Official Strava/Runkeeper Thread

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Alan T

I finally put together my winter running goals after talking them through with my wife some. Getting to the point of 4 hour long runs means some buying in from her before I jump down that rabbit hole. I posted the long version over in my running thread for those who want to read it. Here is the short verions of my winter goals:

I need to go back and read your dynasty from the beginning but I wanted to post this here, piggybacking on your goals. When I first read your goals thread, you got me thinking. I mean, I've never really given myself long term goals with my running because, well, I've not been running for very long. The last few longer runs I've done have shown me what I could do and after seeing you and a few others (namely Ben, Rodney, a unlikely little lady nicknamed yuha on Lose It! who just ran a marathon in 5h33m and many others around here and on Lose It's forums) push themselves, I've decided it was time to set some goals for 2014.

I've got an 18k race coming up in a week (October 20th). When I started running, I never thought I'd even race, but I did a 10k in August. At that time, a week later was the local marathon and I was thinking that a year from now, a half-marathon would be nice. That's when I learned about the 18k which I decided to sign up for. So now, after a couple of 18k run, I've become fairly confident that I can run 21k. So much so that now running a half in early May seems quite feasible but what after that? I have now decided that I will run a marathon in August of 2014!

Told my wife about it yesterday, she's ok with it. But I will not up my mileage like Alan, I've not been running for long enough to do that.

I'm currently looking at a 12 weeks training schedule from Hal Higdon (half-marathon advanced) that would start around mid-February and would get me to my half, and then from there, another 16 weeks training schedule (actually an 18 weeks modifided intermediate 2 marathon from Hal Higdon that I would start at week 3 to make it end on time) that would bring me to my marathon. That schedule has three 20 milers in it that would fit perfectly with the kind of worlkload I have at the dojo and with my vacations. The start of my half-marathon training will be mostly treadmill work.

I'm actually pretty excited about all this. Putting it down in writing kinda makes it official about what I plan to do.

Time objectives will come later, for now I'd just be happy to call myself a marathon runner next August, and I'm too focused on next week's race to think about times for a week in 6 or 10 months

I am also looking at some of the various races on the Quebec area circuit, including one stairs challenge around Old Quebec that looks daunting.

FM

[Alan T]

Awesome FM! Looking forward to it!

[vex]

Originally Posted by Alan T

Your feet swell (sometimes up to several sizes) in running and walking activities. Having your feet fall asleep or toes go numb are both signs of a possible issue with the box of the shoes being too small. This can also present itself by eventually with longer distances possibly getting black toenails or even toenails coming off.

Both running coaches and runners at the nearby running stores recommend to me to get a running shoes larger size than what you normally get for every day shoes.

My recommendation would be to go to a running store to get looked at and have them recommend shoes or shoe size to you. (Not a sports authority or multi-sport place, but a true running store)

Thanks, Alan. I think I'll go do that this weekend. Going to have to take a day or two off anyways to get over the bruising. Never realized how bad my running technique/style was in H.S.(10 yrs ago) because I never ran anything over 2 miles.

[Ben E Lou]

Thinking about next steps for me. There's a Marathon in Charleston on January 18th. Can anyone recommend a training plan of 3 to 4 days per week? I recall some discussion far back in this thread about such a thing, but am having a hard time finding it. If I could get a solid plan in place that requires less than 5 days per week of running, I'd probably work toward doing that race. (And start eating like 3000 calories per day to keep from losing any more weight. )

[hoopsguy]

Just signed up for what I expect to be my last race of the season - 5K two weeks from today. That will be the 5th one this year for me. Regardless of results on that one, I'm pleased with having gotten out and actually done races rather than just thinking about doing them like I have in past.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Thinking about next steps for me. There's a Marathon in Charleston on January 18th. Can anyone recommend a training plan of 3 to 4 days per week? I recall some discussion far back in this thread about such a thing, but am having a hard time finding it. If I could get a solid plan in place that requires less than 5 days per week of running, I'd probably work toward doing that race. (And start eating like 3000 calories per day to keep from losing any more weight. )

I think you are referring to the plan I posted for you before called FIRST Marathon training. Has three key runs a week (but does have additional cross training on other days though). I'm not home so can't link it again for you, but just google FIRST marathon and you should find it easy enough

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

Just signed up for what I expect to be my last race of the season - 5K two weeks from today. That will be the 5th one this year for me. Regardless of results on that one, I'm pleased with having gotten out and actually done races rather than just thinking about doing them like I have in past.

