Rate Monitor

New York Times and Running Skirts

2006-06-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not a cross dresser, but I do like to purchase running gear and check out the latest running fashions. And by and large, the running clothes designs for women are much nicer and offer more variety than the ones for men.

In my opinion, today's technical clothing has been one of the great advances in running. I no longer have to be weighed down by a sweat-drenched, heavy cotton t-shirt. This is huge since I usually sweat up a storm, even in colder temps.

Unfortunately, the new technical clothing comes at a cost. It can be expensive, which makes it harder to satisfy my need to acquire more and more running gear. This is why I end up spending more time looking at the RRS catalog than actually purchasing stuff.

Today's The New York Times (click Next in upper right corner to see more skirts) Thursday Styles section has a nice pictorial gear test on the back page of women's running skirts. It features Ceci St. Geme (nee Hopp) and her daughter Annie.

Ceci was a standout high school runner back in the early 80s, an All-American at Stanford, and the U.S. Champ at 5000 meters in 1994. Now the mother of six, she is a one very fast momma and masters runner down in Southern California.

It seems her daughter Annie inherited some of the running talent as well. She was one of the top high school distance runners in the U.S. this year, and will run for the Stanford Cardinal starting in the fall.

On a side note, I actually got Ceci Hopp's autograph when I was in high school. I was running a relay indoors at the New Jersey Meadowlands in '82, and Ceci was competing for Stanford in one of the distance events. Being a dork with a competitor's pass, I went around asking for autographs from as many of the top runners as I could, and she was a big hit, especially with the high school boys.

Back to the NY Times gear test, I'm not sure I get the whole running skirt thing. Are they for fashion and/or to provide more coverage? You see, guys just wear shorts. Some are short, some are long and some are half-tights. Not much thought goes into the process.

Women have more options with the shorts and tights, plus the bunhuggers and now skirts. I'm not complaining, just wondering what's up with the skirts???

Photo via The New York Times

More accurate and louder?

2006-06-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

I added a couple of more observations about my new Garmin Forerunner 305 versus my Forerunner 205, which is now up for sale on eBay. I hope I can recoup most of what I paid for the 205, but I'm resigned to the fact that I'll probably lose $70-100 on it when all is said and done. I was lucky enough to get a 205 when they first came out at the end of February. I paid full price and had it shipped next day air since I'm an impatient geek. Oh well, that's the price you pay for being an early adopter.

After two runs with the 305, it seems to be slightly more accurate than my 205. While a good GPS Accuracy signal on the 205 was in the 18-30 foot range with 15 feet being the lowest I've ever seen it go, the 305 so far has regulary been in the 15-25 foot range and it has gone all the way down to 12 feet. Also the 305's audible beeps are louder than on the 205. Lastly, the HRM performance has been pretty steady. I haven't experienced any heart rate spikes, which use to occur with regularity on my Polar s610.

This morning I ran a little over 9 miles at a general aerobic clip. Didn't feel that great, but it wasn't reflected too much on the HRM. Averaged in the 70-75% range of max HR using the Karvonen heart rate reserve method. I think I'll try to ascertain my max heart rate tomorrow by either doing something on the track or some hill repeats....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, HRM, Heart Rate Monitor

Garmin Forerunner 305

2006-06-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

My new Garmin Forerunner 305 arrived yesterday and I did what any gadget geek would do. I quickly started charging it via the USB cradle and customized it to my liking. I also played around with the hear rate monitoring (HRM) function to see if I had a pulse. Here are some intitial observations after running with it this morning:

now that I'm also tracking my heart rate, I have less display real estate to track all the other data fields on my three customizable screens. I currently have 4 fields per screen and by adding a HR field to each I decided to drop the average pace, current pace and elevation fields.
Currently the 305 only allows you to display beats per minute (BPM) OR % of maximum heart rate. My old Polar s610 HRM had both. I sent an email to Garmin and I hope they add the ability to have both in the data fileds when they update the firmware
the 305 for some weird reason fits a little better on my wrist then my Garmin Forerunner 205
the heart rate strap is not the most comfortable thing. There are some edges and seams that rub the wrong way
the 305 seems to be more accurate than my 205. While a good GPS Accuracy signal on the 205 was in the 18-30 foot range with 15 feet being the lowest I've ever seen it go, the 305 so far has regulary been in the 15-25 foot range and it has gone down to 12 feet.
the 305's audible beeps are louder than on the 205.

to keep my heart rate down. It was kind of tiring trying to do this, but I believe I was successful. I averaged about 136 BPM which is either 75% or 67% of my max HR depending on which formula you use.

One of the challenges with heart rate training is figuring out your maximum heart rate since so much is based on all important number. The Garmin uses the standard 220 minus your age calculation, which is for obvious reasons not exact. There are ways to determine max HR, so I'll see if I try one of them.

The other thing is some folks train using the heart rate reserve approach which is based on your max HR and your resting HR. I might try this one if I can ever figure out all the calculations and stuff.

In the end, it's just more numbers to throw around. When did running get so complicated? There's lactate pace, marathon pace, max HR, etc. Can't I just go out and just run? Nahh. Then there would be no need for all these cool running gadgets....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, HRM, Heart Rate Monitor

Looking Left, Turning Right

2006-06-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Most of my training is on the roads and I usually run against traffic on the left side so I can see if someone is about to hit me with their car. One of my pet peeves is drivers turning right from a side street, who don't even look to the right before turning.

It happens all the time. I'm approaching a side street and a car does a rolling stop past a stop sign. The driver then only looks to his/her left before making the right turn. Luckily for me, I'm usually paying attention and I will make a slight detour and go BEHIND the car.

I won't cross in front of a car unless I establish eye contact with the driver, and even then you never know if the driver sees you. I guess it's one of the risks we take running the roads.

This morning I decided to put in a "marathon pace " (MP) effort over 5.1 miles. My MP is kind of an arbitrary number, because I haven't completed a marathon yet. I aimed for something in the 6:40-6:50 minutes per mile range as I would like to run under 3 hours for a marathon some day.

I ended up running the 5.1 mile section a bit faster in 33:30. The run felt pretty steady, but my legs were a bit heavy. The course is rolling and you can make up a lot of time on the 4th mile so it's hard to say if I was crossing over to half marathon or lactate pace range. It's all very confusing trying to figure these paces out.

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

2006-06-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

Got in an OK recovery run over the local golf course this morning. I wish it was flatter as there is an almost 1.5 mile section that climbs almost 250 feet in elevation. The last part is steep and not fun when you're trying to take it easy.

My new Garmin Forerunner 305 is en route and through the wonders of the web I can track it to the local ariport in Oakland. I'm scheduled to receive it tomorrow. Package tracking is great, but the waiting part still sucks. Just knowing it is only 20 minutes away is not enough when you want something now....

Running Solo

2006-06-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

Ran my first longish run effort in almost 2 months. Was planning to go about 12 miles and/or around 90 minutes, but joined up with someone I had met a couple of times at local road races and went a mile past my planned turn around point.

It was kind of nice chatting with someone during a run and not thinking about pace or anything. I only ran with him for a mile and a half and it went by too quickly. I was thinking of continuing on with him but didn't want to turn a planned 12 miler in a painful 15 or 16.

The return 6.6 mile trip home included a 3+ mile uphill portion into a stiff wind. Despite the conditions, I was able to maintain a nice, steady 7:12 pace on that segment, which didn't feel too difficult. I hope my training is getting back to normal.

My doctor couldn't find anything wrong with me on Thursday so I'm just awaiting the results from my blood test in the next day or two...

Ditch my orthotics?

2006-06-09T01:35:00.000-07:00

Another easy run this morning. Tried to use the ADEO GPS personal fitness companion with my son's iPod Shuffle. The shuffle worked fine, but I think I messed something up with the ADEO so I'll try it again tomorrow on a not-so-GPS friendly trail.

I'll probably lose the shuffle because although the ADEO integrates well, I'm not a big fan of listening to music while running.

I've never gotten use to holding a music player and dealing with the wires to the headphones. Wireless headsets via Bluetooth make a lot of sense here. Also in my case, I think there's a stigma attached to running while listening to music that goes all the way back to when I ran in college.

One of my former track teammates was always critical of athletes listening to music while warming up for their event at meets. He use to say real runners don't do that and would call them joggers in disdain. I guess that must have stuck with me all these years.

On the topic of sticking with something for all these years, I've been wearing orthotics for more than 25 years since I had some foot problems while competing in high school. My current pair (see photo) are 1/2 length and made of hard plastic.

Once the original Spenco insole cover wore out, I decided not to replace them and now I just slip the uncovered orthotics in my shoes on top of the original insole. Helps in fitting shoes too so that for most brands I can just move up 1/2 a size and they'll fit with the orthotic (i.e. size 9 1/2 without orthotic and 10 with).

Since going the minimalist route and training only in racing flats, I've been injury free for almost a year. I'm now thinking of taking the next step and ditching my orthotics as well. I know of a number of folks who have gone this route without experiencing any serious problems so I'm willing to try it out.

I already have a pair of 9 1/2 Mizuno Revolver 2 flats that I use only for racing sans orthotics (my current orthotics do add weight) so I'll probably put them to the rotation once or twice a week for recovery runs on softer surfaces (i.e. grass and trails)...

New Book and Gadgets

2006-06-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to post the past two days because Blogger.com has been down so often. I hope they fix their problems because it's getting to be a real pain to keep 2 blogs up-to-date.

My running seems to be getting a bit better. Had an easy run yesterday and then did a fartlek run today of 10 x 1 minute on and of.

More importtantly, I received some goodies the last couple of days too.

Per the recommendation of Leah I picked up a copy of "Advanced Marathoning" by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas. It's a pretty good read and I might follow their 18 week, up to 70 miles a week marathon program starting in August, and train for the California International Marathon (CIM) in the beginning of December.

Two of the takeaways so far is to make sure I run my recovery runs easy, and add some more variety to my training to break up the monotony. So instead of running 9 miles every day, I'll try to mix it up more so maybe 7 on one day and 11 the next. That kind of stuff.

And to make sure I don't run my recovery days too hard, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade from my Garmin Forerunner 205, and get the 305 with heart rate monitor instead. I got a pretty good deal on one online and I hope it arrives early next week. Once I receive it I'll probably sell the 205 on eBay. I don't plan to use the HRM everyday, but it will help me keep the easy days easy...I hope.

Lastly, the new GPS-enabled personal fitness companion product from MotionLingo called ADEO arrive today. As I mentioned earlier, the ADEO is an audio GPS training device that can connect to a MP3 player to provide audio alerts regarding the activity. I'm currently charging it up and will test it out tomorrow morning with my son's iPod shuffle. Expect a multi-part review of the ADEO soon....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, ADEO, Motionlingo

More and More Devices for Runners

2006-06-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Reuters.co.uk has an article about the growing and lucrative market for fitness devices for runners, such as heart rate monitors, GPS distance monitors and converged devices that combine MP3 players or cell phone handsets with some type of distance monitoring.

The article talks about some of the players in the market such as Polar, Suunto, the recently announced Nike+iPod collaboration between Apple (AAPL) and Nike (NKE), and does a nice job profiling Bones in Motion's BiM Active service at Sprint Nextel (S), which turns certain GPS-enabled handsets into personal activity monitoring devices.

The article doesn't do such a good job when discussing Garmin (GRMN) and only writes:

Garmin, a company best known for marine, hiking and road trackers, offers fitness devices with mobile phone-sized heart monitors, which cyclists mount on their handle bars.

I guess the journalist didn't do enough research on Garmin's leading Forerunner line of GPS devices, such as the Garmin Forerunner 205.

It's definitely a fun time to be a runner if you like gadgets as well. I'm currently in the process of trying to get my hands on a new GPS-enabled product from MotionLingo called ADEO to review. The ADEO is an audio GPS training device that supposedly connects to a MP3 player to provide audio alerts regarding the activity. We'll see how it goes.

As for my actual running, I put in a steady effort this morning with about 5 miles at around 7:00 mile pace. Wasn't too bad nor too hard I hope....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, Nike+iPod, Bones in Motion

Easy Day

2006-06-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Got in my usual Monday morning golf course run. Had another bizarro GPS signal episode on my Garmin Forerunner 205 during the run.

I was on the course with a clear view of the sky when all of a sudden the GPS Accuracy spiked to over 100 feet. This was the first time this has ever happened to me. I stopped, stood still for less than 30 seconds and the GPS Accuracy went back down to the 18-25 foot range and then stayed there for the rest of the run. Very odd.

The rest of the run was uneventful. The only other exciting thing today was stopping by the new Road Runner Sports in San Carlos.

I rarely get down to the San Francisco Bay Area peninsula anymore, but had a meeting nearby so made sure to stop in. Shopping at running stores to look at the latest shoes and fashions has always been a favorite activity of mine and this was no exception.

RRS has by far the largest floor space of any running store in the Bay Area and they had lots of good stuff. I forced myself to purchase some technical tops and definitely could have done a lot of damage if I didn't have some self control.

I learned they will open another store closer to where I live in the Fall, which can't be good for my wallet...

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner

Alive and kicking

2006-06-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

I use to follow the widely held industry maxim that running shoes should be replaced every 300-400 miles.

I was a sheep that also liked to buy new shoes any chance I could get so it wasn't a real bother.

However, now that I train exclusively in racing flats, I've started to change my tune on shoe usage. I'm trying to stick with models that work for me and flats are usually harder to come by.

My current favorite is the Mizuno Revolver 2 and I'm down to my last two pairs. I've been trying to wring out as many miles as possible out of these shoes in order to hold off migrating to the very red update of the Mizuno Revolver 3.

