Garmin FR210 - your mileage may vary

Example of 210 cutting corners, under counting distance

Today's run (street): 3.92 miles

As expected, the rain started last night and continued into the morning. At 7:00 AM I was considering doing an extended elliptical session rather than suffering a soaking run. By 7:30 the rain had slowed to a drizzle and I went outside in hopes of running 30-40 minutes before the next deluge. Yesterday's Stillwell workout was rough, in the best of ways, but I felt no residual effects of it this morning.

It didn't take too long to acquire a signal on the Garmin and I took off after a couple of minutes of dynamic stretching. I still had some pain in my left knee but it wasn't too bad. At this point it's an irritant more than an injury and it usually goes away after a few minutes.  I felt that I was moving fairly well at the beginning but according to the Garmin I was running slightly over 10 min/mile. By now I know the difference between a 9:30 and 10 minute pace and I also know that the Garmin, at best, under-counts my speed by 3%. I didn't worry too much about my pace but I began to pick things up by mile 2.

After verifying my true distance on Gmaps I saw that the Garmin had under-recorded my run by 6.8%. An examination of my route recorded on the 210, using Garmin Training Center, showed the many variances from my actual route that added up to that margin of error. I'm guessing the heavy cloud cover may have interfered with the GPS sampling frequency. I was hoping that this watch would provide a closer margin than -3%, which seems to be the average variance. I'll just expect to have an even greater variance on cloudy days.

Star Treks - biking and running at Stillwell Woods

Twin Treks - two times the fun

Today's workout (Stillwell Woods): 6.5 miles (bike), 3.15 miles (run)

I'm no longer plagued with noticeable knee pain but the problem hasn't fully disappeared. I'm looking at lower impact workouts to help facilitate recovery. One way to do this is to incorporate more elliptical workouts and to do some biking. This morning KWL came by at 7:00 AM and put on a bike repair clinic, making me and my wife's (15 year old) Trek hybrids trail-worthy in less than 30 minutes. KWL rode one of the Treks instead of his high end Scott mountain bike to keep things even.

Once we made the 5 minute drive to Stillwell we unloaded the bikes and it was strange being one of the "bike guys" rather than solely a trail runner. After a couple of last minute adjustments we headed into the woods with my Garmin 210 and KWL's Garmin 800 recording our progress via GPS. It's been years since I've done more than a cursory bike ride around the neighborhood so after finding myself on hilly and rooty single-track I was a little bit nervous. I was surprised how well I was able to move along and quickly gained the confidence to pick up my speed. The trails at Stillwell were whizzing by, much different from the way it looks when I run them.

KWL demonstrated techniques for navigating rough sections and he taught me optimal body position and when it was best to rise from my seat. This helped a lot when we were going over roots, rocks and other obstructions. KWL also guided me on what gears I should use when going up a rise or negotiating a steep descent. We followed my standard running route that is mostly packed dirt but there is one section that's a mix of sand and gravel and two consecutive gravel and sand covered hills that required a lot of speed on run-up, lest you fall back or stop.

We rode for about 50 minutes and then quickly changed to running gear and headed back into the woods for a 5K trail run. It seemed much different running those trails after flying along them minutes before. I felt as though I was running in slow motion but we actually covered the first mile in under 10 minutes. By mile two the hard work of the ride was catching up with me and I looked forward to finishing. We came around for our last loop and my right quad was complaining loudly. I told KWL that I felt the same as I did at the end of the half marathon. He completed a 120 mile ride last Sunday with 102 miles done during the GrandFondo challenge and had no problems with our ride but he also felt the run.

I'm finally able to upload my activities on the Garmin to both Connect and Training Center and I've enjoyed the mountain of data that you can analyze. One feature that I like about Training Center is the capability to overlay two runs and directly compare progress via two small circles that move along the path relative to their speed on the course. It's me vs. me. I like those odds.

I loved this morning's bike-and-run combo and I know I made progress on my fitness. Mountain biking is a blast, even when you're riding on a bike that weighs twice as much as its modern day equivalent.

