Friday, February 20, 2009
Heart of the matter
I ran a half mile calibration run this morning and was disappointed to see that my Garmin 50 is still off in recording actual distance. I set the unit back to neutral (no compensation) since that gave me a constant variance that I can correct when recording into MapMyRun. The Garmin Connect site doesn't allow the user to modify uploaded data so my distances (and therefore speed and pace times) will continue to be under reported by about 3%.
I wasn't too energized during this short run, probably because I knew it would be over quickly. I want to do an extended run in the next few days but it didn't seem like the right time to try that. Instead I decided to train on the elliptical machine. I find that to be a good workout but I never feel like it's an equivalent effort to running. As an experiment I used the Garmin to see how it tracked distance and to monitor my pulse rate since the elliptical's readings are practically random. I started out at low resistance and after a minute or so I discovered that the Garmin was not recording distance at all. I think that's because the foot pod relies on foot strikes and the elliptical does not mimic the impact of running. The HRM was working fine and I watched the numbers increase as I added levels of resistance.
The interesting thing was that when I reached my normal level of resistance (5) my pulse rate was almost 15% lower than my average pulse rate when I'm running. It wasn't until I increased to level 10 that I came within a few points of my running pulse rate. I stayed at that level for a while and was really sweating by the time I reached the 40-minute mark. According to the display I was producing 102 watts of energy on the elliptical compared to the 58-62 watts I'm used to seeing when I use the machine at level 5.
So, knowing this, I will double my usual resistance to maintain the level of conditioning that I follow during my weekday runs. I used to think of the elliptical was my easy workout and a break from my intense daily runs. Going forward it will be a different form of hard work. I welcome the challenge!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
You are what you run
I noticed that today's run was the 200th workout I've recorded on MapMyRun since last September. Overall I've run 360 miles since that time and I've burned 45,930 calories in the process. 84% of my recorded workouts are runs and the remainder is cross training, mostly on the elliptical. MapMyRun green calculations are Gas Saved:, 19.83 gallons, Money Saved: $69.00 and Carbon Offset: 383.9 lbs. of CO2. That's all well and good if I were running somewhere where I'd normally drive. With the exception of running a couple of books to the library I can't take credit for making a greener decision by running unless running has prevented me from driving to a different activity.
This morning I ran 3.46 miles around the neighborhood. It was 43 degrees but all reports said it would get increasingly colder and windier by mid day so I took off as soon as the rain stopped. It was very wet on the roads so I ran with my trail shoes although I saw few puddles and I could have got away with using my regular shoes. I started my run at 7:45 AM which is late for me and I was fascinated to see what my neighborhood looks like at that time. I was surprised to see a number of contractors working on houses and less surprised to see oil trucks filling up homes on almost every street. It's still pretty cold in February on LI. I was a little tired by the time I got home, my Garmin said I had run 3.3 miles but after mapping my route with Gmaps I saw that I had covered 3.46 miles. I think my attempt at calibrating the Garmin had backfired and put the tracking 5% off instead of the 3% variation it had without calibration. I've since adjusted the other way in hopes of getting it about right. I'll see how it works tomorrow if I decide to do a run instead of cross-training.
I know that most people are happy to estimate the distances they run but I need to know exactly what I've accomplished and how far I am from my goals. Now, when I have the luxury of time, I always run at least 5K outdoors. It was only months ago when that was a big wall to cross and I remind myself of that every time I step on the street, the track or the treadmill. I want to complete a 5 mile run before I return to the office next Monday. and I hope the weather cooperates over the weekend. 360 miles run, 45,930 calories burned and 200 workouts completed has done a lot for me but it's always the goal ahead that matters most.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Nike Sportband - A farewell to armbands
This afternoon I decided to finally end my experiment with the Nike+ Sportband by returning it for a full refund. This was actually Sportband #3, the previous two had displays that failed and the current display just stopped exchanging data. As frustrated as I was with the Sportband I felt a certain loyalty to the device. After all it was with me throughout most of my return to running and it dutifully recorded over 180 runs with useful and accurate information. I had some initial problems with calibration and I called the Nike help line staffed by very engaged people who understood and solved every problem. In the end it came down to a device that didn't meet my needs. The woman who handled my return offered to do it as an exchange saying she knew nothing about the Nike recall and that they were still selling the units. I told her I couldn't continue the insanity and showed her my Garmin 50 saying I've moved on. She rolled her eyes and said "The credit will go to your Visa, have a nice day, next in line!"