Awesome! I find the races help give me the motivation to keep going and not just rest on what I have accomplished so far. By continuing to sign up for new races, I don't want to skip my training and it helps me stay accountable with myself.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Alan T

I think you are referring to the plan I posted for you before called FIRST Marathon training. Has three key runs a week (but does have additional cross training on other days though). I'm not home so can't link it again for you, but just google FIRST marathon and you should find it easy enough

Found this and freaking love it.

http://www.wu.ece.ufl.edu/marathon%2...20marathon.pdf

It's actually extremely similar to what I've been doing:

This training
program has produced good results with Key Run #1 run on Tuesday, Key Run #2 run on Thursday and the long run completed on the weekend. Runners can do the three key workouts in any order throughout the week; however, you need to allow at least one day between the key workouts. Runners are encouraged to either cross-train or complete easy runs on other days of the week.

The two weekday key runs are Tempo and Intervals, exactly what I've been doing on Tue/Thu. Basically it looks like this plan has you running faster than McMillan, but less frequently. I was already thinking rest and recovery runs for the 21st-27th, then getting back to it starting the week of the 28th. There would be 12 weeks to go until the Charleston Marathon at that point, and the workouts for 12 weeks out on the FIRST plan really look like a perfect fit for where I am right now anyway. I want to chew on it a bit, but this is seeming like a "go" right now...

[Ben E Lou]

There's a pace calculator that spits out the training program, too. Suh-weet!

FIRST Marathon Calculator » First Running Calculator

[lighthousekeeper]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

There's a pace calculator that spits out the training program, too. Suh-weet!

FIRST Marathon Calculator » First Running Calculator

oh that's nice - thanks. running my first half marathon in 2 weeks. hey who needs sufficient training?

[Ben E Lou]

Frankly, I still wasn't feeling great about the rest of my taper plans for next Sunday's HM. I just plugged in recent bests into the FIRST calculator, and I think I'm gonna just go with that the rest of the way.

SUNDAY: 8 miles @ 8:05
MONDAY: Cross-Train or Rest (REST...It's my normal rest day.)
TUESDAY: 6x400 (400 RI) @ 6:29
WEDNESDAY: Cross-Train (I'm thinking 45-minute high-incline treadmill walking)
THURSDAY: 3 miles easy
FRIDAY: Cross-Train (Upper-body circuit training)
SATURDAY: Rest
SUNDAY: Race

Maybe it's because I've trained very similarly to this, just substituting "easy run" for cross-training days, but this feels more right for me than anything I've seen or come up with so far.

[corbes]

Ran a personal best half marathon this morning, which was fun. Didn't take a watch either--just kept picking out runners ahead and reeling them in. It was nice in that it broke the race up into three or four minute intervals.

[Ben E Lou]

Very encouraging run this evening for me: 8 miles @7:46 overall, average heart rate 154.

Run Profile | 8 Mile Run | Times and Records | Strava

The temperature was around 73 degrees, a good 10-15 higher than it's looking like it'll be next Sunday morning in Myrtle Beach. I'm thinking I might be able to pull off a 7:40 pace most of the way and then kick it in to finish under 1:40. I'd be utterly thrilled with that time, and pretty darned happy with 1:45, which at this point is seeming like it *should* be a lock unless something weird happens between now and then. But I'm also trying to keep perspective: I couldn't run for more than 60 seconds less than 10 months ago, I should probably be happy just to be able to finish this puppy.

Also, the bride and I have talked it over and training for my first marathon commences the week of October 28th, with a target of running the Charleston Marathon on January 18th, 2014. I'll set an "official" goal time once I see how I do next weekend in the half, but right now I'm thinking that shooting for an even 3:30 seems to make sense.

[FrogMan]

you're a beast Ben!

