“Was this review helpful to you?”

Posted on December 17, 2009 by threlkeld

No. But it did bring up some interesting questions:

  • Is the writer’s native language English? How did he or she manage to get so many of the basics wrong yet use and spell the word “dissipate” correctly?
  • Does the conducting medium have to be honey or peanut butter? Will Nutella work? What about Marmite?
  • Why would it occur to someone to smear peanut butter on their own body for any purpose other than fulfilling a sexual fetish or attempting to attract an elephant (or both at the same time)?

Filed under: clothes and gear | Tagged: , , | 7 Comments »

The only good Garmin 305…

Posted on July 24, 2009 by threlkeld

…is a dead Garmin 305!

My watch didn’t exactly die this morning, but it was acting oddly and rendered all data useless. First it took 15 minutes to find satellites (this is an ongoing problem). Then, midway through the run, the HRM started telling me I was running at 25% max heart rate. Just for fun, I ran really fast to see what it would do. At 6:15 pace, it said I was running at 50% effort. I wish.

This watch has given me trouble from the get go. Its worst sin was dropping GPS signals during two of my five marathons, but it often gives me grief during races and training runs, but rarely on the days when I’m just running easy. Unforgivable!

So it’s getting kicked to the curb. I have a new 310xt shipping out to me on Monday. Despite my particular watch’s issues, I like the Garmin products. So I’m hoping the new model will not only be a better watch product, but a better individual watch too.

Review to come.

Filed under: clothes and gear | Tagged: , , | 17 Comments »

What progress looks like

Posted on May 22, 2009 by threlkeld

Of all the supposedly “essential” running equipment I use, there are two tools that I couldn’t do without: Sporttracks software and my Garmin GPS watch. Using the two in combination, I’m not only able to see my progress from day to day, but also from month to month, season to season, and — perhaps most dramatically — year to year.

Take a look at this chart. It shows three pieces of data: Average pace, average heart rate (% of max) and average length of run.

What a difference a couple of years (and a few thousand miles) makes. (Click to enlarge.)

What a difference a couple of years (and a few thousand miles) makes. (Click to enlarge.)

Notice how the average pace and the average heart rate have dropped as the average distance has increased? Funny that.

Filed under: coaching, physiology, training | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 19 Comments »