I have one pair that just exceeded 500 miles on them (see above photo) and I'll see if I can get another 100 mile or so out of them. Since I usually don't wear out the shoe tread, I need to watch carefully if the mid-sole is compressing. I'll also try to use them on softer surfaces such as trails and the local golf course.

600 miles will be pretty cool since it's like getting two pairs of shoes for the price of one.

Running wise, the weekend was uneventful. Got my mileage in and counting the days until my doctor's appointment on Thursday...

Holding Pattern

2006-06-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

It feels like the past month and a half my training has been in a holding pattern. Physically, I haven't been able to shake my mystery ailment that has left me feeling tired and rundown. My annual doctor's appointment is next week so I hope I can resolve my health issues.

I've been still getting in the miles, but haven't been able to maintain a consistent level of training and workouts. I still would like to run a decent 800m race at the PAUSATF Masters Champs on July 1, but the lack of speedwork is starting to concern me, and time is running out. I guess I'll see what happens over the next few week.

More long term, I've been thinking of attempting a marathon again. The only time I tried, I dropped out of the 2002 California International Marathon (CIM)in Sacramento at around 19 miles. I was on pace for sub 3 hours, but a piriformis injury sustained in the month leading up to the race waylaid my efforts. Plus, the lack of marathon pace training also did me in.

The race was completely forgettable except for the fact I ended up jogging in the last 4+ miles. This was because the bus in charge of taking the drop outs like myself to the finish area only moved at 5 miles per hour. I ended up getting off the bus since it took forever to drive a couple of miles.

So with almost 4 years gone by, I think I'm dumb enough again to subject myself to the pain of marathon training. If I can get through the summer healthy, I'll aim for CIM in early December....

Breathing Gadget?

2006-05-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

I just got the latest catalog from Road Runner Sports (RRS) in the mail, and I always enjoy flipping through the pages to look at the latest shoes and clothes.

As a VIP Member of their Run America Club, I like to try out new shoes from RRS because of the free shipping and 45-day no-pain shoe guarantee.

If I'm trying a shoe for the first time, this guarantee really comes in handy, because it takes more than just walking around the house to see if a shoe will work. You have up to 45 days to test the shoes on the roads, trails, etc., and if you don't like them then they'll take them back no questions asked.

Since I now train only in racing flats the selection is more limited at RRS, but the VIP membership is still worth the price I think. On a side note, if I have a shoe that really works for me then I'll usually order them via Jamie Dick's online store at FootRX. Jamie is a podiatrist and regular poster on the Runner's World forums. He gives a 20% discount (I forgot the code), and provides knowledgeable and excellent service. He comes highly recommended!

So back to the catalog. I was looking at the gadget section and came across the PowerBreathe product that supposedly allows you to "strengthen your inspiratory muscles (the ones you use to breath in) and improve lung function to get more out of your workout" by taking "30 breaths twice daily with the POWERbreathe."

Sounds interesting. Might be worth investigating and reviewing at $63, especially when I can return it if not satisfied. Anyone out there try this before?

As for my running, today was another recovery day. Body is feeling a little better so I'll just ease back into things and not stress the system too much....

Is Technology Making Us Faster?

2006-05-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

Felt a little better this morning and got in an easy run that included some shoe-soaking laps around the grass soccer/rugby field at St. Mary's College. During the run, I started wondering about the impact technology has had on running and then I came across this article in the Kansas City Star.

Back when I started running 25+ years ago, you only had a stopwatch and running shoes, and it was like that for a long time. Basically you just went out and ran.

Now there are all kinds of cool gadgets for runners. Some provide a single function, such as GPS distance monitoring, like the Garmin Forerunner 205, or heart rate monitoring (HRM). Others combine a host of functions like GPS with HRM, MP3 player with distance montioring and even a cell phone with GPS distance monitoring.

While all of this technology has done wonders for providing us data-driven running geeks with tons of info about how far, how fast and how hard we ran, are we actually running faster/better because of it?

If you have improved is it because you're training smarter due to the technology? Or because you're just getting in more running?

I think for the general running population it's a combination of factors. The tech helps, but more importantly you have to train smart and put in the consistent work to achieve results. I'm probably wrong, but it would make for an interesting experiment.

At the elite level, it's even harder to tell if technology is making a dent at the highest echelons of the sport. You hear of American distance runners using HRMs, altitude tents, etc, to get an edge, but on the world stage it's still the East Africans (Kenya, Ethiopia) dominating (I'll refrain from commenting on drugs and steroids). From what I've read about their training, they run often and run hard with little use of the gadgets we're so fond of.

So maybe the ultimate running devices are a stopwatch and a pair of shoes after all. That doesn't bother me so much, because I like buying running shoes too....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, Nike+iPod, Bones in Motion

On and Off

2006-05-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Not much to report. Still feeling rundown so will try and visit my doctor this week to get a check up. Maybe it's just a mild case of strep throat. My 10 year-old son got it a few weeks ago, and I haven't been the same since then. Hopefully it's nothing that a good dose of antibiotics can't cure.

I've run 2 of the last 4 days. Tried to hit the trails and go as easy as possible. Maybe I should rest a few more days and just play my son's new XBOX 360 :-) The system is pretty sweet, but I got motion sickness watching him play one of the games so maybe I'll stay away from it too....

No Gas in the Tank

2006-05-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

Ughh! I guess my tempo effort on Tuesday was too hard after all. I attempted to run 300 meter repeats today at faster than mile pace and had nothing. Zip. Nada, Nothing.

After a warm up and drills, I was ready for 4 sets of 3x300m with a 100m jog and a 400m jog between sets. However, my brain forgot to tell the rest of my body, and I knew I was toast after the first 300 with the second 300 telling me to cut my losses.

I then altered the workout and ran 4x200m with a 200m jog, and then did some 150m strides. The whole thing was slow and a complete chore to finish. My legs were pretty dead and had no spring. Not a good sign considering I want to race some 800s in June/July. I have a long ways to go before getting in track shape.

In my opinion, one of worst things about cutting a workout short, other than the sense of wimping out, is figuring out what you are going to do to get the mileage in. That's because you're not in the right mindset anymore and the last thing you want to do at that time is to continue running.

As for me, I need to take the next couple of days easy and then see how the Sunday long run goes. And next week, maybe I'll schedule the track work for earlier in the week...

Running Safe

2006-05-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

This morning was a recovery run after yesterday's tempo effort. I was tired, but it didn't seem too bad. We'll see how I fare tomorrow morning when I hit the track to run some 300 meter repeats.

I thought I'd give a quick shout out to the folks at Road ID. I have been using their ShoeID product (see photo) for several years now, and the reason why is because I don't carry any ID on me when I run.

This is probably not a big deal running around the block, but I run in the dark a lot (early morning during the winter) and on trails that are out of the way.

Having the ShoeID on my laces is unobtrusive and more importantly brings me some peace of mind that if anything was to happen to me during a run then at least people could figure out who I am and whom to contact. That seems worth $19.95 in my book.

Since I rotate shoes, I actually have two of them so I don't have to wear out the velcro taking it on and off from my shoelaces. And when I have worn out the velcro, they have always sent me a new strap free of charge so I can definitely vouch for their excellent service too.

I stand corrected on Nike+iPod

2006-05-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

I just found out that the little foot pod comes with the iPod nano module in the $29 Nike+iPod Sport Kit. The new Nike+ line of shoes will have a special area under the sock liner for the foot pod to fit.

So if you have an Apple iPod nano then $29 is a sweet deal if you can figure out a way to use the foot pod with shoes other than Nike. Of course it has to work too.

This just might be my next review project. I have some gift credit at Amazon and have been debating getting another iPod anyway. If I can rig up some velco thingy for the pod to attach to my shoe laces then it just might work....

Technorati Tags: Nike+iPod

Nike+iPod

2006-05-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

On the surface, this partnership between Apple and Nike for the Nike+iPod product line that combines the iPod nano with a personal activity monitoring system via a foot pod in special Nike+ shoes sounds cool. Personally, I'm not the biggest fan. This is part of what I wrote at my other blog:

Apple and Nike together makes sense. Two very formidable lifestyle brands teaming up, which is especially good for Nike because it hasn't fared so well in the consumer electronic devices space in the past.

But it's the long-time runner in me that has mixed feelings on the execution and usage model of the inital product. If you own a nano and run with it then shelling out $29 for the Nike+iPod Sport Kit seems on the surface to be a good idea.

However, Spike Lee's Mars Blackman once said a long time ago, "It's gotta be the shoes!" And this is exactly what I don't like about the product. Right now, you're locked into purchasing the upcoming Nike+ line of footwear for all of this to work.

The Nike+ footwear uses a special foot pod accelerometer that sits under the shoe liner for measuring distance and pace. I personally prefer GPS technology to achieve this, but that's neither here nor there.

As usual Nike seems to be targeting the cool and trendy market for this product so if you only wear Nike then you're in luck. But most runners are a strange lot and running shoe fit and performance is very subjective and extremely important at the end of the day. Carrying a nano can't get you injured (unless you're not paying attention or get mugged), but wearing the wrong type of running shoe can.

While some runners favor only one brand, many others wear multiple brands, such as Adidas, Asics, Avia, Brooks, Mizuno, New Balance, Nike and Saucony, in the ongoing quest to find the perfect shoe.

In my case, I currently rotate several pairs of shoes from Mizuno and New Balance for my daily training, and I'm not unique in this respect. I haven't worn Nike's in years because I don't like they way they feel.

So unless Nike comes out with a shoe that works for me, I'm currently locked out of the Nike+iPod Sport Kit. For Apple to reach the widest possible audience it would make more sense for the foot pod to be portable so runners can easily attach it to all the shoes in their stable. In fact, they really don't need Nike for this and could develop a little GPS module to connect to the nano as well. Nike is big, but the overall running shoe market is bigger.

As for Nike, the closed model approach seems smart although they could probably move a lot of Nike+iPod Sport Kits with a standalone foot pod too. As for me I'll just stick with my Garmin Forerunner 205 for now...

Tempo Time

2006-05-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

No wacky GPS signals this morning with GPS accuracy in the 20-30 foot range during my entire run.

Even though the skies were a bit more overcast than yesterday, I guess atmospheric conditions were just more conducive for using the Garmin Forerunner 205.

The plan today was to run a 4 mile tempo in which I slowly increased the effort throughout the run. I wanted to run the flattest route possible in my area and avoid as many uphills and downhills as possible.

I decided I would try a loop that goes through a couple of quiet neighborhoods with limited traffic (see photo generated from SportTracks and Google Earth). The loop was less than 2 miles and has a few gentle inclines and subtle downhill portions.

MotionBased's MB Gravity Elevation Correction feature calculated the elevation range between 472 to 524 feet with most of the run in the 480-490 foot elevation range (see above chart pulled from MotionBased).

After an easy 2.5 mile warmup, the tempo itself was pretty steady as I ended up running the beginning a little faster than planned, because I was fiddling around with buttons on the 205. Since I didn't know the distances around the loop I wanted to hear a audible signal every .5 miles. However I messed up and I heard the signal every .5 miles from the point I set up the feature and not from the start of the run. Oh well.

The loop measured 1.87 miles on the 205 and I did 2 loops and change for 4.04 miles. Both SportTracks and MotionBased came up with the same distances for each loop as well as the overall run, and more details can be found here.

Since I didn't take any splits other than at the end of each loop, I was interested in seeing my miles splits for the run as calculated by SportTracks and MotionBased using the GPS waypoint data.

Interestingly, while both registered the same overall time (25:13), SportTracks had my splits at 6:29, 6:19, 6:06, 6:05 (and 14 for the last .04 miles), while MotionBased via its Analyzer feature had me at 6:22, 6:19, 6:02, 6:06 (and 18 for the last .04 miles). If you add it up the MB Analyzer somehow dropped 4 seconds from my time. Strange.

Just for kicks, here is some more random data pulled from MotionBased on the time/percent of the tempo run that was ascending, descending and flat:

Time Data	Total	% of Total
Total Time	0:25:13	100.0
Moving Time	0:25:13	100.0
Ascent	0:03:05	12.2
Descent	0:03:46	14.9
Flat	0:18:22	72.8

Overall, a decent effort. We'll see how I feel tomorrow on my recovery run and then Thursday when I hit the track for some 300m repeats....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, MotionBased, SportTracks

Wacky GPS Signals

2006-05-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

This morning's run was one of those strange GPS signal days on my Garmin Forerunner 205. Everything started out fine as usual with the GPS accuracy in the 20-30 foot range.

The skies were generally clear with some low lying fog as I did my usual Monday run around the local golf course. The hills on the course were tiring me out so I decided to hit the roads after one loop. It was then that I noticed the GPS accuracy had jumped into the 50 foot range.

After stopping at the turnaround point to catch my breath and allow the 205 to acquire a better signal, I headed back home with the accuracy back in the 20s. However, less than a half mile later, it had spiked up to more than 80 feet. Weird thing was I was only pulling in signals from 4 satellites at this time. After stopping for another minute, it dropped back down to the 20s and I proceeded home without a further hitch.

Every once in a while, there use to be runs with my old 201 where it would just continually drop the signal throughout a run for no apparent reason. Although the 205 didn't give me a weak GPS signal, I guess it was one of those random days when GPS accuracy is inconsistent or maybe some satellites are offline.

Tomorrow, I'll try to do a tempo or fartlek effort and then plan to do some speedwork on the track on Thursday....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner

More on the Treadputer

2006-05-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

A recent comment by Alison Wade about Brad Feld's Treadputer got me thinking more about the ultimate running device. Alison asked why would someone need such a device if you lived in Boulder, Colorado?