FM

[Ben E Lou]

I'm very excited about the HM on Sunday in Myrtle Beach. The weather forecast has been holding steady at 55-60 degrees. Perfect! The course is on a beachfront road, so I'm expecting some wind. As a complete racing n00b, I have a few questions:

1. Do I need to do anything beyond just upping my carbs a bit this week? Basically my plan is to swap out a little fat for carbs. Typically I'm somewhere around 35% carbs, 35% fat, 30% protein. I'm thinking I'll just replace some calories from walnuts and almonds with quinoa, short-grain brown rice, and sweet potatoes to get me up around 225-250 carbs per day this week.

2. Do I run my warmup out on the course, or go in some other direction?

3. I've read some references to starting based on expected times. Should I expect to be put somewhere based on my expected finish time?

4. In my head, I've planned to do a final lower body strength training workout today, but now I'm starting to question myself. Should I do it, or forego?

5. Any general tips for noobs or "I wish I would have known that..." type stuff from your first race anyone would want to share?

I think that's it for now. I'm feeling good about the taper plan the rest of the way (except maybe the aforementioned lower body strength workout,) and think I'll feel refreshed and ready to run on Sunday.

[corbes]

Your warmup can usually be wherever you want it to be: on the course, elsewhere, wherever's available.

Whether there's a formal starting position depends on how organized the race is. Most races are self-selecting and pretty impressionistic at that. If you are planning to run a 1:40+ half you would be fine to start about 1/3 or 1/2 of the way back from the starting line. If you start farther back you can spend the race passing people, which is part of the fun of being in a large race.

You have a long time between now and Sunday and you've been training extensively. A strength workout today sounds fine to me.

My biggest nutrition issue on race day is usually blood sugar. It's an intense issue for me--I thought for a long time that I couldn't handle distance running until I realized that the issue was really that my blood sugar was dipping into dangerous territory during long runs. I rely on those Gu packets, one about 15 minutes before starting the race, one about 30 min into the race, and one about 75 min into the race. For me, advance nutrition planning wouldn't alleviate this, but YMMV.

Stay hydrated but don't overdo it.

Let yourself get into the vibe of being part of race day.

Have fun!

[Icy]

I'm also following the FIRST training method, 3 key runs per week and some cross training (MTB for me).

There is a paid app for Iphone/Ipad with the pace calculator and different training plans.

As for my goal, i'm going to run my first half marathon in Madrid on April 27th with a goal of under 2 hours. Will be tough as i have been said it has some tough hills.

[Ben E Lou]

Clearly I need to just stfu when it comes to predicting what I will and won't do in the future...

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

5/11/2013 As far as specifics, I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to run more than 6-8 miles in one session.

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

5/25/2013 Hehehe. No, I don't see me ever having interest in doing anything much longer than a 10K. My best guess is that 8 miles is as far as I'll ever run. (My longest run so far is 7 miles.)

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

6/5/2013 Did 8 miles this morning. It didn't kill me, but I'm not feeling particularly motivated to go any further, either.

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

6/6/2013 ...the most I've run is 8 miles, and the most I want to run is 8 miles...

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

6/17/2013 I'm leaning heavily toward training for a half-marathon.

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

7/3/2013 (at FOxL, when cuerv suggested I should go for a marathon) Heh. Well, I'm certainly not going to say "never" again, but I suspect it's pretty safe to say "not in the next 5-ish years." I don't see me going out away from the fam and running for more than ~2 hours on any sort of regular basis until Renee is school-aged. I wouldn't be shocked if at some point I run 15 or 20 on some stray Sunday when Jen and the girls are out of town, but not consistently enough to train for a marathon.

5 years? Yeah, more like 5 months. *shurg*

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Icy

There is a paid app for Iphone/Ipad with the pace calculator and different training plans.

Ooh. Thanks for the heads-up. Purchased. Downloading right now.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by corbes

Your warmup can usually be wherever you want it to be: on the course, elsewhere, wherever's available.

Whether there's a formal starting position depends on how organized the race is. Most races are self-selecting and pretty impressionistic at that. If you are planning to run a 1:40+ half you would be fine to start about 1/3 or 1/2 of the way back from the starting line. If you start farther back you can spend the race passing people, which is part of the fun of being in a large race.