So now I'm using the Garmin and I think I've figured out how to calibrate the distance despite a less than clear manual and less engaged support from Garmin. The Sportband was slick and the Garmin is sort of bulky. The Nike+ site has lots of fun features, challenges and community boards. The Garmin site has little of that but the data it presents is much better. The Garmin tells me many things as I run while the Sportband only told me a few. I'll miss the Sportband's simplicity but I won't miss the inevitable failure of its display or functionality. I still like Nike but I'll stick to their non-electronic gear from now on. Hey, after all I just bought my wife a pair of Air Zoom Vomeros.
Vacation running progress
The heart rate monitor is great to have because it provides instant feedback in terms of how hard I'm working and how hard I should be running. I used it on the elliptical yesterday and it was interesting to compare those rates with rates when running. I know, based upon my pulse rate, that I need to push myself harder. I did accelerate a few times near the end but I still didn't get to 80% of max rate that is recommended for progress. I always think about the phrase "Train, not pain" and I live by it making good progress by pushing incrementally without making training a negative experience. That's probably why I look forward to my workouts instead of dreading the work.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
No field of dreams
Yesterday I decided to try an alternative route starting with a run around the local middle school's field. The ground was still semi frozen and very uncomfortable for running. After about half a mile I peeled off and hit the service road that leads back into the neighborhood. I continued my run on the streets until I came upon the park that connects to the elementary school's grounds. These fields were also very bumpy so I exited back to the street for the remainder of my run.
I had hoped that the additional stiffness of the Kutus would balance the uneven running surface of the athletic fields but it wasn't a comfortable experience and I was concerned about turning an ankle. I was pleased that the Kutus performed well on the street, different from the Turbulence 13s but still good. I ended up covering 2.5 miles at an average pace of 9:09. The Garmin 50 under reported the distance by about 2.8% but I still can't figure out how to correct for that using the calibration feature.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Tomorrow's Sedentary Man
Happy trails
Yesterday afternoon we set out to find the Muttontown Mystery Trail which is located about five minutes from our house. I wanted to try out my new Kutu trail runners and my wife and kids felt like hiking. I found it very difficult to find information about public access to the MMT but, based upon Google Maps, I thought I found the proper way in. Turns out the Mystery Trail is a mystery. Aside from the equestrian entrance there was nothing marked as an entrance for the general public. While we looked for that entrance we came across the Planting Fields Arboretum that was also located nearby. We'd been there before for an outdoor concert but had never explored the grounds. This seemed like as good a time as ever to check them out.
Upon arriving we discovered that the Planting Fields has a very large span of trails. Some are paved, some have pea gravel and some are dirt. There are many buildings on the 409 acre grounds consisting of historical mansions (this, after all, is part of LI's Gold Coast). There were many smaller buildings, some containing flower collections. There was even a covered bridge and lots of places to sit and (based upon the signs) view birds.
My son is still recovering from his foot injury but my daughter was keen to run. She and I ran a number of times while my wife and son followed. The Kutus felt good and I really liked the feeling of running on ever changing surfaces and elevations. I didn't run any long distances and didn't track my run but I would like to try a long run on these trails at some point.
We loved our visit to the Planting Fields Arboretum but we're still hoping to solve the real Muttontown Mystery which is "how do we get to the trails?"
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Future trails and Garmin travails
Yesterday afternoon we hit the local outlet stores in search of a few needed items. My goal was to find some trail shoes and I tried on a bunch including the Adidas Kanadias, the Timberland Vaporate and the Nike Assail. Many runners I know eschew Nike and I'm not really sure why that is. I run with Nike Turbulence 13's and I find them to be very comfortable. I didn't really like the fit of the other maker's shoes and I ultimately chose a pair of Nike Tri-D Kutus which fit differently than the Turbs but feel very good. Later today we plan to do some running/hiking and I'll have a chance to test out the Kutus.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Back on track, literally
I began this Valentines Day with an early run at the local track. It was the first time I'd run there in over a month and it was a nice change from my other venues. I tried an experiment using both the Nike+ Sportband and the Garmin 50 on my run. I wanted to compare their relative tracking accuracy against a known distance.
It was 28 degrees but it felt colder. There was the usual strong wind for half the loop but I got used to it pretty fast. There were four other runners on the track including a couple I often see running in the morning. I passed the husband, which made me feel great until I was passed by another runner who must have been running about a 7 minute mile. The Garmin and the Sportband remained within a few 100ths of a mile of each other and, ultimately, both under reported the total distance traveled compared to the known distance. I varied my speed throughout the run and ran a total of 4.16 miles at 9:24/mile.