It's a good question since Boulder is widely viewed as a running mecca in the distance running community. Many top U.S. and international runners train there, and the Buffaloes at the University of Colorado at Boulder are year in and year out one of the top distance running programs in NCAA cross country and track.

Also, the altitude training on the trails in and around Boulder, such as Magnolia Road or Mags for short, have taken on almost mythical status due to Chris Lear's seminal account of Adam Goucher and the Colorado cross country team's 1998 season in his book, "Running with the Buffaloes".

So it that context, it makes perfect sense to wonder why such a device is even necessary. I'm sure Brad would rather be hitting the trails around Boulder, while sporting his Garmin Forerunner 305, but as noted in his post, he spends hours a day on conference calls as a venture capitalist and board member for a number of companies, including blog-related startups NewsGator and FeedBurner. So he could either sit on his butt all day long or get some exercise while taking calls. Not a bad way to pass the time and get paid, if you ask me.

Going further off topic, Alison has some impressive credentials in her own right. She use to run two websites for the New York Road Runners Club - mensracing.com and fast-woman.com - and both were excellent resources for the latest results, news, interviews and photos of the high school, collegiate, and elite distance running scenes. Frankly, the sites haven't been the same since she left, and I'm sure the NYRRC sorely misses her great work.

Alison now has her own distance running site called, Eliterunning.com, which is currently down as it switches hosts, and a separate site for running blogs that is aptly named, Running-Blogs.com. She also seems to attend and cover a lot of running events and track meets, which is very cool. I'm definitely envious.

So now that I have gone off on a huge tangent, here are my additional thoughts on Brad's Treadputer. I believe this is more of the norm than the exception, but I do some of my best thinking during my runs. Whether it's for introspection, problem solving, writing ideas or creative thoughts, running offers me the perfect time to really think things through.

The only problem is by the time I'm in front of my computer, I've forgotten most of the great ideas I had on the run. Maybe I should carry a small digital voice recorder with me while running and every time I have a good idea I can record a "note to self". Or maybe the next software version update of the Garmin Forerunner 205 will include this functionality so I only have to carry one all-encompassing device :-)

For me, this is why the Treadputer is cool. While exercising Brad can easily get his thoughts down in digital form or instantly seek out the information he requires at the click of a mouse button. No more waiting until the end of activitiy, and hoping you remembered everything you wanted to do.

Of course on the downside, there is always the danger of treadputering and getting lost in your thoughts, which could prove disastrous. Every time I've run on a treadmill, I've had to focus really hard on staying in the middle of the tread, which doesn't leave much of my limited brain power to do some actual "thinking."

I've seen several people take a misstep on a treadmill and go right out the back, and it wasn't a pretty sight. So barring the funds to create my own treadputer, maybe I should just stick to thinking and running while on the roads and trails. I won't remember everything, but there's also less chance of embarrassing/injuring myself, unless I run into a tree or a lamp post...

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Running,

Weekend Runs

2006-05-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Not much to report from the weekend. Saturday was another of those grin and bear it type runs, when you don't feel great but just want to get the miles in. Felt tired most of the way and got some strides in at the track as well.

This morning was my first longer run in several weeks. Was planning to get in around 12 miles, but was feeling really out of it the first couple of milesg. Almost decided to turn around and just go back to sleep.

However, I started feeling better after a few miles and the rest of the run was uneventful. Maintained an even pace throughout, which was nice as 4 of the last 5.5 are uphill.

I ended up running less than planned due to some poor mental calculations on my part mid-way through the run. The Garmin Forerunner 205 had me at 11.31 miles, while MotionBased calculated it at 11.37.

I need to start incorporating some faster track work into the training with the goal of running 800 meters at the Pacific Association USATF Masters Track and Field Championships on July 1 in Sacramento. I also might slog through a 10K on Memorial Day if I feel up to it...

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, MotionBased

Running Samaritan

2006-05-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

I guess my ladder workout yesterday took more out of me than I originally thought. I got a decent amount of sleep (6.5 hours), but should of just stayed in bed when the alarm went off at 5:15am. I also won't complain anymore about my lack of sleep after seeing Leah's crazy schedule as she works towards a PhD in physics and trains for the Chicago Marathon :-)

This morning's run felt like I was just going through the motions. It was totally blah and I struggled to stay motivated. Plus, I was tired to boot. This would have been the perfect day to use a heart rate monitor, if I had one, to gauge if I was running my recovery day too hard. Oh well, at least it's 9.1 miles in the bank.

The run did remind me of a funny thing that happened to me last week when I was running the same route. I was about 2.5 miles into the run last week when I noticed a wallet lying in the middle of the road. I scooped it up and continued on my way. It was a large, heavy woman's wallet that was stuffed with credit cards, receipts, and I believe lots of cash.

Do you know what my first thought was when I started running with the wallet? Not who lost it or what an incovenience it was or even how much money was in it, but "do I really have to carry this brick with me for the next 6+ miles?"

And that made me stop and open it up to check who the owner was. I felt like I was invading the person's privacy, but it opened right up to her driver's license. I checked the address and then quickly closed it.

The street name was unfamiliar to me, but at least it was in my town. I went off my planned route and turned at the next street corner. I decided I would only run up to the next block, and if it wasn't the right street I would turn back, swing by my house to drop off the wallet and then continue my run. Plus, since I was wearing my Garmin Forerunner 205, I didn't have to worry about not knowing how much extra distance I was running. As luck would have it, the next street was where the wallet's owner lived. I found the right house and then rang the bell.

Now you have to imagine the following scene . You're a teenage girl woken up at 6:15 am by some skinny, sweaty 41 year-old guy with shaggy hair standing at your front door in only a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, black socks, running shoes and black gloves. Sounds pretty creepy.

You should have seen her eyes go wide as she looked out the window at the side of the door. She was still half asleep, because it took me a several times of pointing at the wallet and saying slowly and loudly, "I found a wallet" before the realization sunk in.

In hindsight, it probably wasn't the smartest idea for her to open the door to get the wallet, but at least no harm came of it and her mom(?) got her wallet back. Of course, I might have went to the wrong address because I was half-asleep as well....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner

Ladder Workout

2006-05-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

Since I'm starting to feel better, I decided to test out the advanced workout feature on my Garmin Forerunner 205.

First, I launched the Garmin Training Center software to see which workouts were available. Training Center and the Forerunner 205/305 already come pre-loaded with a number of workout templates, and at first glance most seem geared to training within certain heart rate zones thus requiring a Forerunner 305 with HRM.

Fortunately, the workouts are customizable so you can set them up for training within target pace zones as well. Since the Forerunner 205/305 comes pre-set with 10 different pace zones, I customized them into the following categories with my goal paces for each distance: Easy, Aerobic, Steady, MP (Marathon Pace), HM (Half-Marathon), 10 Mile, 10K, 5K, 3K and Mile.

Next, I decided I would edit the ladder workout for running. The Forerunner 205/305 seems perfect for ladder workouts because you can set up multiples steps with different amounts of reps, durations (time, distance or zone based), target zones and rest periods, and then the device handles everything for you. Here is the workout I ended up creating:

Warmup at unspecified target pace until hitting the Lap button
4 x 0.1 mile @ marathon pace followed by 0.1 mile @ steady pace
4 x 0.2 mile @ marathon pace followed by 0.1 mile @ steady pace
4 x 0.1 mile @ marathon pace followed by 0.1 mile @ steady pace
4 x 0.1 mile @ HM pace followed by 0.1 mile @ steady pace
4 x 0.2 mile @ HM pace followed by 0.1 mile @ steady pace
4 x 0.1 mile @ HM pace followed by 0.1 mile @ steady pace
Cooldown at unspecified target pace until hitting the Stop button

The total distance for the ladder was 5.6 miles, and I easily could have substituted the distance for each step with a certain amount of time, such as 1 minute @ MP followed by 1 minute at steady pace.

After I saved the workout, I then scheduled it for today's date by dragging it to the Training Center calendar. Next I docked my 205 in the usb cradle, and exported the workout to the device by hitting the button that "Sends Workouts and Courses"

To run the workout on a Forerunner 205/305, you need to:

Once you have a good GPS signal, hit the mode button
Select Training
Select Workouts
Select Advanced
If the workout is scheduled then you can find by date or view all. Select whichever is applicable.
Find the workout and Selec
Select Do Workout
Press start

When running a workout, you get 2 extra display screens. The first describes which step you are on, info on the previous step, and what is next. The second screen shows how much is remaining of the step (i.e. distance, time) and what zone you are in (i.e. heart rate, pace, etc).

This morning I warmed up for about 1.7 miles and then hit the Lap button to start the ladder workout. Probably due to a combination of coming off an illness and the fact that the Forerunner 205/305's "real-time" pace fluctuates, my pacing during the run was all over the map. The 205 was either buzzing me to speed up or slow down. It was almost like having a coach next to me telling me what to do.

Overall the run wasn't too bad, and at least I can see a light at the end of the tunnel from my recent ailments. To the left is a pace versus distance graph of the ladder workout + cooldown taken from SportTracks. The blue line represents elevation.

I definitely plan to play around and create some more advanced workouts to run in the future. It's another cool feature for us training-obsessive types to latch on to. Now I just need to find someone to actually run the workouts for me....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, SportTracks

The Ultimate Running Device?

2006-05-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

This just might be the ultimate running device. Brad Feld is a venture capitalist in Boulder, Colorado. He's also an avid marathoner attempting to run a marathon in every state by the time he turns 50. He's currently at 6 and is 40 years old.

Brad had this Treadputer specially designed so he could work while running/walking. Since he spends a lot of on board conference calls he'd rather be active at the Treadputer instead of sitting at his desk or laying on his couch. He writes:

I had high expectations for walking, but low expectations for running. It turns out that the Treadputer is highly functional when I’m running, which enables me to do some of my longer runs during the day while I’m on a call rather than having to get up at 5am to get them in before the day starts.

Check out the specs of the system:

IBM ThinkCenter 3.2GHz PC
3 Video cards (ATI Radeons)
3 19" NEC Monitors
A 6 monitor mounting system (we only use 3)
Bluetooth stereo audio headphones
Desk microphone
USB Headset (for voice calls)
Logitech 2.1 speakers
Kensington Trackball
Vision Fitness T9450HRT treadmill
Dragon Naturally Speaking (for voice recognition)
Cisco IP Communicator (for IP Softphone)
Skype (for other calls)

The Treadputer is still a work in progress, but impressive nonetheless. I wouldn't mind reviewing it, but I guess I would need to go to Boulder...

Running With My Virtual Partner

2006-05-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Back when I first reviewed the Garmin Forerunner 205, I wrote about a neat little online Google Maps mashup that Brad Culberson at MotionBased created called, Course Creator.

In a nutshell, Course Creator lets you map a route using Google Maps to find the distance. But that's not all. It also leverages a cool new feature of the Garmin Forerunner 205/305 that allows you to import a course onto the device and then run it using the Virtual Partner feature.

Here are the steps to get a course mapped online onto a Forerunner 205/305:

After mapping a route on Culberson's Course Creator (keep each point close together to ensure maximum accuracy, although it can be a pain), select a target pace (i.e. minutes per mile) or speed (i.e. miles per hour for a cyclist) and then hit the Export button
Once on your PC, launch Garmin's Training Center application
Go to the File menu and import the course (it will be called course.crs)
Click on Courses and you should see it
Dock the Forerunner 205/305 to the usb cradle
Export course to the device by hitting the button that "Sends Workouts and Courses"

This part sounds like a lot of steps, but it's really not that difficult. Now that the course is on the 205/305, it is ready to be run versus the virtual partner. Here are more steps to get this part initiated:

Once you have a good GPS signal, hit the mode button
Select Training
Select Courses
Find the route you want to run (I've saved a few of my previous tempo runs to the course list in case I want to run versus myself at a certain pace. You can edit course names on the device, but it's a multiple step process so it's easier to do this in the Training Center program.)
Select the course
Select DO Course
Press start and run with or race against your virtual partner

When running a course, the Forerunner 205/305 adds three new displays to the existing three you already have. The first screen has four data fields that offers the following information:

Distance to End
Time to End Course (based on your current distance and pace)
Remaining distance to the end (wasn't sure what was the difference between this and the other field)
Course time left based on initial distance and pace

The second screen is a graphic of you and the virtual partner as dots on an elevation chart, and the third screen shows how far ahead or behind you are of the virtual partner. Also, hitting the mode button gives you a couple of more screens. The first screen plots the route and the second is a compass with remaining time and distance to finish.

For this morning's run, I plotted a new course that incorporated sections of different routes I normally run. Course Creator calculated the route at 9.22 miles and I selected a 8 minute per mile pace, because I wanted to keep the run at an easy, aerobic pace, while I still recover from being sick. Plus I wanted a target pace that would allow me to beat my virtual partner.

To the left is the elevation chart of the course plotted against my actual pace as pulled from SportTracks. The first mile from my house is downhill and I started off at an easy pace. The next mile gradually climbs and then there is a short, steep incline for about .4 miles.

Since Virtual Partner (VP for short) via Course Creator was set for a steady 8 minute mile pace, it pulled away from me by the time I reached the top of the hill.

However, the next 3 miles or so were downhill so while VP plugged away at 8 minute miles, I was able to pick up the pace and quickly overtake VP. The rest of the route was rolling with one more steep up and down section and the final .75 miles uphill to my house.