You have a long time between now and Sunday and you've been training extensively. A strength workout today sounds fine to me.

My biggest nutrition issue on race day is usually blood sugar. It's an intense issue for me--I thought for a long time that I couldn't handle distance running until I realized that the issue was really that my blood sugar was dipping into dangerous territory during long runs. I rely on those Gu packets, one about 15 minutes before starting the race, one about 30 min into the race, and one about 75 min into the race. For me, advance nutrition planning wouldn't alleviate this, but YMMV.

Stay hydrated but don't overdo it.

Let yourself get into the vibe of being part of race day.

Have fun!

Good info. Thanks!

[HerRealName]

The more experienced racers can correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you want to start using the Gu now if you haven't trained with it already. I've read that using it the first time on race day can lead to some undesired digestive issues and you'll want to avoid that.

The race may have corrals set up with expected pace times. On both HM I've done, people don't use the correct corral and the beginning of races are a little annoying as you have to deal with people walking in front of you.

If the race is chip timed, I don't see a reason to start ahead. I wish I would have started my first race further back so I could have hit the start line running and not deal with the walkers in a congested space. The second race was pretty small and it didn't use chip time at all, just a gun time. On that race I wish I wouldn't have started so far back. It was ony like 10-15 seconds wait to take off but it seemed like an eternity at the time.

[Ben E Lou]

I've been using Gu gel on my longer runs, so I'm definitely planning on that. Per the FAQ for the race, it is chip timed. Good tip about hitting the starting line running. Makes sense.

[Alan T]

My personal thoughts on race day is simply don't do anything new that you haven't already done in your training.

You have been training for months for this and are totally ready for it. On race day you will have extra adrenaline that will help improve your performance some but don't let it wreck your run. Even if you feel like superman at the start just stick to your plan, it is a long run.

As for the placement when you start, I have found it doesn't matter where you line up you have to wind your way through people at the start. It usually thins out after a quarter mile in most cases in my opinion.

Most importantly have fun and enjoy yourself. This is what you have worked for. Don't forget to enjoy the accomplishment

[Alan T]

I guess to go further on my last comment to not do anything different, this also includes leading up to the race the day before and two days before. Everyone talks about carb loading but if you go overboard it can wreck you if your body is not used to it.

Try to get full nights of sleep the two nights leading up to the race, try to not eat late in the evenings especially if it is a morning race.

You have experience running long runs in the morning so I would just do the nutrition the way you have been doing those pre-run and during the run

[FrogMan]

Also got a race of my own coming up this Sunday, an 18k that'll be run on a 6k loop around a local lake. Went to the race site to test it out this past Sunday and I think it's a good thing I did. This is gonna be a hilly affair for sure! Over the two loops I did, about 12k, I had an elevation gain of 640 feet but the good thing is, since it's a loop and you always come back to your starting point, what goes up must come down. Kinda hard on the ankles but I'll try to make up for the slowdowns going up by pushing it while resting on the way down.

Here's a link to my Garmin workout from this past Sunday:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/390113554

kilometers 4 to 9 were done at about race pace and ended averaging out in pace at 4:48 per km (7:43 per mile). I'm shooting for something between 4:45 and 4:55 per km over the race which would give me a finish time between 1:25:00 and 1:30:00.

Weather forecasts are looking sometimes good, sometimes rainy as heck. Temps should be in the mid-40's, about perfect. About the rain, I honestly don't know what to think. I guess it would bother me more thinking about my fans coming to the race (wife, my two sons, my mother in law and possibly my parents) more than for me. I plan on running with a long sleeve technical shirt. Don't remember what the temps were last year but looking at pictures from the race's website, almost everybody had gloves, long sleeve pants/tights, jackets. Don't see myself running with a jacket...

did an easy 5.5 k this morning, 6k planned tomorrow with 4k at race pace and another easy 5 k for Thursday before taking a couple days off leading to race day...

FM

[vex]

Originally Posted by vex

Thanks, Alan. I think I'll go do that this weekend. Going to have to take a day or two off anyways to get over the bruising. Never realized how bad my running technique/style was in H.S.(10 yrs ago) because I never ran anything over 2 miles.