Blogger troubles and Garmin struggles



The lost post is still lost. Note today's date

 Yesterday's run (street): 2.5 miles
Today's run (street) 2.3 miles

It looks like yesterday's post may be gone forever. According to the status reports from Blogger, I should have seen my last post restored when the system was brought back up. This has not been the case. It's frustrating and a little scary. You assume that Google would have been competent enough to back up its servers or cache recently posted content before taking down the system for "maintenance."  I may reconstitute Thursday's post using both my original draft and a prematurely published version. Or maybe I'll just let it go and call it the Great Lost Post. Although I should say it wasn't all that great.

Editor's note: Missing 5/12 post has been restored by Google

My post: "Garmin 210 -- Upload troubles but consistent inaccuracy" referred to an unsuccessful attempt to upload run data from the Garmin 210 to Garmin Connect. I'm hoping to resolve that issue this weekend. Wednesday and Thursday the Garmin under-counted my runs by about 3.5%. This was a disappointment, but not entirely unexpected, since my prior experience with GPS tracking on my iPhone showed substantial inaccuracies. I want to see what the Garmin recorded in terms of route vectors compared to my actual path so I can better understand where the 210 came up short.

This morning I went out for a run and I followed a different route from Wednesday and Thursday's. This time the error was only 2.2%. I had discussed the accuracy issues with FS who suggested that this morning's route may have had less curves and turns which would explain the higher accuracy. I believe she has a point. I'm really hoping I can get the Garmin to actually connect to Garmin Connect so I can upload and analyze my runs. Tomorrow morning KWL and I are  planning to do a mountain bike ride and follow it with a 5K or 4 mile run. It will be the first time trying the 210 in the woods. Should be interesting.

Garmin 210 -- upload troubles but consistent inaccuracy

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

Yesterday's run, as recorded by the Garmin 210, came up short when compared to route mapping on both Gmaps and Google Earth. The variance in distance was about -2.5%. That seems close when viewed reciprocally (being 97.5% accurate) but I commonly saw less than +/-1% variance with a calibrated foot pod. I tried to upload my run to Garmin Connect so I could view the GPX and KMZ files that would show the recorded vectors against a Google map and, perhaps, reveal where the GPS capture cut corners. Unfortunately that attempt didn't work within the time I had to try it so I'll fight that battle this weekend.

I went out today and followed the same route as Wednesday, using yesterday's distance as a benchmark. Both runs felt about the same but I ran about 39 seconds longer this morning. The Garmin recorded the route .01 miles less than yesterday's distance so at least the 210 is consistent in its inaccuracy. I'm disappointed with Garmin for having such poor documentation related to uploading runs and I'm also disappointed to discover that the GPS is under-recording my distance. But I do like the watch and I'm certain that I'll get it all figured out eventually.

First run with the Garmin 210

Now it's just me, the road and 10 satellites

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles

Last night UPS delivered my new Garmin 210 and I was excited by the prospect of doing my morning run free of the foot pod and calibration concerns. The foot pod wasn't necessary but after the watches' first use I do question the overall accuracy. I bought the watch online this weekend -- the basic 210 without the foot pod/HRM bundle. I got a great price and free delivery two days later. I un-boxed the watch and plugged it in to charge the lithium battery. Setup took seconds and the watch automatically acquired the date and time via satellite signal.

This morning I was excited to try the watch. My only experiences with GPS tracking were with various GPS apps on my iPhone (bad) the QStarz Sports Recorder (worse). I stepped outside and activated the satellite receiver and the 210 grabbed its connection in seconds. My iPhone usually takes minutes to get a GPS signal. I hit the start button and off I went. My knee is still bothering me but after getting the "okay" to run from the doctor yesterday I accepted the mild pain. Three minutes into the run the pain disappeared and I was able to focus on my form. I think my stride was a little unbalanced at first but I managed to pick up my pace without a problem.

I passed mile one a short distance after my known benchmark but it was close enough to think the GPS's accuracy was in the ballpark. I covered the first mile in 9:27, mile 2 at 9:01 and the last half mile at an 8:50 pace. Those were my calculations based on careful retracing of my route on Gmaps. The 210 recorded my distance .07 miles (2.8%) less than that. I'll be curious to see if the accuracy varies consistently. I'm hoping that an examination of the GPX file overlay on Google Earth will show where the 210's GPS cut corners to end up short. Unless of course, it's actually Gmaps that's off...