I gradually put more distance on VP and finished about .4 miles ahead at an average of about 7:35 minute miles. Both the 205 and SportTracks calculated the run also at 9.22 miles, while MotionBased came in at 9.26 miles. Details of the run can be found at MotionBased.

The Google Maps mashups to plot routes are pretty accurate so if you run mostly on the roads then it is a nice and cheap, as in free, alternative to buying a GPS device.

One thing to note about using Course Creator,. During my run I kept on getting an "Off Course" signal. I would ignore it and eventually it would find the course again. This was kind of a nuisance, but the overall performance wasn't affected.

After the fact, I was told to use "Course Creator effectively you have to plot the GPS points on the map as closely together as possible. If you leave big gaps in between you will receive the "off course" message." This makes a lot of sense although it does become a more time consuming process, especially if they are longer straight sections on the map. Oh well.

Lastly, once you have run a route and have it on the 205/305, you can always create a course from it either directly on the device or via Training Center. For doing this on the device, you need to:

Push the Mode button
Select Training
Select Courses
Select
This takes you to the history of runs on your device. Find the date of the run and select
You can the edit the course name, but it's a multiple step process so it's easier to do this in the Training Center program.
Hit the Mode button and you should see the new course

In Training Center, you need to:

Dock the Forerunner 205/305 to the usb cradle
Receive History from the device
Find the date of the run you want to make into a course, right click and select "Create Course from Activity"
This will take you to Courses and "New Course" will be highlighted
Right clicking takes you to a menu where you can edit the course (i.e. name)
Export course to the 205/305 by hitting the button that "Sends Workouts and Courses"

On courses created from the 205/305, Virtual Partner re-runs the course exactly the same way you did for that run. So if you ran one section at 8 minute miles and then another at 7:45 minute miles then VP does too. If you stopped at a light then so does VP. If you use the Auto Pause feature then I'm not sure how this will affect VP if you don't stop or take an unscheduled stop while doing a course.

The Forerunner 205/305's course feature is pretty powerful stuff and lets you run against a virtual partner over pre-described courses at specific paces. So if you want to measure yourself over a certain route and gauge whether you're improving then virtual partner is a nice touch.

And when MotionBased lets users import other people's routes directly to their Forerunner 205/305 that's when things will really take off. Imagine running a route against your friend's virtual best effort. Or better yet have a top runner like 2004 Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor run a popular route, such as the 6 mile loop in Central Park, and then let Forerunner users download "her" to their device to train against. Very cool stuff indeed....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, MotionBased, SportTracks

Getting There

2006-05-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Felt a little better this morning during my run. Still a bit tired, but the legs had a little more bounce. I'm trying to get to bed earlier and have gotten around 7 hours of sleep the last few nights, which is a lot for me.
I usually get at most 6.5 hours and can survive a day or so on 6 or less before self-destructing.

That was one of the problems during the past few weeks. I was staying up late reading and still getting up early to run, which ended up being a bad combination.

For today's run I stayed on the flats and tried to avoid any hills, except for the .75 mile climb to my house at the end. I ran over to St. Mary's College so I could finally use my Garmin Forerunner 205 to measure the distance around the soccer/rugby field.

I like to run on the grass around the playing fields because it's a soft surface and a nice alternative to the track for doing workouts where exact time is not of the utmost importance. A lap around the perimeter of the fields measured out to roughly .42 miles, and I got in 8 relatively easy laps before heading for home.

For the most part I was on auto pilot trying to stay relaxed and watch out for gopher holes. I did end up with a pair of dew-laden shoes that squished all the way home.

On a related note, I'm still contemplating whether to upgrade from my Forerunner 205 to the 305 with a heart rate monitor. I wouldn't use the HRM all the time, but I would like to know that I'm not running my recovery days too hard. I noticed Costco.com has a great deal on the 305 so I might have to take the plunge and then sell the 205 on eBay. We'll see....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner

Two Days Off Feels More Like Two Months

2006-05-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

Ughh. I took the weekend off to see if I could catch up on some sleep and recover from my mysterious ailment. It didn't help that the temperatures climbed to the 90s and I decided to do yardwork instead. Not as much rest after all.

When I went for my run this morning, I felt like I'd been off for two months instead of two days. The legs felt like jello and even running slowly was an effort. I decided to forgo my usual Monday run over the hilly, local golf course (it's closed every Monday) and stayed on flat land as much as possible.

I ran over to the high school and tested out the difference between using the smart recording and every second data recording settings on my Garmin Forerunner 205. The folks at the MotionBased blog stated that the every second data recording setting "should ONLY be used for specific activities that are short, fast, and tight, like track running."

For my highly unscientific test, I ran 4 laps (1600 meters) in lane 1 using every second recording and then ran another 4 laps using smart recording. I also switched measurement units to metric to makee it easier to confirm distance.

As I previously wrote, the Forerunner 205/305 doesn't do the greatest job tracking on a 400m track. However, using every second recording for this situation seemed to offer up better accuracy. Each lap was right around 400 meters and the 4 laps came in at 1.60 kilometers on both the device and in SportTracks.

When I switched back to smart recording, the laps were coming in at the 390-395 meter range and the total for the complete four was 1.59 kilometers. Not a huge difference.

So if you must use your 205/305 on the track then it's probably better to switch to every second recording for increased accuracy. For everywhere else, smart recording should be enough....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, MotionBased, SportTracks

Garmin Forerunner Data Recording: Smart vs Every Second

2006-05-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

The folks at Motionbased explain the difference between the smart recording and every second settings for the Garmin Forerunner 205/305 at MBlog: Data Recording. They say "Every Second' should ONLY be used for specific activities that are short, fast, and tight. Like track running, track cycling, or downhill mountain biking. You may think all your activities are 'Every Second' worthy, but that’s not the point and most of the time it works against you." Here are some of the things to know about 'Every Second' recording:

Usage - 'Every Second' isn't bad. If used properly it's a great recording technique, but should be reserved for special circumstances.
Storage - Device storage is limited. 'Every Second' fills up the memory in approximately 3 1/2 hours, then starts erasing/overwriting data. 'Smart Recording' allows for days of recording.
File Size - Large activity files slowdown MotionBased, and even may be rejected. Transfer time, processing speed, and page loads (especially the Map Player) are negatively affected.
Quality - Because it's recording more track points doesn't necessarily mean the data is more useful.

They conclude that "smart Recording is the default setting. So unless you have specific need, don't change it."

I'll try to test out smart recording and every second at the local track this week to see if it makes any difference....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, MotionBased

Day of Rest

2006-05-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

After trying to run through the ailment that has been zapping my energy the past few weeks, I finally gave in and took today off. Of course, it took the wisdom of my 8 year-old daughter for common sense to finally sink in.

Last night, she suggested that maybe I shouldn't run if I wasn't feeling well. I should probably let her coach me as well.

So I took the day off and then over exerted myself working in my overgrown backyard. I can't wait to get back running. It's usually less painful....

Running in Circles Part II

2006-05-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

The other day I wrote about the Garmin Forerunner's trouble tracking on a 400m track. After posting, I was reminded by someone over at the Cool Running forums that in SportTracks, you can not only edit the distance and time of the run, but you can also edit the actual data points displayed on the map of your route as well.

It's a cool feature and so I decided to take a detour in the midst of another crappy morning run. Whatever ailment that is making me feel rundown the past couple of weeks is really getting old. I think I might just give in and take a couple of days off for recovering.

I ran a couple of laps at the other high school near my house and I made sure to stay in the middle of lane 1. FYI, The photos above and below haven't been updated by Google since the school put in a new track and football field last summer so I might have to try this experiment again at the other high school.

The above picture is of the two 400m laps taken from SportTracks using the original data from my Garmin Forerunner 205. If you click on the picture, it's easier to tell that the 205 didn't do a stellar job tracking the path.

And the distance calculated wasn't so hot either. The device said .24 miles for each lap and when I switched the units over to metric, the first lap read 390 meters and the second read 391 meters. That's not up to the Forerunner 205's usual high standard.

So I decided to play with the actual data points in the map itself. SportTracks has an editing tool in the map/route view, which allows you to click on the route and drag a data point to the correct position. After a lot of playing around, the above photo is the result. Now SportTracks reports the lap distance as .25 miles.

This feature is a lot of fun and if you're a data-driven, anal-retentive running geek then I can foresee wasting a lot of time playing with it to get the distance accuracy just right.

I also now know how I can get faster just by playing with SportTracks and extending the distances of the run without having to put in the extra effort. Who said I couldn't PR after 40?

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, SportTracks

Garmin Forerunner 205/305 GPS Tips - Part II

2006-05-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

On my run this morning, I realized I forgot to add one important thing to my Garmin Forerunner 205/305 GPS Tips post. I already updated the post, but here it is in case you missed it:

Make Sure Your Device Software is Up to Date: One of nice things about the Forerunner 205/305 is Garmin is continually fixing things and adding enhancements via software updates. The latest software is version 2.40. Garmin also offers the WebUpdater software app for your PC to make updating the 205/305 an easier process. Just put the device in the USB cradle, launch WebUpdater, and it will find the most appropriate update from the Garmin web site and perform the update. Here are links to the latest versions:

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, MotionBased, SportTracks

Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS Tips

2006-05-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

The main reason I like my new Garmin Forerunner 205 so much is because it is definitely more accurate than the my old Forerunner 201 (or 301 for that matter). No more weak GPS signals!

However, just because it is more accurate does not mean it does not have some GPS idiosyncrasies. On various forums, I've seen new users complaining about poor signal strength and/or a hard time acquiring satellites.

I believe most of the time these problems can be attributed to the 205's high sensitivity SiRFstarIII GPS chip. It seems the chip is so sensitive in the 205 (and 305) that it has a hard time acquiring satellites if the device is not in a steady position.

I know this all sounds counter intuitive, because the device was made for measuring distance, pace, etc, while in motion, but the new Forerunners have to be locked into a strong signal for them to work well. And once locked in they stay that way for the most part.

So far I have never had a weak or lost signal with my 205 (knock on wood), and below are some of my tips to make sure you can get the best performance possible out of your 205 or 305. Of course, YMMV (your mileage may vary):

Power On Device in a Stationary Position: This is very important. Before a run, I place my watch on the ground in my backyard with a open view of the sky and then power on the device. I then go into my garage to put my running shoes on. After a few minutes it usually has acquired enough satellites and is ready for use, so I go out to get my watch and put it on my wrist.
Customize a Screen with the GPS Accuracy Data Field: The GPS Accuracy data field is one of my favorite new features of the 205. The photo above is what my customized Running screen looks like. The bottom right corner shows the current GPS Accuracy in feet. The lower the better. So a good signal in my neck of the woods is in the 15-30 foot range. I always make sure it is in this range before I start my run. I then check the Accuracy occasionally throughout the run to see what kind of signal I'm getting. The numbers will fluctuate up and down but will usually stay in this range.
Rinse and Repeat if Necessary: Every once in awhile during a run, the GPS Accuracy will get weaker and shoot up into the 40-50 feet range or higher, and one time it went to 70-80 ft. In those cases, when I come to a stop during the run (i.e. stoplight, water fountain, etc), I'll try to stand as still as possible, hold the 205 away from my body and point the antenna skyward. I also might slowly turn my body to face the 205 in a southwesterly direction (that's the direction my DirecTV satellite dish faces). Usually in less than a minute, the GPS Accuracy will improve and go back to the 15-30 foot range and I'll re-commence my run.
Make Sure Your Device Software is Up to Date: One of nice things about the Forerunner 205/305 is Garmin is continually fixing things and adding enhancements via software updates. The latest software is version 2.40. Garmin also offers the WebUpdater software app for your PC to make updating the 205/305 an easier process. Just put the device in the USB cradle, launch WebUpdater, and it will find the most appropriate update from the Garmin web site and perform the update. Here are links to the latest versions:

Hope these tips help....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, MotionBased, SportTracks

Running in Circles

2006-05-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

While my Garmin Forerunner 205 is definitely more accurate than its predecessor, the Forerunner 201, it still has problems measuring distance at the track.

On the surface it sounds like it should be easy. Open space, flat surface and 400 meters all the way around in the middle of lane one. No problem, right?

Wrong. I don't know the exact technical reason, but I think the GPS inaccuracy is due to the tightness of a track's turns, and the time it takes to bounce a signal from the Forerunner to satellite and back again. Don't quote me on it.

My run yesterday took me to the local high school. I wanted to run on a soft, flat surface and the playing field inside of the track is one of those newer, fake grass fields. Less pounding on the body.

I ran 8 laps or around 3200 meters, which is about 14 meters short of 2 miles. The picture above was generated by MotionBased using the GPS waypoints from the 205 and Google Earth.

If you click on the picture and look close enough, it seems like I ran most of the laps in the middle and outer lanes, and even went up in the stands and on top of the announcer's booth! In actuality, I spent most of the time on the fake grass infield trying to hug the curb running along lane 1. I think I went out to lane 4 on the turns for a couple of laps in order to counter running mostly on the inside of lane 1 on the infield.

FYI, the typical 400 meter track is measured from the middle of lane 1. For each lane you can add roughly 6-7 meters for one lap. So if you run a lap in the middle of lane 2, then you ran about 406-7 meters, in lane 3 - 413-14 meters, etc.

So after the 8 laps, my 205 said I ran 2.10 miles. SportTracks calculated the distance at 2.09 miles. I logged it as 2 miles and moved on.

If you are only going to run on a track then there really is no need to wear a GPS device like the Forerunner anyway. You know the distance of each lap and a stopwatch should suffice. You just might have to brush up on your math skills to calculate pace....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, MotionBased, SportTracks

Obsessing leading to overtraining?