Went to the running store and got a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 14! Can't wait to run in them tomorrow!

[digamma]

Couple of other thoughts...

-For a half marathon and longer, don't worry too much about warming up. You are going to be amped up, particularly considering it is going to be your first race. OK to get rid of some nervous energy, but more than that and you run the risk of using energy that you will need in the race. Warm ups diminish in importance as your race length increases.

-Along the same lines, you may have to force yourself to slow down a bit the first couple of miles. You will feel great and want to let it out. Resist. You want to let it out over the last 3-5 miles, not the first.

-Don't pin your race number on too high on your shirt/top.

-I advise taking water at most, if not every stop, even if it is only a single swallow with the rest being dumped out or poured on your head. If in traffic at all, wait until the middle or end of the water station (usually a couple of tables long) to grab a cup. Say thanks to the water station volunteers.

-Agree with the Alan T advice to smile and have fun. Give kids high fives.

-Wait until you are several steps past the finish line to stop your watch or phone. I know you are a data freak, but many a finish line photo has been ruined by a head down, frantic grasp to stop a watch at the line. A few seconds won't matter in your run tracker database and your official time is going to stop because of the chip.

[Alan T]

Digamma, you reminded me of what one of my friends said on Sunday when we were talking at a race. She had run the Hartford marathon the day before and we were talking about warming up because the race organizer we were at had group yoga activities for people interested (I personally don't stretch before running, so we used that time to just chat).

Anyways, her comment about her warmup before the marathon was... "Warmup? That's what my first six miles were called"

[Ben E Lou]

I've been thinking about getting a Garmin. Good deal here?

Garmin Forerunner 310XT Waterproof Running GPS Watch

[Alan T]

For that particular watch it is a good deal, probably $50 less than I usually see it. The 310 is the entry level multi sport watch, one that I have looked at because I also want a bike sensor and that watch supports it. It is not purely a running watch, but can be used for that.

Depending on what features you want, you may find a different running specific model for around the same price or maybe a little less depending on your luck. For that particular model I think it's a good price

[Ben E Lou]

OK. That was a poorly phrased question. Here's a better one: I would prefer one that would record my running and treadmill walking. I will probably start some cycling down the road. What's a good Garmin option for running, treadmill walking, and cycling? Also, I've read mention of using Polar with Garmin. Are you talking about just the strap, or the actual HRM and strap? (i.e. would I need to buy a Garmin wtih HRM since I already have a Polar BlueTooth HRM?)

[FrogMan]

from my understanding, the Polar HRM itself uses a proprietary device and wouldn't be recognized by the Garmin. When they're talking of using a Garmin with a Polar, it's the HRM unit of a garmin watch with a Polar soft strap.

I could definitely be wrong though...

FM

[Radii]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

When they're talking of using a Garmin with a Polar, it's the HRM unit of a garmin watch with a Polar soft strap.

That's correct for me.

[Radii]

dola, to clarify/give more detail (I didn't see Ben had asked specifically), I already had a Garmin watch and the HRM that came with it. The heart rate monito stopped working/became very unreliable after just a few months, and some googling suggested that the strap for the Garmin HRM was shit, and that Polar straps are much better, and compatible with the Garmin HRM. So I bought a Polar strap and have been happy since then. So I have a Garmin watch, Garmin Heart Rate Montior, and a Polar strap, and it works just fine. I don't know about any other sort of combination as far as compatibility goes.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

OK. That was a poorly phrased question. Here's a better one: I would prefer one that would record my running and treadmill walking. I will probably start some cycling down the road. What's a good Garmin option for running, treadmill walking, and cycling? Also, I've read mention of using Polar with Garmin. Are you talking about just the strap, or the actual HRM and strap? (i.e. would I need to buy a Garmin wtih HRM since I already have a Polar BlueTooth HRM?)

The one you linked would be a good option if you want to include cycling as well and plan on at some point including a bike cadence sensor. The pure running watches do not support those. If you don't care about a bike cadence sensor, you can simply use a running watch while riding a bike (which is what I do right now). If you have any desire to get into triathlon or duathlon brick type workouts (one workout split into run and bike segments), you should go with a watch like what you linked.


