Some of you may remember when I first started running last year how I was salivating over a Garmin Forerunner GPS enabled watch. I never did get it.
So now that I'm training to run a half-marathon, the bug has come back in full force. I found a Garmin 305 Forerunner for $179 on Amazon. It tells your heartrate, how fast you're going, and your distance. (plus a lot more.)
I *really* *really* wanted this.
But, financially speaking, I *really* *really* am NOT in a place where I should be spending nearly $200 on a watch.
So last week I was cleaning out a drawer as part of my decluttering effort (and moving prep.) Lo and behold, I found a Timex Sportswatch and chest heart rate monitor!
The only problem with the watch was that the battery was dead.
So today after work I stopped by Walmart's jewelery department and had them put a new battery in the watch. I also thought the chest heart rate monitor would need a new battery - but the guy told me it was good to go.
The new battery? It cost $4.33 including tax.
This setup won't tell me how fast I'm going, nor will it tell me how far I've gone, but it will help me by letting me see how hard I'm working (heart rate) and how long it takes me to run a course. (Which would have been nice for my race this past weekend, so I could have had my actual race time.)
Maybe, if I keep up with my running past the half-marathon this December, then it would be worth it to invest in a Garmin, but for right now, my Timex will do the job! 
Avoiding temptation for $4.33 ... at least for now :)
July 8th, 2009 at 02:32 am
July 8th, 2009 at 03:03 am 1247022222
July 8th, 2009 at 03:07 am 1247022431
July 8th, 2009 at 03:50 am 1247025037
But, I ran a half marathon, and when I was done, it said I had gone 10.9 miles. If you are near any trees or tall buildings, it loses accuracy. And it doesn't seem to check in with the signal often enough (not sure how to describe that--I'm not techie enough). So if you run around a corner, sometimes it cuts the corner off and just maps the line as the crow flies between the two points when it checks in with the satellite (like one point down the block it records, then you run to the corner and go around it, and then it records a point halfway around the next block. Rather than mapping the whole thing, it just shows the shortest distance between the two points). Enough of those on one route, and it quickly becomes inaccurate.
Certainly not worth the money someone paid for it. It was a wonderful idea, and I hope there will be a better version in a few years.
July 8th, 2009 at 03:53 am 1247025233
Have you used any of the devices you clip to your shoe that tracks your pace? Like the Nike one?
July 8th, 2009 at 04:43 am 1247028193
July 8th, 2009 at 04:54 am 1247028883
July 8th, 2009 at 05:03 am 1247029411
I haven't tried the Nike gizmo. But if I remember right, it's just communication between your shoe and your wrist (or iPhone, maybe?) It would seem harder to screw that up.
I'll ask some of my friends who run.
What I do now is this: I mapped out about 6 routes of different lengths near my house. I drove my car and used the odometer to figure the distance. Then, I just use my regular old watch. When I was training for the HM, I had to do some other distances, too, so added a few (I keep a notebook with the routes described so I don't get confused!) It's pretty low-tech. But, I like running mostly the same routes... less thinking involved and I know that the surfaces and smooth and not slanted (changed my route one day and ended up having to run about a mile with my right foot hitting a surface much lower than my left--sore hip!).
Another advantage of running the same routes is that I could compare over weeks or months. Compulsive, yes. I write down each time I run: how far, how long. Am I getting faster? Perhaps I'm getting sick or didn't sleep well since I went a lot slower than usual today or whatever.
July 8th, 2009 at 05:13 am 1247029987
If you do get a chance to ask your running friends about the Nike gizmo, or others similar to it, please do let me know what they say.
I've used mapmyrun.com to map out routes before, although that still isn't perfect.
I can see the wisdom in sticking with a few set routes - esp. to be able to analyze info over time. I'm keeping a journal/blog of sorts to keep track of my training. I probably should add a section into my workout reports about sleep/diet and how they/it affected or didn't affect my run. That would be good info to look at over the long run.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:54 pm 1247057664
But good work on keeping your impulses in check!
July 8th, 2009 at 08:30 pm 1247085019
July 9th, 2009 at 02:07 am 1247105237
Six,
You're right, that probably would be a good way to figure out my pace. It's just that mapmyrun isn't totally correct, unless you stick strictly to roads. For example, there is a park I've ran in a couple times, but have walked a lot. There is a road that goes about 40% of the way around it, and then you follow sidewalks for another 30-40%. The remainder is either this alleyway, or go a little further to an actual road. It's impossible on mapmyrun to know if you are mapping the alleyway, or if you are mapping the road in that section. There are also sidewalks that cut through the park ...
So, yes mapmyrun is useful, but it isn't very good for when you may want to cut through an area, or go through an area with an unmarked road.
July 9th, 2009 at 04:05 am 1247112314
July 9th, 2009 at 04:20 am 1247113204
I think the half-marathons are chip timed (at least I hope they are!) I'm more wanting it for my training runs - to help me keep a fairly steady pace.