2006-05-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling rundown the past few weeks. I'm pretty sure I caught a bug somewhere along the line, andI just can't seem to shake it.

Of course it hasn't helped that my obsession over getting in the miles has led me to try and run through this and not take a day off. Plus I've been reading a lot lately and going to bed later than usual, but still waking up early to get in my run at around 6 am.

Is all this obsessing over my training prolonging the problem or maybe even caused it in the first place?

I sometimes wonder if I'm overtraining. Sometimes the desire to get in the training and not miss a workout overrules common sense which tells me to rest. That's how I've gotten injured in the past so I hope it's not the case now.

5K Race: Another View of the Data

2006-05-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd offer up another view of the GPS data from my 5K race this past Sunday. The elevation vs distance vs pace graph above on the left was pulled from MotionBased, while the one on the right is from SportTracks.

While my Garmin Forerunner 205 calculated the race distance at 3.10 miles, both SportTracks and MotionBased crunched the GPS waypoints in their respective complex algorithms and spit out 3.11 miles.

However, MotionBased also has the MB Gravity Elevation Correction feature, which smooths the elevation data taken from the GPS device. It came up with the following elevation information for the 5K course (with the 205's data in parentheses):

Start Elevation (ft):	368 (387)
Finish Elevation (ft):	360 (358.5)
Min. Elevation (ft):	322 (338)
Max. Elevation (ft):	371 (387)

I'm not big on the elevation data, but I know many are so if you are looking for betterelevation accuracy than your GPS device provides (the 205 elevation data seems to waffle a lot) then it might be worthwhile trying MotionBased....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, MotionBased, SportTracks

Is Red the New Black?

2006-05-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

As I wrote the other day, I now do all my training in racing flats. I currently rotate between the Mizuno Wave Revolver 2s and the New Balance RC750s.

I like both shoes for different reasons and I'm glad I found flats that seem to work for me. Since turning to flats, I've also been getting more mileage out of my shoes, roughly 400-450 miles, so I have that going for me as well.

One problem. The Revolver 2 model has been discontinued by Mizuno, and I'm running in my last pair of four that I stockpiled.

As shoe companies are wont to do, they are always trying to tweak and update their shoe designs to make "improvements" and hopefuly drive more sales.

Well, I got my feet on a pair of the new Mizuno Wave Revolver 3 and the only major update is the color it seems. While the 2s were mostly white with orange and blue trim, the 3s are bright honking red with silver trim.

Not sure how I feel about this because they really stand out. The picture above really doesn't do it justice. I guess I'll find how much they stand out when I start sporting them around my small town. Maybe I'll take them for a muddy trail run right away to get them dirty and dull the bright red look.

I guess the shoe companies like to experiment more with colorful racing flats because the market for them is much more limited. I've also noticed that red is the new black this year as the new Asics DS Racer VII is also mostly red and silver. I use to run in the DS Racer VI before finding the RC750 so I definitely won't be running in that update anytime soon. One pair of bright red shoes is enough for now...

Dead Legs and Rundown

2006-05-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

I ran my first race in almost a year on Sunday, and the results were what I was hoping for. I have been feeling rundown the past week and before the 5K was no different. The pre-race warmup was tiring and my legs were feeling dead so it was not the most auspicious start and boost to the confidence.

The course is pretty straight with three 90 degree left hands turns in total. The first mile plus goes gently downhill before the course deceptively climbs slightly uphill towards the finish. As you can see in the graph, it's not a huge amount of elevation increase, but us old runners need all the excuses we can get.

I ran with my Garmin Forerunner 205 and it definitely came in handy during the race and after. I was able to check my current lap pace as well as the distance so I always knew how much pain was left to go.

The race itself went as well as could be expected given the circumstances. I went out at the pace I thought I was in shape for even though I wasn't feeling well. My first mile was around 5:35 and then it began to creep upward as the course slightly inclined. I hit mile 2 at 11:25 (5:50 mile) and was just trying to hold on by then. I struggled home with a 6:01 third mile and finished at 18:01 for 5K.

I had nothing left over the last mile and didn't challenge the several folks who passed me towards the end. That was most disappointing, but then again I've never been a strength runner/racer.

Here are the full results of the Devil Mountain Run 5K. There wasn't much depth in the field up front so I ended up 10th overall and 3rd masters. For that I got a medal and 4 PowerBars. Woohoo!

Using the 205 was great and it measured the course at 3.1 miles. SportTracks crunched the waypoints and came up with 3.11 miles so accuracy was excellent.

So although the race didn't go as planned and I know I'm in faster shape, the technology performed admirably. Now I need to take it easier the next few days so I can get over whatever ails me. I aiming to run some track races in June and July so once I recover I'll probably start incorporating some speedier, shorter stuff into the training regimen...

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, SportTracks

What Should I Review Next?

2006-05-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

First, I did a comparison review of the Garmin Forerunner 205 versus the Garmin Forerunner 201. Next I compared Bones in Motion BiM Active GPS cell phone service with the Garmin Forerunner 205.

So what should I review next?

I thought I might try reviewing the Garmin Forerunner 305 with heart rate monitor (HRM), and compare it to the Polar S625X running computer with HRM and a foot pod accelerometer. However, my discretionary gadget budget is not as large as I would like it to be so I'll only have enough to acquire one device.

I asked the PR folks at Garmin if they might lend me a 305 review unit for a couple of weeks, but so far I've heard zip from them. Garmin isn't giving me any love at the moment :-(

I'm guessing either they don't have a formal review program for bloggers or don't want to deal with them. Or maybe they just didn't like my review of the 205 and the Garmin comments I made in the BiM Active one. Oh well.

Unless I can get my hands on the 305, I'll probably compare another device to my 205. I'm leaning toward a foot pod acclerometer device from Polar or Nike.

Any other suggestions on what I should review?

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, SportTracks, Bones in Motion

Common Sense Is Not So Common

2006-05-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

This morning's run was a mixed bag. Since I intend to race a 5K this Sunday, I wanted to get in a (hypothetical) marathon paced effort today to continue working on my strength without killing myself 3 days before the race.

I dragged myself out of bed around 5:15 am, did the pre-run routine (change, drink water, read paper, check web, bathroom breaks, etc) and got out the door at 6 am.

Warmed up with 1.5 miles and I definitely wasn't feeling it this morning. Then ran about 5.95 miles over a route that could be considered flattish for my area with no big hills. There are a couple of long gradual inclines and shorter downhills with elevation dropping, rising, dropping, rising and dropping within a 120 foot range (i.e. 484 ft to 574 ft over 2.1 miles and then 574 ft to 454 ft over .65 miles).

Wanted to run in the steady 6:40-6:50 per mile range and did, but it wasn't as smooth as I would have liked. Dragged myself home with a 1.85 mile cooldown and was not loving the final .75 miles uphill. I definitely need to take it easier over the next two days.

So onto the real subject of my post. In my review of the Bones in Motion cell phone personal activity monitoring service, I advised that solo runners, especially women, need to exercise some common sense when venturing out in less traveled locations due to remoteness and/or time of day (early morning/late at night). It sucks but that's reality.

On my run yesterday morning I passed a young girl running by herself going the other way. It was around 6:15 am and luckily it was getting light out. The girl couldn't have been much older than my 10 year-old son and might have even been younger.

She was listening to an iPod and seemed to be heading towards a paved foot path that goes into a community park. Not remote but there are sections that are not always visible from the road on one side and there are brush, trails and hillside on the other. In the dark this section even creeps me out.

I'm a firm believer that kids need to exercise, but I'm not a fan of kids doing a lot of roadwork at an early age, but that's a topic for a later post. What got me wondering was "where the hell were her parents?"

During the day I'll let my son go to his friend's house by himself, but I wouldn't want him wandering around the streets and parks at 6 in the morning. There are less people out and about and anything can happen.

Wwhat were her parents thinking? As Voltaire once said, "Common sense is not so common." In this case, he is so right....

Technorati Tags: Bones in Motion

Racing with a Garmin Forerunner 205?

2006-05-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Due to a number of recurring achilles injuries over the years, I decided to change my training approach after recovering from my latest bout last summer.

First, I switched from clunky trainers to running solely in racing flats. I use to train in flats all the time in college back in the 80s, and the lower heel to forefoot ratio feels more stable, plus the light weight and responsiveness of flats makes me run more efficiently I believe. As a long time orthotics user, I'm also lucky that my 1/2 length plastic orthotics with no insole cover can fit in most racing flats as well.

The second change has been to build a solid distance base with more emphasis on developing strength and endurance via tempo runs and fartlek. I've been fighting my track/middle distance background by staying away from trackwork as much as possible. Now that racing season is upon us, it's once a week at the track at most, plus some straightaways or 200m strides thrown in at the end of a recovery run to keep some speed in the legs.

Knock on wood, but so far I've been injury free since these changes, and training has been pretty consistent. I've run over 1,000 miles in the first four months of the year with only 6 days off so far. And this Sunday, I intend to run my first race in over a year, the Devil Mountain 5K Run in Danville, CA., to gauge my fitness level.

I'm thinking of racing with my Garmin Forerunner 205 this weekend. I normally race with just a watch or none at all and try to run by feel, but since it has been a while I'm not sure I can trust my less than stellar pacing abilities. I think I'm in about 17:30 shape right now, and I hope by using the 205 I can manage my pacing better and stop myself from going out too fast at the beginning. Plus, it'll be really cool to upload the race data afterwards to SportTracks and analyze the myriad information to see what went right and wrong.

What's the point in training if you can't play with all the resulting data :-)

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, SportTracks

Ups and Downs

2006-05-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

I live in a relatively hilly area so there are a decent amount of ups and downs in most of my routes. Plus my house is on a hill, so while all my runs start off going downhill, I can always count on a final uphill finish for the last .75 miles of every run. Not the funnest way to finish a run.

This morning I got in a decent 10.25 mile run. Here is a graph of the elevation vs distance vs pace of today's run that I pulled from SportTracks, the desktop PC app I use as my main running log.

As I've mentioned numerous times, this is a great PC app that pulls data from my Garmin Forerunner 205, and offers a boatload of features. It's also donationware so you can download a full version for free, and if you like it and feel generous, you can hand over some $$ to the developers. I kicked in $30 and I'm usually a cheap bastard :-) Unfortunately, there is no version for the neglected Mac community. Maybe if enough of you petition the developers they'll consider a port for Macs.

Anyway, I've been feeling a bit rundown of late and I'm not sure if it's due to overtraining or the residual effects of a bug I caught a couple of weeks ago. Probably a bit of both. I've been entertaining thoughts of upgrading my 205 to the Garmin Forerunner 305 with the heart rate monitor (HRM) primarily to see if I'm running my recovery runs too hard. I use to have the Polar s610 HRM and couldn't initially justify the extra cost for the 305 when I decided to purchase the 205. Plus the 205s were available earlier. Now I'm not sure. Oh well, that's to be expected if you are a running gadget geek....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, SportTracks

Another Reason Why the Garmin Forerunner 205 Rocks!

2006-04-30T05:20:00.000-07:00

Today's run is one of the main reasons why I'm so glad I replaced my Garmin Forerunner 201 with the newer and more accurate Garmin Forerunner 205.

This morning I decided to run the King Canyon trail, a forested fire road that runs alongside the Upper San Leandro Reservoir. It was on the first half of this trail that helped demonstrate the Garmin Forerunner 205's superior GPS accuracy as compared to the Forerunner 201.

Instead of turning around about halfway through as I did on earlier runs, I decided to continue to where the trail outlets near another park in my town. I rarely run the whole way because I never knew how long the full segment was since my Forerunner 201 would always lose its signal along the route.

However, today was the day to finally get an accurate measure of this trail. It was a nice sunny morning in the mid-to-upper 50s and the trail was drying out nicely. Still some muddy patches, but not as bad as the last week.

From the trailhead to when I exited it at the other park, the 205 performed perfectly. I did not see another person on the trail nor did I encounter any cattle that usually graze within the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) watersheds. GPS accuracy was always from 18-30 ft.

The 205 measured the section of trail at 4.61 miles while SportTracks crunched the GPS waypoints and came up with 4.62 miles.

Total run was 10.65 miles and although I felt like crap most of the way, I'm glad I finally know the distance of the King Canyon trail after being in the dark for so long. Now this is the reason why I got the Garmin Forerunner 205. Next stop Redwood Park and the French Trail...

Bones in Motion BiM Active Mobile Service Comparison Review with Garmin Forerunner 205: Introduction

2006-04-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Dedicated versus converged devices. The debate is ongoing. Which is better? Which one will win out? In the mobile space it's iPods versus music cell phones or text versus telephony. Things are not much different in the world of personal activity monitoring devices. Do you want distance or heart rate monitoring? Is GPS device or a foot pod accelerometer more accurate? If you want both distance and heart rate monitoring then which is more important, measuring distance or your heart rate?

In the end it always comes down to a highly subjective and personal decision. Usage model is king and compromises still rule the day. Adding to the debate is a new mobile service from Bones in Motion that combines the mobile world with personal activity monitoring via Sprint Nextel's Power Vision EV-DO network and certain GPS-enabled cell phones.

Back in February I wrote at my Mobile Analyst Watch blog about the launch of Bones in Motion's integrated BiM Active website and mobile service. Since I'm a dedicated device running geek, I was a bit dismissive of the whole thing. Fortunately, I've been participating in the Sprint Power Vision Ambassador program and consuming 3G data like it's going out of style with the Samsung A920 Multimedia cell phone. The folks at Bones in Motion graciously agreed to provide me with a pre-release version of the BiM Active Java application for the A920 handset so I could do a comparison review versus my Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS personal training watch.