If all you want is a running watch, the 310 would work fine for that too, but it is a little bigger of a size on the arm that bothers some runners (especially smaller runners). For the features you want.. you need a foot pod to record treadmill walking steps (or an accelerometer, even though those seem to be less accurate), and you want a HRM. So that means you would need at least a Garmin 210 or 220 level watch for both of those. The 220 just was announced and is not out until later this month though.

Regarding the HRM compatibility, that is correct, you can not use a Polar HRM with a Garmin watch. The strap part is fine, but you need the actual Garmin HRM chip piece to communicate with the watch.

So the end decision is probably on which is more important to you:

Including Bike hardware capabilities - go with the 310
Having a smaller watch that is pure running - go with the 210 or 220
Whichever is cheaper - Then either would be fine, just shop for best price between them.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Alan T

The one you linked would be a good option if you want to include cycling as well and plan on at some point including a bike cadence sensor. The pure running watches do not support those. If you don't care about a bike cadence sensor, you can simply use a running watch while riding a bike (which is what I do right now). If you have any desire to get into triathlon or duathlon brick type workouts (one workout split into run and bike segments), you should go with a watch like what you linked.


If all you want is a running watch, the 310 would work fine for that too, but it is a little bigger of a size on the arm that bothers some runners (especially smaller runners). For the features you want.. you need a foot pod to record treadmill walking steps (or an accelerometer, even though those seem to be less accurate), and you want a HRM. So that means you would need at least a Garmin 210 or 220 level watch for both of those. The 220 just was announced and is not out until later this month though.

Regarding the HRM compatibility, that is correct, you can not use a Polar HRM with a Garmin watch. The strap part is fine, but you need the actual Garmin HRM chip piece to communicate with the watch.

So the end decision is probably on which is more important to you:

Including Bike hardware capabilities - go with the 310
Having a smaller watch that is pure running - go with the 210 or 220
Whichever is cheaper - Then either would be fine, just shop for best price between them.

So then....

The 310 is 170 right now. Looks like the HRM is ~60 and the footpod is ~50 (bottom of the page I linked.) That's $280. The 210 with HRM and footpod is $300 both at the HRMUSA site and at Amazon.

Garmin Forerunner 210 Club Bundle (with Foot Pod and Premium Heart Rate) with $25. REBATE!

Amazon.com: Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS-Enabled Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor and Foot Pod: GPS & Navigation

I'm not a small guy. Is there *any* reason you can think of that I wouldn't pull the trigger on the 310 at that price immediately?

[Alan T]

Well, there are always reasons why you may want something else The 310 is a good watch I hear (I don't have one myself but it always gets good reviews), so you won't get a piece of junk. If you want to be absolutely sure, check this very in depth review of the 310 before you pull the trigger. At the end, it also has a list of pros and cons as well as comparison to other watches. Just keep in mind this is a multi-sport watch, not a pure running watch. Which may be good or bad for you. You definitely can use it for running only though.

Garmin Forerunner 310XT In Depth Review | DC Rainmaker

Only reason why I personally would not necessarily pull the trigger on a watch today is because the new generation of watches come out later this month. If you want it for your HM though, then you can't wait for that though.

[Ben E Lou]

Heh. Missed this. They have it for 190 WITH the HRM:

Forerunner 310XT GPS Personal Trainer w/ Premium Strap: HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com

[Alan T]

Dola:

To compare to the 210 which is the other watch you are looking at there price wise:

Garmin Forerunner 210 In Depth Review | DC Rainmaker

And his exact comments on the 310 vs the 210:

I find that for 95% of runners, the FR210 is the perfect running watch. It offers a completely streamlined look and an easy to use interface. It’s also the best overall introduction into GPS enabled fitness devices, without the complexity of some of the other units out there. With the addition of footpod support and instant pace, this product line is now a realistic option for serious runners.
The remaining 5% of runners this watch isn’t ideally suited for are those looking to create and download complex workouts to the watch, or that want more customization of the display. For triathletes looking for the one-size-fits all watch – this unit isn’t really it. While I (probably more than anyone else) would love to see a FR210 sized device with the firmware from the FR310XT – it’s important to understand this is a runners watch, and not a full triathlete’s watch. That said, as a triathlete – you can be sure that on the majority of my runs, I’ll be using the FR210 over my FR310XT – simply because it’s smaller.