The Garmin vs. Sportband experience had its good and bad components. On the plus side, the 50 was a dream to operate. The HRM appeared to be accurate (yes - finally - a HRM worth a damn!) and it was easy to toggle between pulse rate, speed, cadence, elapsed time and distance as I ran. Finishing the run I simply hit stop instead of fighting with the overly sensitive Sportband button. Saving the run was easy too. Now for the bad part. After a run is captured into history you cannot review the metrics on the watch. The data must first be uploaded to Garmin's Training Center. The badder news is that you can't do this with a Mac even though they're touting new Mac capability on the Garmin website. I fell for it and installed the app and "uploaded" my run. The only problem is that the Mac compatibility only extends to the ANT USB link that allows for data transfer. So the data can be transferred but IT CAN'T GO ANYWHERE. Furthermore, the factory default setting is to delete history from the watch once data is sent so my run went away forever. Happily I also had the whole run recorded by the Sportband.
I installed the Training Center on my XP PC in my guestroom and was able to upload a test "run" to the system. I also switched the transfer program to "DON'T DELETE after sending" so I should be okay for tomorrow, fingers crossed.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Speed bumping
We talked about my upcoming race and he reinforced the need the work on intensity running to help prepare for competition. He was gracious enough to send me a summary of his points. He reinforced the reason why speed training is important by closing with "What’s the good of this if you can’t show someone your heels?" That's the positive side of the argument for participating in races.
I ran two strong miles this morning and incorporated speed intervals into the run. I maintained a 9:20 pace for the first .75 mile then accelerated to an 8:06 pace for 90 seconds and then dialed down (I was on the treadmill) to 9:05. I folded in a couple more 90 second speed bumps before completing two miles. I haven't yet calculated the overall pace but I expect it was close to 8:55. Tomorrow I'll do more of this on the track. If I can beat a 9:30 pace for 4 miles I'll be pleased. If I can beat 9:00 I'll be proud.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Measure twice, cut one
The watch thingy is a Garmin Forerunner 50 with data linking, heart rate monitor and foot pod. Theoretically, this watch has everything I need to capture the metrics from my runs and wirelessly transmit the data to my PC. Compared to my Nike+ Sportband it does quite a lot. That's partially due to the Sportband's tendency to self destruct, usually within two months of receipt. The Sportband's display has become increasingly difficult to read (apparently the design has big problems with corrosion) and it no longer shares well with others. By this I mean that when I try to upload my run data to the Nike+ site it refuses to acknowledge that there is any available data. For that last two weeks I've had to record all my run data manually.
Now that the 50 has arrived I'm anticipating the opportunity to capture my training information in all different ways. The 50 has a stopwatch so, at the very least I can accurately time outdoor running and compare distance from Gmaps for pace. The watch also calculates splits and times intervals. The HRM captures length of workout pulse rate and the foot pod captures speed, pace and distance.
So theoretically I'm set. But what about reality? Experience has shown that running technologies often sound better than they perform. I've had a continuously bad experience with the Sportband but yet I continue to use it because it does one thing very well; capture run distance very accurately. This weekend I plan to perform a faceoff between the Nike+ Sportband and the Garmin 50. I'll wear them both and compare the distance data they report. I'll then compare that data to the benchmark of Google Earth measurement.
One will win and the other will be returned. I really hope the Garmin's capability is more than theoretical.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The tail and the dog
As I edge closer to my April race date I find myself tuning my runs for greater speed and distance. Knowing that these upcoming races are looming creates an urgency to my training. Four miles on April 19. No big deal for most runners but it's still a challenging distance for me. I have exceeded the four mile mark a few times and I could probably even run five now but I wouldn't be too happy by the finish.
I recently ran into a friend who I haven't seen in a while. Like everyone who knows me but hasn't seen me for six months he looked concerned and asked warily if I'd lost weight. I told him yes, that I'd been running. He told me that he runs and has been running for years. I asked him about distances and he said he runs six miles during the week and over ten miles on weekends. We compared paces, etc. and once again I was humbled in the presence of a real runner.
I told him that I was signed up for a couple of races in the spring and I asked him how often he competed. He surprised me by saying he didn't race. In fact he had never raced and didn't see the point of it. To him running, not competing, is the point. When you're competing you spend your time focusing your activity on a single event - not on the enjoyment of the sport. Running is the dog and the race is the tail. Most people chase the tail and miss the fun. He said he'd rather just run. I asked him then why he tracked distance and pace and he laughed and said it was a force of habit.
I'm not sure that I agree with my friend on this. Training for a race can be fun. Making goals and training to exceed them can be an enjoyable experience. I don't expect to win on April 19th but I'm going to try. There are worse things to do on your birthday.