Before starting, let me make it clear that I AM NOT THE TARGET AUDIENCE for the BiM Active mobile service. As I mentioned, I'm a dedicated device running geek, who wants specific features and functions, lots of data on my runs ands training, and prefers using a PC application to log and analyze the data versus online websites, such as BiM Active and MotionBased.

In my opinion, the BiM Active mobile service is geared more towards recreational athletes, especially women, who:

like to run, bike, walk and/or hike
want to carry a handset while exercising for safety/security purposes
don't want or need all the functions and data of a more complex (and expensive) device
would rather spend a monthly charge for a mobile service rather than own a device with its upfront costs
don't obsess over having to know the absolute exact distance of their activity

In a nutshell, they want something that is simple and easy to use, and records how long the activity took and how far they went. If the distance is off by a bit then it's not a big deal.

WARNING: Potential users should make sure there is Sprint Nextel coverage in the area where they plan to use the service. Depending on the cell phone, BiM Active can still track GPS data if you go outside of Sprint coverage areas, but to actually start and resume an activity you have to be within Sprint's coverage area.

Here are links to the rest of the review:

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, Bones In Motion, BiM Active

Bones in Motion BiM Active Mobile Service Comparison Review with Garmin Forerunner 205: Getting Started

2006-04-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

The Bones in Motion BiM Active mobile service is currently available in the U.S. via Sprint Nextel at $9.99 a month and users must also subscribe to a Sprint data plan as well. Even though it is a Java application, one of the challenges for any company trying to deliver a mobile app/service is porting it to each platform and handset. As Bones in Motion rolls BiM Active out to more handsets and works with more carriers then hopefully adoption will follow. Currently there are only six cell phones enabled for the service. I've been told by Bones in Motion that the Samsung A920 Multimedia cell phone has passed internal Sprint testing and will be available for the service any day now.

Customers interested in the service can sign up in two different ways They can either use their web-enabled Sprint Nextel cell phone to search the Sprint Power Vision portal and download the BiM Active application or go to the BiM Active website, enter their mobile number, receive a text message with a link to the app and then download it to the cell phone. I did the latter and installing the app was very easy and straightforward.

After launching the app you see the main screen above with four options. Go gets you on the way to monitoring an activity; View allows you to see info on your last activity; My Info has an odometer, weather and location info; and Settings enables you to customize the appearance as well as providing an activation code so you can go to the BiM Active website and link the phone to the free online service.

Setting up a web account is easy to do and after logging in you are presented with a bunch of personalized and localized information. There is a link to connect the cell phone to the website by entering the activation code found under settings on the handset. The website is an integral part of the overall service and is used for viewing activity data transmitted from the cell phone, so it is very important for first-time users to set up everything properly.

Once everything is set up, you can get started with a few clicks. Hitting Go takes you to a screen that lets you select the type of activity (Run, Bike, Hike, General). After selecting the activity, the next screen allows you to choose if you want to hear an audible tone when you reach a certain distance (i.e. every 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, mile, etc). Since you can't take manual splits at this time, this setting is also for automatically recording splits for the stated distance, such as every mile.

Next the cell phone will search for satellites and when acquired, you can hit OK to start recording. Satellite acquisition was pretty quick and usually took about 10-15 seconds, which compared quite favorably to my Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS personal training watch. The 205 usually takes at least 30-40 seconds to acquire satellites, which is why I usually place it on the ground in my back yard first and then put my shoes on before starting a run.

One thing to note is right now you can NOT use the BiM Active service and talk on the phone or listen to music at the same time. It's either one or the other. However, Bones in Motion plans to offer this type of functionality (i.e. record an activity AND listen to music or talk on the phone) in the near future, which will make the service even more attractive.

Currently to get around doing only one thing at a time issue, if you get an incoming call while using BiM Active, the service is suspended so you can take the call. When the call is finished you are then given the option to resume monitoring the activity. The same holds true if you want to take a photo or do something else in the middle of an activity. You first pause and then suspend BiM Active. Next you can take your photo, make a call, etc., and then re-launch and resume BiM Active where you left off. Of course, if you continue moving while BiM Active is suspended then your activity is resumed at the location where you restarted and not where you stopped the activity.

When you start the activity, there are two screens if the flip phone has both an internal and external display. Above is a screenshot of the information on the internal display, while below is what you see on the external screen when the flip is closed. In the case of the A920, the external screen is a black background with white characters, which makes it a bit difficult to see in strong sunlight. Using the external buttons to perform a certain function is on a cell phone to cell phone basis. For the A920, hitting any of the buttons will turn on the backlight for the external display.

Here are links to the rest of the review:

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, Bones In Motion, BiM Active

Bones in Motion BiM Active Mobile Service Comparison Review with Garmin Forerunner 205: On the Run

2006-04-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

So how did Bones in Motion's BiM Active service fare when I took it on the run. Surprisingly, quite well. It is missing some features that I would personally like, but the beauty of these kinds of services is that they can continue to make enhancements to BiM Active for both cell phones and the website. Of course from Bones in Motion's perspective, porting these updates for each different manufacturer and cell phone model is a pain, and users have to be notified to download the latest updates, but at least users aren't stuck with an outdated device as the service is improved.

I ran with my Samsung A920 Multimedia cell phone and BiM Active on four separate occasions totaling roughly 38 miles. I purposely chose routes that either use to cause my old Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS reception problems and/or were remote and less frequently traveled (due to time of day and/or location). I did the latter since this is one of the primary reasons to carry a handset when running or exercising alone.

PLEASE NOTE, carrying a cell phone is not a substitute for using common sense. In an ideal world, we wouldn't have to worry about these things, but unfortunately reality is very different. Don't let carrying a cell phone lull you into a false sense of security, and throw caution to the wind, unless you have an even more advance converged device that includes cell phone, BiM Active, pepper spray and/or a taser :-)

I opted to hold the cell phone instead of using an arm band that would secure the cell phone to the upper arm. In order to improve reception, I was advised by Bones in Motion to carry the handset with the back facing up towards the sky since this is where the antenna and GPS chip were located. Ergonomically, it's a bit awkward due to the cell phone design, and I'm guessing folks with smaller hands might find it uncomfortable. I'd probably recommend purchasing an arm band and using it that way instead.

In order to start, pause, resume and stop recording your activity, you need to flip open the cell phone and press the appropriate soft key. This is a bit of an inconvenience, especially if you come to a stop sign or light and/or carry the cell phone in a pocket for cycling purposes. I usually just let the time run unless I think I'll be waiting for more than 5 seconds.

In these situations, it would be nice if one of the cell phone's external buttons could be configured to pause the recording. It would also be nice if there was an option to take manual splits instead of only the automatic splits of the pre-determined distance, which is selected before commencing an activity. There is an audible notification every time an automatic split is taken.

The data presented on both the internal and external displays during an activity are minimal but enough (i.e. time, distance, average pace, last split, calories burned, etc) so if you're looking for a lot of information then this is not for you. Having the external screen helps since you don't have to flip the phone open during the activity to view information. Again being able to configure what type of info you can see on the screens would be nice, but not necessary.

One of the best things about the BiM Active service is transferring activity data from handset to online. When you complete an activity you flip open the cell phone and press stop. You are then given the option to save or discard the activity. If you select save then it uses the Sprint Power Vision Network to upload the data wirelessly to the BiM Active website. No cables or cradles to connect to your PC. You just have to hit the BiM Active website to check out the details of the activity. Nice and easy...

Here are links to the rest of the review:

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, Bones In Motion, BiM Active

Bones in Motion BiM Active Mobile Service Comparison Review with Garmin Forerunner 205: Accuracy and Data

2006-04-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

I found the accuracy of Bones in Motion's BiM Active service to be pretty good. Distances recorded by the mobile service usually averaged around 2 percent less than the distance calculated by my Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS personal training watch.

For example, my first run included a loop around the local country club golf course. It was early in the morning, the course was closed, and a number of holes rise up into the hills surrounding my town. There are some great views and quiet and remote sections. My 205 measured the run at 9.34 miles. SportTracks, the donationware GPS-enabled exercise logbook PC application that I use, calculated the run at 9.32 miles by analyzing the GPS waypoints from the 205 and crunching the numbers using their complex algorithms.

BiM active recorded the run at 9.06 miles. Details of the run, including map, charts and splits, can be found here at BiM Active's free blog for members . Bones In Motion mentions that the ability to publish activity data to external blogs is coming soon.

On another run, I took the cell phone on the same forested and canyoned trail that demonstrated the Garmin Forerunner 205's superior GPS accuracy as compared to the Forerunner 201. The trail was muddy in many places, due to 25+ days of rain in the month of March and the first half of April, but the weather was nice and sunny for a change. BiM Active again did very well and actually continued recording my distance on the out portion of the fire trail even though I was out of the Sprint coverage area for about a mile or so. At the turn around point at about 4.8 miles, BiM Active was only off on the low side by about 2 percent.

However, without knowing I was outside of Sprint's coverage, I decided to suspend the service so I could take the above photo of the trail with the Samsung A920's camera. When I tried to resume BiM Active, I couldn't because I was out of the Sprint coverage area, but after running back for a mile, I was able to resume and all went well for the rest of the run. If I didn't suspend BiM Active at the turn around, it probably would have recorded the entire run, even though the BiM Active FAQ states certain cell phones won't record outside of the coverage area. Of course, YMMV (your mileage may vary) so make sure you have Sprint Nextel coverage in the areas you plan to use the service and the right cell phone.

My latest run with BiM Active was fairly uneventful and the mobile service recorded it at 9.92 miles while the Forerunner 205 said 10.07 miles and SportTracks calculated it to be 10:06 miles. I also uploaded the same run from my 205 to MotionBased, which measured it at 10.09 miles. Less than 2 percent difference. Details of the run recorded by BiM Active can be found here so you can compare the two online services.

I wish I was able to provide more detailed analysis and compare the routes from BiM Active and my 205, but currently BiM Active's website only allows users to upload activities from other GPS devices from Garmin and Timex. So if you like the BiM Active online service and have a GPS monitoring device then you're in luck.

However, if you prefer a PC app, like SportTracks, then you can't export your BiM Active activities to your PC just yet. The folks at Bones in Motion told me they are working to add this feature to the BiM Active website so you can export activities into GPX and/or XML format and play with the data in other apps/services, such as SportTracks, Google Earth, etc. In my opinion this will make the service even more appealing.

Here are links to the rest of the review:

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, Bones In Motion, BiM Active

Bones in Motion BiM Active Mobile Service Comparison Review with Garmin Forerunner 205: Review Wrap-up

2006-04-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

After testing Bones in Motion's BiM Active for a little more than a week and comparing it to my Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS personal training watch, I have put together a list of likes and dislikes as well as a wishlist for the future:

Likes

Simple and easy to use. This point is very important since BiM Active is targeting mainstream recreational exercisers and not hardcore, data-driven, gadget geek athletes like myself. Simplicity is best. This is why the iPod succeeds where others fail.
Fast GPS satellite acquisition times. At 10-15 seconds, it much quicker than my Garmin Forerunner 205
One-click wireless uploading of activity data to the BiM Active website. Again simple and easy with no cables and PCs to mess with.
Can currently pause and suspend mid activity to take a call, photo, etc and then resume from where you left off
Enhancements. New features and updates, such as the ability to record an activity and listen to music on the cell phone at the same time, can be added to both cell phones and the website in the future. Users are not necessarily locked in to old features and functionality
The BiM Active website also accepts data from other GPS devices

Dislikes

Pricing. This is my biggest concern regarding the viability of the service. Personally, I believe the network operators, content developers and service providers are charging way too much for mobile content and services, which in turn is keeping adoption rates low. It will all depend on customer usage models and being able to price accordingly to other services they use. I like the BiM Active service, but at $9.99 a month or roughly $120 for a year is it worth the price? I think if it was priced lower at around $5-6 a month then it would be an easier decision for consumers and more would try it out. A per activity pricing model might be nice too for those folks who only want to record activities on an occasional basis, such as while traveling, etc.
Coverage. If you are in a Sprint no coverage area then you're out of luck
Must flip open handset to start, pause, resume and stop recording. Not a major problem, except maybe for cyclists, but an inconvenience nonetheless.

Wishlist

I know Bones in Motion is working on this, but being able to use BiM Active at the same time as talking on the phone or using the cell phone as music player will be a huge plus
Export data. Allow BiM Active data to be used in other apps, such as SportTracks or Google Earth
More customization. Allow users to customize what info can be seen on the screens and configure external buttons to pause, stop, resume or take manual splits.
Auto pause. If the user comes to a halt, such as a light or stop sign, BiM Active will pause recording until user is in motion again
More enabled cell phones and carriers beyond Sprint Nextel. This pertains to both potential users and Bones in Motion. A wider audience hopefully means greater adoption

So what does this all mean. It all comes down to usage model. If you are a recreational athlete, especially female, who:

likes to run, bike, walk and/or hike (duh!)
wants to carry a cell phone while exercising for safety/security purposes
wants something easy to use and doesn't want or need all the functions and data of a more complex (and expensive) device
would rather pay a monthly fee for a mobile service than own a device with its upfront costs
doesn't obsess over knowing the exact distance of your activity and can live with distance monitoring that is somewhere between 1 to 3 percent off on the low-side (i.e. 5 miles instead of 5.1 miles)

then BiM Active just might be perfect for you. It's easy to use, the service is convenient via both the cell phone and website, and reliability and accuracy is pretty good. The monthly pricing is a bit high and you need to make sure there is Sprint coverage in the areas you intend to use it.