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by Alan T

Well, there are always reasons why you may want something else The 310 is a good watch I hear (I don't have one myself but it always gets good reviews), so you won't get a piece of junk. If you want to be absolutely sure, check this very in depth review of the 310 before you pull the trigger. At the end, it also has a list of pros and cons as well as comparison to other watches. Just keep in mind this is a multi-sport watch, not a pure running watch. Which may be good or bad for you. You definitely can use it for running only though.

Garmin Forerunner 310XT In Depth Review | DC Rainmaker

Only reason why I personally would not necessarily pull the trigger on a watch today is because the new generation of watches come out later this month. If you want it for your HM though, then you can't wait for that though.

I use a bike specific unit when cycling, but was bought this watch for a birthday present for my runs. It does what I need really well: easy to read at a glance, customisable, instant mile by mile times, and although it is a little large, when running I don't notice it either in regards to size or weight. The only thing that i do find difficult due to the size is if I'm running in long sleeves, it's difficult to stretch the top over the watch

Having a bike specific unit, i personally wouldn't and don't use the 310 for cycling: the maps display is limited on the watch, I like being able to glance down at a unit fixed to the handlbars and i do better with a cadence monitor on a bike, which i don't think the watch allows for

but if you got a mount for the frame and were OK with a slightly more basic bike usage, as far as data recording, HRM, etc it'd work OK

[Alan T]

I personally was thinking about just getting an Edge 810 for my bike maybe next year after the winter thaws. Right now I use my 210 to track my time/HRM on the bike, and use an iphone for my bike maps. The 810 seems to be the best of both worlds on the bike. From a running standpoint I am totally fine with the 210 how it is and probably not going to bother upgrading to the new 220 when it comes out. My wife wants to upgrade from her FR10 to the 220 though because she wants a HRM.

[Ben E Lou]

...and when in doubt, check Craigslist.

Some burnout had a 310XT up on there. I emailed and just met him. No charger. No manual. No box. And it was fairly clear that he had no idea how to use it. There were only two workouts recorded on it, both from 2011. The user data said the user was 55 years old, 6'3", 235 pounds. This dude was about 25 maybe 5'7", 140 (and not a "fit" 135...think "druggie".) When I finally pressed him, he said it belonged to an old roommate who moved out and left it in a drawer. I tend to doubt this dude had a 55-year-old roomie, but whatever. Anyway, long story short, over the course of talking to him for 20 minutes and doing a few test short runs, dude talked way too much. At one point he offered up "duuuuude...I'd forgotten about making that post. I hadn't heard anything from it!" When all was said and done, this ol' J.R. Ewing wannabe got him a 310XT for $25.

Now I just need to figure out if I actually need the ANT+ stick, since I believe this one can sync wirelessly. I might just be able to get the HRM/footpod/charger.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

Also got a race of my own coming up this Sunday, an 18k that'll be run on a 6k loop around a local lake. Went to the race site to test it out this past Sunday and I think it's a good thing I did. This is gonna be a hilly affair for sure! Over the two loops I did, about 12k, I had an elevation gain of 640 feet but the good thing is, since it's a loop and you always come back to your starting point, what goes up must come down. Kinda hard on the ankles but I'll try to make up for the slowdowns going up by pushing it while resting on the way down.

Here's a link to my Garmin workout from this past Sunday:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/390113554

well, change of course announced as of this morning. No clear picture of what the race course will be but because of some road construction that are running late, this will not be run as a loop around the lake but as a 6km back-and-forth stretch on the North side of the lake. I don't like that as much to be quite honest. To make it 6km back and forth, this means a stretch of 3 km going one way and since my race distance is 18km, I will be doing it 3 times, so a lot of running on always the same road. I never do that kind of running because I find it boring. Now I'll have to do it in a hill so the race now becomes a long hill workout, heh...

