NOW the fun begins! :)
My Garmin GPS unit arrived yesterday. Right on schedule. So today, after work, I tried it out. I set my pace at a 13 minute mile (the minimum required by the Hartford marathon), set the distance for 4 miles, and away I went on the pavement. After about 1 1/2 miles, I really started feeling it. I kept at it though. Never stopping to walk, even though I was well ahead of my “virtual partner”.
After the 4 miles was up, I saw that I easily accomplished my goal. I averaged a 9 minute mile. Four miles done in 36 minutes. Not to shabby! Mind you, this GPS unit is accurate to less than 50 feet. How much less than 50 feet I don’t know. But being 50 feet off at any given point is certainly going to introduce a margin of error. More of a margin of error than the $3.00 wal-mart pedometer? I don’t know. But I figure if I can start running in as straight a line as possible, that will minimize the error. At any rate, I’m officially out on the pavement now. Boy am I feeling it now. I bet I’ll be feeling it more tomorrow. But I’m pressing on…
Hartford marathon: Your @$$ is MINE!
April 12th, 2007 at 12:39 am
My 201 (same tech, different battery) is darn near perfect on USATF measured courses. When I’ve seen error, it has been minor - not affecting overall pace by more than a few seconds per mile. I have smoothing set to “more.”