As I noted in my intro, I'm not the target audience. I still prefer my dedicated device, the Garmin Forerunner 205, because of its greater accuracy, customization, and tons of bells and whistles. It's expensive and complex, but I like lots o' data for feedback during the run as well as for post-run analysis. With all that said, I could still envision using the BiM Active mobile service on an ad hoc basis (i.e. forgot watch and want to get in impromptu activity) if there was a per activity pricing model and the export data feature was available.

Overall BiM Active is a good option for the mainstream recreational athlete. If you fit the target audience criteria, don't mind spending $9.99 a month (plus a Sprint data plan) and want a bit more features than a standard stopwatch, but don't want to spend $$ on a dedicated and more complex GPS device, then it is probably worthwhile checking out. The service was pretty solid other than a couple of slight mishaps due to using a pre-production release on my Samsung A920 Multimedia cell phone.

More importantly, since the service is only a couple of months old, hopefully Bones in Motion will continue to add new cell phones and enhancements to BiM Active as they go along, such as using the service as well as the phone or music player at the same time. I'll be very interested in seeing how this mobile service fares as there seems to be a lot of potential for doing some cool and innovative stuff.

Since I'm not the target audience, I will supplement this review by asking some female runners in my area to test out the BiM Active service. Stay on the lookout for this in the weeks to come.

On a closing note, I would like to give Garmin a heads up that they better watch out. Although BiM Active targets a different audience than Garmin's higher-end dedicated devices, they still better be careful. BiM Active is going after the mainstream mobile market, which is much, much bigger than Garmin's potential market. I mean global cell phone market leader Nokia sold 75 million cell phones worldwide in the first quarter of 2006 alone. To put the cell phone market into even better perspective, the total number of iPods sold in the 5 years since it was introduced is roughly 50+ million.

I've wondered in the past why Garmin doesn't jump into this market and partner with carriers and cell phone manufacturers to provide a mobile personal activity monitoring service similar to BiM Active. It's not like they don't have the expertise in house as they already offer the Garmin Mobile GPS navigation service in conjunction with Sprint Nextel. They also acquired MotionBased last fall so they have the website aspect covered as well. Are they afraid a mobile + website service will cannibalize sales of their dedicated devices?

This is a potentially huge market that dwarfs the current market for dedicated personal activity monitoring devices and might offer up a lot of recurring revenue goodness to boot. Of course the key word here is potential. In my opinion, Garmin should stop waiting and start acting on a competing service. Better yet, they might consider acquiring Bones in Motion and put even more mileage between them and the competition....

Here are links to the rest of the review:

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner, Bones In Motion, BiM Active

First Look: Garmin Forerunner 205

2006-04-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I've been talking for some time about upgrading my favorite mobile device, the Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS running watch and replacing it with one of Garmin's Next Generation Forerunners.

The Garmin Forerunner 205, pictured to the left, just started shipping. Originally, due to my procrastination over which model to purchase, the 205 or the 305 with a heart rate monitor, I ended up waiting too long. When I finally ordered the 205 via REI.com, it was on backorder until mid-March.

However as luck would have it, I'm an impatient gadget geek, and while calling REI to check on the status of the order last Thursday night, I was told by the customer service rep that the Seattle retail store actually just got in a couple of units.

I quickly called the Seattle store and ordered the 205, paying $20 extra to have it shipped 2nd day air. Usually I go all out to pay as little as possible for shipping, but I figured I already had gone this far so it made little sense to torture myself even longer to get my hands on the product.

The Forerunner 205 arrived this afternoon and I had a chance to play around with it. I didn't get to take it for a run, but will compare it to the 201 on my run tomorrow morning. Here are my initial thoughts on the Garmin Forerunner 205:

It's bigger than I thought it would be. The picture on the right is a side by side comparison (201 is on the left and 205 on the right). A lot of the size of the 205 is taken up by the antenna, which is built into the bottom of the display. It still feels a bit smaller because it's not as wide as the 201.
The display of the 205 is a little smaller and for some reason doesn't seem as bright or sharp as the 201.
While the 201 had 3 set screens and one customizable with 3 data fields, the 205 allows you to customize 2 main screens and a third activity specific (i.e. run, bike or other) one with 1 to 4 data fields per screen. For example, on my main screen I have 4 fields - total time, total distance, average pace and time of day. On other screens, I have lap time, lap distance, lap pace, elevation, GPS accuracy, etc. This is very cool, especially for data-driven geeks like myself.
I like the 205's plastic strap much better. I was never a fan of the 201's velcro strap.
The side buttons seems a bit hard to push. I hope they loosen up. The Lap and Start/Stop buttons on the face are nice and large so that's another plus.
The GPS receiver seems much stronger. I can lock onto a signal inside my house next to a window. This never happened with the 201.
like the fact I can connect the 205 to my PC via a USB cable and the charging cradle (see pictures below). Charging via USB is a nice bonus. For some reason, the watch doesn't feel that secure in the cradle. It's not a tight fit.

That's all I can think of right now and I need to get to sleep so I can wake up early for my run (I hope it doesn't rain). If you're in my neighborhood tomorrow morning around 6 a.m. make sure to say hello. I'll be the running dork with the big devices on both wrists.....

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner

First Run: Comparison of Garmin Forerunner 205 and 201

2006-04-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted my initial thoughts about my new Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS running watch compared to my former favorite, the Garmin Forerunner 201. I didn't get to take it out for a run until this morning so the following post will try to compare the 205 with the 201 both pre, during and post activity.

Before I jump into it, yesterday I left out one photo showing the 205 with other devices to get a better idea of the size. In the photo above are from left to right, the Forerunner 201, Forerunner 205, Audiovox SMT-5600 Windows Mobile smartphone and a new Timex mid-size running watch for those days I don't need a GPS (i.e. speedwork on the track). I hope this helps.

Pre-Run
Both the Forerunner 201 and 205 were set to the most smoothing for pace. The 205 also has a data recording option of either smart recording or every second, which is most accurate but only allows you to store 3.5 hours of activities. I kept it on smart recording, but will play around with this feature on future runs.

The weather this morning when I left was about 38 degrees and clear skies with some fog in some areas. As usual, I put the 201 in my backyard to give it time to acquire a satellite and then I put on my shoes in my garage. I tried to start up the 205 while in my garage but it took a while to acquire the satellites. It seems a little faster booting up than the 201 but I wasn't timing it.

The Run
I got started at around 6 am and ran a relatively relaxed 9.7 mile run. I picked a route where I sometimes had a weak signal on my 201. Above is a photo of the overall route. The yellow line is the path generated by the 205 and the red line is from the 201. These maps were generated by first uploading the runs to MotionBased, which I believe then uses a complex algorithm to map the GPS waypoint data from the device. I then exported KML files to my desktop and then played with them in Google Earth.

I wore the 205 over my glove on my left wrist and the 201 on my right wrist. I never wear a watch on my right so it was an awkward feeling made even more so due to the shape of the 201. For more detailed info on the run from both devices, I posted them both at MotionBased. The data from the 201 can be found here, while the data from the 205 is here.

The 201 used the Auto Pause function so there is a discrepancy in overall time. Plus, I started the 205 first and wasn't able to figure out how to hit the lap buttons on each device simultaneously so there will be a lag in split times for the 201. Here are some observations from the run:

While the 205 is still a big watch, it feels more comfortable than the 201. It fits more like a watch, while the width of the 201 makes it feel more unnatural on the wrist. Plus, I like the plastic strap a lot more than the 201's velco strap.
The side buttons are stiff and not easy to push, but the lap and start/stop button are better placed than on the 201 and also not stiff.
I originally had the tones turned off, so couldn't tell if I was pressing the buttons on the 205. After turning it back on during the run it was much better.
In theory I like the fact of having upto 4 data fields on one screen on the 205. In practice, it's sometimes hard to see and know what you are looking at, especially in lowlight conditions. Even with the backlight it's not easy. With 4 fields the fonts sizes are smaller and harder to read, but then again I'm 40+ so maybe it's just age
I don't use the "real-time" pacing feature of the 201. I much prefer knowing the average pace for the entire run and the current lap pace. I'm not that interested in knowing how fast I'm going at a specific moment in time. I did set one of the data fields to display "real-time" pace on the 205. The 205 seemed to be more consistent and showed a tighter range of paces. It also seemed closer to how fast I felt I was going relevant to the current conditions (i.e. uphill, downhill, flat) than the 201, which showed a lot of variation and lag. My guess is that if you need this feature then the 205 is more accurate. How accurate? I don't know. It's not a big deal for me cause I won't use it moving forward.

Post Run
After finishing my run, the 205 showed I ran 9.63 miles and the 201 had me at 9.58 (less due to starting 5-10 second later). I estimated the course at 9.7 - 9.75 based on past runs using the 201. Not really a big deal. Uploading the data from the 205 to my PC and to MotionBased was much faster via the USB port as opposed to the 201 serial port.

So while there was a miniscule difference in distances from each device, the differences became more pronounced after MotionBased's algorithms churned through the GPS waypoint data and mapped the runs. MotionBased calculated the distance at 9.67 for the 205 and 9.89 for the 201. At the bottom of the post are 4 photos from different points along the run. The yellow line represents the 205 and the red line the 201. It might be hard to see but the 205 for the most part follows the path I took more closely, and has less zigging and zagging than the 201.

One thing I don't like about the 205 as compared to the 201 is when looking up the history of past activities. When you highlight an activity in the By Day list, a summary of it is in a shaded section at the bottom of the screen, which is hard to read because the font is really small. There is also an extra step when you select the activity. You are first taken to a summary screen and asked if you want to view laps. When you click yes then you can only see 2 laps at a time (the 201 allows 3), and again if you highlight the lap you get summary info for the lap in a shaded section at the bottom.

Summary
Overall I like the 205 a lot. It's more comfortable on the wrist, has better placed buttons (lap and start/stop), more features I'll use, and hopefully will be more accurate too. I plan to do another write up or two after taking it on some trails with heavy tree cover and/or canyons, where I have always lost GPS signals in the past.

If you have any comments or questions then please feel free to let me know....

Here are links to:

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner

Day 2: Garmin Forerunner 205 Solo Run

2006-04-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post some additional thoughts on my new Garmin Forerunner 205. I'll get the bad news out of the way first, my 205 is already broken :-( The power button stopped working and after speaking with Garmin customer support, they will ship me a new unit tomorrow.

In the interim, I can still use the 205. How? Well, I have the cradle hooked up to my PC via the USB cable for uploading and charging. By placing the 205 lightly in the cradle just so the contacts hit then it turns on.

To turn it off, I have to upload the data from the 205 via Garmin's Training Center software, SportTracks or the MotionBased syncing app and the unit automatically turns off. It's inconvenient, but at least I can still use it until I get the replacement.

With that said, I'd like to send props to the folks who developed the donationware desktop application SportTracks, which has quickly become my running logbook of choice (I used Excel before) to record all my miles and other stuff.

I've been using it with my Garmin Forerunner 201 to upload my activities and I like how you can edit the data and see all kinds of information. Plus it has a mapping function and uses some kind of algorithm to calculate distance and elevation based on the GPS waypoints from the device, similar to MotionBased.

When I first received the 205, the device wasn't yet supported by SportTracks. However, they were very responsive and within the day made some quick changes to the software so I could upload activity from the 205. And this was all before I made a donation! So many thanks and the PayPal donation has been sent.

After wearing both the 205 and Foreunner 201 yesterday to compare the two, I decided to take the 205 solo so I could focus more on the run than having to hit multiple buttons. It was a little warmer this morning (44 degrees) and the skies were overcast after rain during the night. I again tried to pick a route where I had previously encountered weak GPS signals with the 201. Above is a map from the run exported directly from SportTracks. Here are some more thoughts on the 205:

Satellite acquisition time was sluggish this morning. I wasn't sure if it was due to leaving the 205 at the backdoor of my garage or the weather
I said it before and I'll say it again. The strap is very comfortable. I hardly notice I'm wearing the 205. The unit also comes with an extension strap if you need to bundle up and want to wear it outside your clothing
I still haven't gotten a weak GPS signal beep in two days
There is an auto scroll feature that cycles the 205 through the 3 screens about once every 6 seconds. It's a nice feature so you don't have to worry about pushing the stiff buttons (I hope the broken power button was an anomaly)
The beep tones are helpful but kind of tinny sounding so if it's noisy you might not hear them. It would have been nice to have a way to chose the volume level (i.e. low, medium and high)
There is a data field which allows you to see the GPS accuracy in feet. I'm not sure how low it goes. The lowest I've seen in my area is 17 feet and usually it's in the 20s. This is another cool feature for the really anal types
The history screens are still too dark and hard to read. I wish they didn't use the shading and just had the plain background
The battery indicator just shows 4 vertical bars. I liked the feature on the 201 where it told you how many hours of charge were left when you powered it on.
I used the every second data recording feature this morning and it seems to be more accurate based on looking at the map from SportTracks. It says you can only record 3.5 hours of activity, but I'm unsure if that is at a time or overall. In other words, is that all the 205's internal memory can hold? Need to find the answer to this one.

Overall the 205 had me at 9.72 miles, SportTracks calculated it at 9.77 and MotionBased at 9.86. I'll say it's around 9.7 - 9.75 based on past runs using the 201.

I'll try to do another comparison between the 205 and 201 tomorrow on an out and back course through some canyons that always caused the 201 to lose a signal. I'll also keep you posted on the return situation as well....