Time for my knee to see the doctor

Today's workout (elliptical): 25 minutes

I'm still paying the price for over-training prior to my half marathon. I obviously aggravated something in my left knee that got worse as a result of the race. Since then I've tried to minimize impact on my knee by keeping my runs below 5 miles. Despite that, my knee continues to feel sore and I'm now experiencing pain in the heel of my left foot.

I iced my knee for about 90 minutes last night and took Aleve before I went to bed. It felt okay when I got up and though I planned to do my usual 2+ mile run this morning, I decided that a no impact workout would be a better choice. I pushed as hard on the elliptical as I would have if I'd ran and in the end I knew I made the right decision. Later today I'm seeing the company doctor (who I understand is also a runner) to get his opinion on whether my injury should be looked at by an orthopedist (please say no!).

Running difficulty? It's mostly in your head

I reached a point in both my runs this weekend where I thought "Gee, this is hard." But when I thought about it I couldn't really identify the thing that was making my run feel difficult. I wasn't having trouble with my breathing or my knee. My legs were beginning to lose energy but they weren't painful. I realized that the run felt hard because I had covered a certain distance and assumed that's how I should be feeling.

The mild discomfort I felt after four miles of steady pacing was nothing compared to the "I just want it to stop!!" feeling I'd experienced during last Sunday's half marathon. I tried to think about how I'd felt four miles into that 13.1 mile race. Four miles represented only 30% of the distance I'd prepared to cover, while on Sunday it represented my full distance. Had I previously decided to run five miles instead of four would my discomfort have started later? It's clear to me that the hardest part of running (until you reach your physical limits) is preventing a perception of difficulty from undermining a good run.

Morning at Stillwell and Caleb Smith at noon

Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 4.25 miles

Today is Mother's Day and it's been busy. I wanted to get going early but due to some ad hoc celebrating, I didn't get out the door at 7:00 as I'd planned. By 8:15 I was at the trail head at Stillwell Woods with temperatures in the low 50's and bright sun. The holiday had kept most people at home. While I love company on the trails, I was glad to have the place more or less to myself.  I saw some bikers staging in the lot but didn't encounter anyone but hikers during my run.

The woods were alive with birds, rabbits and other creatures and the humidity was so low I didn't even break a sweat until I'd completed my second mile. I wasn't paying attention to my pace but knew I was moving well and I managed get through the hills without much trouble. Due to our tight schedule I kept the run to around 40 minutes but that was sufficient for my needs. My knee is much better at this point but I still feel some soreness when I go from sitting to walking. Happily this disappears with activity and I don't experience any pain when I'm running. Keeping my distances under five miles this weekend was a good move. I'll look to add more distance next weekend.

Things were ducky on the lake at Caleb Smith

One of our Mother's Day activities today involved a return to Caleb Smith Park Preserve in Smithtown, NY. We like this park a lot. It has well groomed and well marked trails, good access to its lake and a small but interesting nature museum. Four miles of trail running and then some hiking at Caleb Smith made for an active day. Later we spent some time setting up umbrellas and furniture in the pool area, providing an unexpected but welcomed upper-body workout.

A whole different level of gear

Grand Fondo registration

Today's run (street): 4.5 miles

Yesterday afternoon I headed over to the Roseland Ballroom with KWL and another friend so they could pick up their Grand Fondo race bibs and their official Giordana race jerseys. Unlike the race event shirts we runners get, these jerseys are full zip form-fitting tops that probably cost more than the registration fee of a major 10K. Consequently, there were numerous race participants trying their shirts to make sure they fit perfectly. I suspect many of these jerseys will be worn on race day.

Clothes, bikes and gels for sale

Following the number pickup was a visit to the Expo. The scale was small relative to the RXR LI Marathon Expo I attended last week but there was a lot to look at. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between a cycling and a running expo. Like running, cycling has its nutrition, hydration, gear, clothing and shoes. But unlike running, there is a whole other world of amazing technology -- carbon frames that cost $3,000, wheels that seem to weigh less than the spokes of my old Raleigh (and cost 10X as much), and sleek machines that rival the most exotic Italian sports cars in terms of functional design.

Focus bikes, an emerging high end brand

It was great to see all this cool technology yet I felt no emotional desire for the clothes, gear or bikes. I'm planning to get my 15 year old Trek road-ready so I can do some cross training at Bethpage and possibly Stillwell but I have no desire to buy a Specialized Stumpjumper. After all, I can buy 50 pairs of Saucony Kinvaras for the same price.