FM

[Alan T]

Good luck Ben and FM on your races this weekend (and anyone else racing )

[Poli]

Not a race but the first time I'll be attempting a 4 mile run will be sometime Saturday between a youth football game and a dinner mystery party.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

well, change of course announced as of this morning. No clear picture of what the race course will be but because of some road construction that are running late, this will not be run as a loop around the lake but as a 6km back-and-forth stretch on the North side of the lake. I don't like that as much to be quite honest. To make it 6km back and forth, this means a stretch of 3 km going one way and since my race distance is 18km, I will be doing it 3 times, so a lot of running on always the same road. I never do that kind of running because I find it boring. Now I'll have to do it in a hill so the race now becomes a long hill workout, heh...

FM

Ouch. Kind of a bummer there. Good luck!

Did my last pre-race run this morning and it felt good. It has gotten a little warmer and muggier here lately: around 70 with 98% humidity. It's supposed to be around 60 in Myrtle Beach on Sunday morning, so I'm hoping that will work to my advantage. I don't know for sure, but based on training so far, it seems like around 60 is the optimal temperature for me.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Did my last pre-race run this morning and it felt good. It has gotten a little warmer and muggier here lately: around 70 with 98% humidity. It's supposed to be around 60 in Myrtle Beach on Sunday morning, so I'm hoping that will work to my advantage. I don't know for sure, but based on training so far, it seems like around 60 is the optimal temperature for me.

Based on studies from Jack Daniels, 60 degrees heat index is roughly the temperature where your body starts having to do more work to keep itself cool from the outside heat. Obviously this is complicated if people wear warmer clothes to run in also, but around 60 degrees is where your body is not having to exert extra effort to cool itself (effort that you otherwise could put to increasing your pace). For a half marathon distance, the difference between 60 degrees and 70 degrees could be several minutes of performance.

Other studies have gone to show that temperature could go a bit further below 60 degrees to continue helping improve performance, some down in the low 50s even, but I think at some point it seems to depend somewhat on other conditions (such as different people handling it differently) though. The studies also show that some of the effect of warmer temperature is a mental effect of fatigue more than a physical one as well though.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Alan T

Based on studies from Jack Daniels, 60 degrees heat index is roughly the temperature where your body starts having to do more work to keep itself cool from the outside heat. Obviously this is complicated if people wear warmer clothes to run in also, but around 60 degrees is where your body is not having to exert extra effort to cool itself (effort that you otherwise could put to increasing your pace). For a half marathon distance, the difference between 60 degrees and 70 degrees could be several minutes of performance.

Other studies have gone to show that temperature could go a bit further below 60 degrees to continue helping improve performance, some down in the low 50s even, but I think at some point it seems to depend somewhat on other conditions (such as different people handling it differently) though. The studies also show that some of the effect of warmer temperature is a mental effect of fatigue more than a physical one as well though.

Heh. Interesting. We had a morning or two here in the mid-50s, and that's where this South Georgia boy livin' in the South Carolina Lowcountry starts feeling a little chilly/uncomfortable. Once I get running, it's possible that mid 50s could be better, but as far as my own personal comfort, right around 60 has felt perfect. So I tend to like this forecast:

	Saturday Night Partly cloudy. Low of 59F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph.
	Sunday Partly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 68F. Winds from the NNE at 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20%. » ZIP Code Detail

The race starts at 7am, so it sounds like I should expect it to be right in that range. It might feel a hair on the cool side because of wind.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Heh. Interesting. We had a morning or two here in the mid-50s, and that's where this South Georgia boy livin' in the South Carolina Lowcountry starts feeling a little chilly/uncomfortable.

I can relate a little bit. Keeping in mind I'm a Georgia boy livin in New England now I actually found that once I got running 1-2 miles now my body heats up enough that it is honestly not too bad. The only part that really just stays uncomfortably cold for me is my hands. I have various pairs of running gloves because I hate my hands feeling cold.

My legs and body all start sweating once I get going. Occasionally I'll have an issue if I sweat too much and it is cold out that it will cause me to get chills though if it is windy. In that case a running windbreaker helps me.

[Ben E Lou]

Ha. Yeah, I hate cold hands. I experienced that exactly once this winter before buying gloves.