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Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner

Day 3: Another Comparison Run with the Garmin Forerunner 205 and Forerunner 201

2006-04-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

There must be huge pent-up demand for mobile devices that cater to gadget geek runners because traffic has more than quadrupled since I posted my first look at the Garmin Forerunner 205, my first comparison run between the 205 and Garmin Forerunner 201, and a day 2 solo run with the 205. It probably doesn't hurt that there are not many 205s out in the wild yet.

Before I get in to today's run, I posted all the Forerunner-related photos in my spanking, new Flickr account so you can see everything in one place.

This morning I decided to take the 205 and 201 out again on another comparison run. As opposed to the first time, I wore both on my left wrist (see above). I also set the 205 back from every second recording to smart recording.

The weather was pretty miserable: a chilly 42 degrees (for the Bay Area) with a light to steady rain, and a slight breeze. It even hailed for part of the run. Also, the fact that my power button is broken meant that I couldn't use the 205's backlight, which made it tough to see info during the earlier part of the run due to it still being dark out.

I kept both devices under the sleeve of my windbreaker most of the run to minimize getting rain on them. The 205 supposedly can be submersed in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes, but I don't know how that translates into rainy conditions.

I ran an out-and-back route (see photo above with red line indicating the route of the 201 and the yellow line representing the 205) with the first 2.6 miles on local roads then the next 2 miles on a paved trail that drops roughly 175 ft in elevation (620ish to 450ish). I then turned around and re-traced my route. The photo above and below were both generated by SportTracks and Google Earth.

The trail section I ran is part of a paved rails-to-trails path that has every .25 miles marked. The markings are pretty accurate since I believe they were measured with a wheel by the local college an/or high school.

The second mile (going out which is the third mile coming back) of the trail section goes through a canyon of sorts. In the picture below you can see open space hills on the left and trees on the right. The path itself is not really under cover, but I've lost the GPS signal on my 201 there in the past.

The overall run I estimated at 9.2 miles. The 201 and 205 both gave me similar results. The 201 had me at 9.28 miles with SportTracks calculating it at 9.37 and MotionBased at 9.40. The 205 had me at 9.26 miles with SportTracks at 9.25 and MotionBased at 9.30. The out and back sections were also pretty much the same and the 2 mle measured trail section came out as 2.00 for both on the way out and 1.98 for the 201 and 1.99 for the 205 on way in. Not much of a discrepancy.

I was pleased with the 201s performance since I haven't used it on this trail for almost two years due to past GPS reception problems. I'd have to credit Garmin for the improved performance because I have updated the software on the device several times and that seems to have made a difference.

However, if you look closely at the photo of the mile section described above, you can see that the 205 (yellow line) pretty much follows the trail while the 201 (red line) wanders. This is probably why SportTracks and MotionBased calculated the mileage for the 201 higher than the 205.

You can see the run details at MotionBased for the 201 and 205.

One last note. I usually don't read manuals until I'm stuck on something so I didn't catch this cool new feature of the 205. When you power up you get the locating satellites bar. If you hit the up or down buttons, you can see a bar graph of which of 30+ satellites are acquiring plus the signal strength level. There is also another screen which shows the satellites in a compass format with the ones acquired highlighted. Very cool stuff that only a geek could love.

I'll try and take both out on a fire trail that I never could measure with the 201 if things dry up here. Also I'll play around with the elevation stuff to see if I can write intelligently about the subject...

Here are links to:

Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner

Day 4: Garmin Forerunner 205 Solo Run Over Forested Trail

2006-04-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

Good news today. First, hats off to Garmin's customer support for sending me the replacement Garmin Forerunner 205. They ended up sending it Next Day Air for delivery on Saturday and it arrived this morning. Service doesn't get better than that. The unit is all charged up and ready to use for my run tomorrow.

Second, if you run often on tree-covered/forested routes and/or through challenging GPS reception conditions, and have qualms whether the 205's GPS accuracy is improved enough over the Garmin Forerunner 201 to make it worth the extra money, well, this post might help you make up your mind. Disclaimer: your mileage may vary.

There was a lull in the rain that has afflicted the San Francisco Bay Area this week and I woke up to a crisp, sunny morning with temps in the upper 30s and some lingering fog. I only used my broken-buttoned 205 for my run and took a chance on some dirt trails nearby that usually caused my 201 tons of GPS reception problems.

I ran an out-and-back route with the first 2.2 miles over local streets and a paved walking trail. This put me at the trailhead staging area/parking lot. The trail is part of the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and goes along the East side of the Upper San Leandro Reservoir. Due to the recent rain, the trail was very muddy in spots, but luckily I was able to navigate them without losing a shoe.

The photo above is of the 1.1 mile segment that goes from the staging area through a wooded section to a dirt fire road that comes to a cattle gate. After the gate the trail starts to climb in the the hills and woods. On my 201, I would usually lose the GPS signal in both the wooded section, and as the trail climbed into woods to the 1.1 mark.

The photo above and below were both generated by SportTracks and Google Earth. The yellow line is the path generated by the 205 and the red line is from a run last week over the same trail in similar conditions (clear and sunny) using the 201. While the 205 stayed pretty close to the trail in the above segment there was a lot of wandering by the 201.

The photo above is of the next section of the trail that I've never been able to accurately measure due to my 201 always losing the GPS signal. This part of the fire trail rolls up and down, following the contours of the steep, forested hills as they rise above the reservoir.

There are parts that are heavily shaded and I would usually just run for a prescribed amount of time before turning around and heading back. Most times the 201 measured the out segment at least 15-20% shorter than the return so I would end up guesstimating the distance by dividing the total time by my perceived pace (i.e. 10 minutes at around 8:30 min/mile equals approximately 1.15 miles.

The 205 did a very good job tracking along the actual trail. There was some wandering but it was nowhere near the amount the 201 did on this section from last week's run. Plus, I never had a weak GPS signal warning on the 205 today and the GPS accuracy data field always stayed within 20-30 feet.

I was duly impressed with the 205 today. The overall distance of the run was 9.68 miles on the unit. SportTracks calculated the distance by crunching the GPS waypoints at 9.67 while MotionBased used their algorithmn to clock it at 9.76 miles.

The 205 really nailed the splits of each segment. Going out it recorded 2.23 miles to the trailhead, 1.09 miles to the start of the rolling/winding/shady section of the trail and then 1.51 miles to my turnaround point. The way back it recorded me at 1.5, 1.11 and 2.23 respectively. Very consistent. Here are the run details at MotionBased if you're interested.

I like buying the newest gadgets so I could easily justify the 205 purchase, because of its better form factor (e.g. shape, more comfortable strap, lap and start/stop buttons, etc). Plus it has more advanced features than the 201. However, until today I wasn't sure if its increased accuracy was really worth the extra money.

On my other runs the accuracy differences between the 205 and 201 were minor. Only until the waypoints were mapped by SportTracks or MotionBased could you really notice a difference. However today's run definitely highlighted the 205's improved GPS accuracy and reception.

So like I say for other mobile devices, it really comes down to the individual usage model. If you're not an anal data geek, don't want to spend two fitty and/or run on wide open routes with great GPS reception then the 201 should be fine.

However, if you regularly run routes that go under heavy tree coverage and/or challenging GPS reception conditions then the 205 or Forerunner 305 might be your better bet, especially if you want the most accurate measure of how far you ran.

Again, your mileage may vary and this was only one run under cover....

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Technorati Tags: Garmin, GPS, Global Positioning System, Satellite Navigation, Forerunner

First Week: Garmin Forerunner 205 Review Wrapup

2006-04-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

Unless my new Garmin Forerunner 205 (the second one) explodes on me or suffers major quality or GPS accuracy issues, this post will serve as a wrap-up review of the Forerunner 205 after playing with it for one week.

However, before I jump into summarizing my thoughts, I first one to touch on my run this morning where I tested the course and virtual partner features. This morning was my seventh day running with the 205 (4 with the broken power button unit and 3 with the replacement - thanks Garmin customer service for the quick turnaround!).

I've been sort of sidetracked from my usual training schedule in my enthusiasm to test the 205 and compare it with my Forerunner 201. Plus, the extra mileage was making me feel a bit rundown. The recent rains in Northern California didn't help either.

For today, I decided to get back on schedule and put in a steady half-marathon/marathon-paced effort over a course in my town that is used by the local high school for its annual Fourth of July 5 mile fundraising race. I use this route for tempo-like efforts and I start and end at a different place, and don't run the tangents so it comes out to around 5.1 miles.

I've been wanting to use the 205's course and virtual partner feature, but since I haven't run this route yet with my 205, I needed to find another way to get the course onto my device. Brad Culberson at MotionBased has developed a neat little online course creator that allows you to plan a route using Google maps, pick a pace for that route and then save it to your PC. Using Garmin's Training Center software, you can then upload the course to your Forerunner 205. Not wanting to lose to my virtual partner, I chose a conservative 7 minute mile pace and after plotting the course it came out to be 5.1 miles as well. Now I was all set.

The weather this morning was rainy as usual and I warmed up by running 1.7 miles to the start of the 5.1 mile course. I saved this activity and reset the 205. I went into the Training menu, selected courses and then the course I had created and uploaded. I chose Do Course, pressed start and I was away.

With virtual partner enabled as well, you get two extra screens and a revised main screen. The revised main screen tells you how much of the course distance and time is left. The first extra screen is of two graphical running icons and the distance separating you from the virtual partner based on the goal pace (i.e. 7 min/mile) and the actual pace/distance run. The second extra screen shows your progress as a dot along an elevation graph. If you have maps enabled on the unit, you can also hit mode to chart your progress via the route.

Virtual partner is kind of gimmicky, but it was fun to see myself virtually pull away during the run. I ended up getting in a pretty decent effort and I heard victory beeps right at the finish notifying me I had beaten my VP. I then finished up with a 2.4 mile cooldown.

Plotting the route (and measuring it for that matter) was pretty accurate via the online mapping tools so if you run solely on roads and don't need the latest gadgets and data then this might be a free way to measure your runs. The other cool thing about the 205 is now I can create a course from today's effort (route, distance and time) for use at a later time. This course will be at today's pace so if you like to measure your progress (or lack thereof) over a specific route then VP is for you.

Details of the 5.1m mile run can be found at MotionBased.Below are two graphs of the elevation along the route. The first is taken from SportTracks and charts the elevation and distance with my pace. The second chart is from MotionBased and only shows elevation as it corresponds to distance.

With that out the way, here is my first week wrap up of my likes and dislikes of the new Garmin Forerunner 205 as well as cool stuff and wishlist for the future:

Likes

Comfort and Form factor: Usage model is very important and while the 205 is big, it feels and wears like a wrist watch. The plastic strap is more comfortable than the 201's velco strap, and the unit also comes with an extension strap if you need to bundle up and wear it outside your clothing. Personally, I want to look at my watch for instant data (i.e. time, pace, distance, etc) and feedback so I'm unwilling to place a device on my upper arm even if I have to sacrifice accuracy. In terms of form factor, the lap and start/stop buttons are well placed and sized on the face of the watch.
GPS Accuracy: The Garmin Forerunner 205's GPS receiver seemed much stronger. I can lock onto a signal inside my house next to a window, I haven't received one weak signal in a week over routes that caused my 201 trouble. And on my one run over a tree-covered, GPS signal-challenging course, the 205 came out a star, finally allowing me to measure a route that I was unable to with my 201. The GPS accuracy data field and the satellite acquisition screen are also cool bonuses.
Customization: The 205 allows you to customize 2 main screens and a third activity specific (i.e. run, bike or other) one with 1 to 4 data fields per screen. This is very cool, especially for data-driven geeks like myself. Another great thing about all the Forerunners is you can customize screens and settings on the fly without interrupting your current activity.
Real-Time Pacing: I'm not that interested in knowing how fast I'm going at a specific moment in time so never was a big fan of the "real-time" pacing feature of the 201. With that said, the 205 seemed to be more consistent and showed a tighter range of paces. It also seemed closer to how fast I felt I was going relevant to the current conditions (i.e. uphill, downhill, flat) than the 201, which showed a lot of variation and lag.
USB Cradle: Charging and uploading via USB is a nice. Much faster than the 201's serial port.

Dislikes

Display: The display of the 205 seems smaller and the history screens are dark and hard to read. I wish they didn't use the shading and just had the plain background.
Real-time elevation: For me this isn't a big deal, but the "real-time" elevation reading lags on the 205. It seems to tie closely with GPS accuracy. For example, after I finish my runs I'll usually walk a little in my backyard to cool down. The real-time elevation reading will then "catch up" to the correct elevation.
Buttons: My broken power button seems to be an anomaly so far since I haven't read of others with the same problem. With that said, the side buttons seems a bit stiff to me.
Battery indicator: It just shows 4 vertical bars. I liked the feature on the 201 where it told you how many hours of charge were left when you powered it on.

Cool Stuff

Tons of features: There are a lot of things the 205 can do such as import courses, advanced workouts, virtual partner and a bunch of other features that I need to explore

Wishlist

Reduce form factor
Color screen
Increase battery life
Improve waterproofing/water resistance
Add wireless connectivity for uploading and downloading data and information over the air to PC or mobile service

This wishlist seems to be standard gadget geek fare for any droolworthy device so please take it with a grain of salt.

So that's it for now. I hope you found these reviews helpful. Next up I hope to review Bones in Motion's BiM Active service. BiM Active is a mobile service currently through Sprint that provides GPS personal fitness tracking and logging via a cellphone. Once I get a Sprint handset to play with, I hope this will be my next review project....

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