This morning I went out for my first serious run since Sunday's race. I ran on Wednesday but kept things easy and slow. Today, despite the mild soreness of my knee, I hit the road intending to cover 3-4 miles. I figured that if my knee flared up I'd shut down the run to prevent further injury. I'm pleased to say that I had no issues at all. Hours later my knee still feels good - even better than before I ran. I covered 4.5 miles at a mid-nine minute pace. Though I felt I was running faster than that I was satisfied and glad to be firmly back to running in the 9 minute range.

Protect the knee and then build the base

Half marathon finish

I went out after work with some friends and got home later than I normally do. That cut into my sleep and I decided to rest instead of running this morning. I'm very close to full recovery from my half marathon last weekend but my knee is still a little sore. I compare it to how it felt last Saturday, the day before my race. I didn't feel guilty for skipping a workout today because I feel another day without impact on my knee can only help.

I had hopes of going out this weekend and doing at least one heroically long run to mark my post-half arrival. I'm now thinking about a different approach, where I cap my distance at around four miles on each run. That way I can protect my knee as it recovers and add distance each week until I'm back to 10+ mile base runs.

I had lunch with my friend CMc yesterday and he reinforced the need to do training runs at (or longer) than my targeted race distance. This makes sense since I'd never run 13 miles before Sunday and my performance took a tumble after 11. A steady diet of 10+ mile runs at least once a week will put me in good shape to run another half, should I choose to do so. Even if I stay primarily with 10K's I'll see great benefits from that type of training. I really want to be better prepared for my next race.

Goodbye foot pod, hello Garmin 210

Not sure what I want more, the watch or the displayed performance

Today's workout (elliptical): 20 minutes

I'm thinking again about buying a GPS watch. My frustrations with using a foot pod are rising due to accuracy issues and, except for treadmill runs, a GPS solution may be preferable. I started using the Nike sensor back in 2008 to track my performance. It worked fairly well once I got the hang of calibrating it but this technology was only accurate when paired with Nike shoes (that have a well to secure the chip). I don't like Nike shoes and, besides that, the wristband that captured the feed via RFID link was poorly made. After replacing it twice I asked for a refund and bought a Garmin FR50.

The FR50, and later, the FR60 are a great design. I truly love the watches and their easy synchronization with Garmin Connect. My key issue is with the foot pod that uses an accelerometer and needs to be tuned for every shoe. Since I'm a bit of a shoe freak and often switch between pairs it usually creates issues with calibration. I manage these issues through ad hoc adjustments that never quite coincide with my true distance. I've done my share of runs using GPS apps on the iPhone and the results are universally bad, although they offer some good features other than tracking.

With all that I'm reading good things about the Garmin 210, a less complex version of their 400 (and now 600) series GPS watches. The 210 lacks some of the features that the higher end watches have but the 210 does support a foot pod sync (for indoors) and wireless connectivity to a heart rate monitor. I'm going to start pricing out this watch. Father's day is coming!

First post-half marathon run

Today's run (street): 2 miles

This morning I returned to road running for the first time since Sunday's half marathon. Yesterday's elliptical session yielded good results and it gave me the confidence to push  a little more today. I'd already tested the soundness of my knees and legs with some strides up and down the corridors of my office yesterday morning. It was just after 7:00 AM and there were few people around so I didn't feel ridiculous running the few hundred feet in my black oxfords. That "running" confirmed my belief that I was ready to do it for real.

Although the temperature was showing 58° on the local news channel it felt colder than that when I stepped outside. The driveway was wet and I thought it was raining but that turned out to be runoff from my neighbor's sprinkler system. I started easy with short strides and a relaxed cadence but everything seemed to be in working order. The first half mile was run deliberately, but with a runner's form. As I ran that first segment I thought about my last half mile on the race course and how hard it was to simply propel my legs as I came through Eisenhower Park toward the finish line. My stride felt much more natural this morning.

I ran the second mile 1:20 faster than the first and this further validated my belief that moderate activity after a long run helps restore muscles, speeds recovery and increases performance. I'll go out for a long run this weekend and then take some time to run intervals. I'm curious to see if building my base and also training for speed will yield the performance that has eluded me lately.