RunningAHEAD - Topic: ...the best of times, the worst of times...

rkeddie

posted: 6/15/2008 at 8:49 PM
modified: 6/15/2008 at 9:54 PM

Fathers day brought me a 305. My ankle is still swollen like a balloon animal from rolling it on a rock while running last Wednesday. I figured I should get everything set up now while I've got some time. What are your recommendations on software / sites? Motionbased? [edit - this should have been in the gear section, but I don't believe I've the power to move it - sorry]

Bonkin

posted: 6/15/2008 at 10:02 PM

I tried MB, but it doesn't give me anything I can't get in a better form elsewhere. Really, the only advantage to MB is the ability to share a link to a run. For the PC, I think SportTracks is the best software to use with the Garmin. If and when you start to care about elevation, etc - you can get a plug-in for SportTracks that does elevation correction similar to the Gravity service that is part of MB.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

milktruck

an amazing likeness

posted: 6/15/2008 at 10:20 PM
modified: 6/15/2008 at 10:21 PM

I say this as a long-time Motionbased user -- right now I have 2+ years of 975 logged runs & 3,625 mies in MB to give you an idead of how embedded I am in Motionbased.... Be cautious of Motionbased right now. They are planning to change the service significantly in the near future (and have already missed their planned date) as they move under the "Garmin Connect" umbrella. The service has been unreliable lately as well. Check the forums at motionbased.com before you jump in with a paid subscription. On the other hand, the ying to that yang is that the Motionbased 'gravity' service, information, sorting, reporting and tracking in MB is top-notch and way beyond Garmin's TrainingCenter software.

_{Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.}

rkeddie

posted: 6/18/2008 at 10:04 PM

Quote from Bonkin on 6/15/2008 at 10:02 PM:

I tried MB, but it doesn't give me anything I can't get in a better form elsewhere. Really, the only advantage to MB is the ability to share a link to a run. For the PC, I think SportTracks is the best software to use with the Garmin. If and when you start to care about elevation, etc - you can get a plug-in for SportTracks that does elevation correction similar to the Gravity service that is part of MB.

Is there any way to avoid entering info into both the SportTracks and the RA logs? I hate to do the duplicate work, but would hate even more to not keep the RA log up to date.

Bonkin

posted: 6/18/2008 at 10:10 PM

The SportTracks is just a couple clicks to import and only takes a couple seconds. I don't love having to retype the four or five numbers into RA - but well worth it IMO - and it won't be too much longer before we can import directly to here.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

rkeddie

posted: 6/18/2008 at 10:36 PM

Quote from Bonkin on 6/18/2008 at 10:10 PM:

The SportTracks is just a couple clicks to import and only takes a couple seconds. I don't love having to retype the four or five numbers into RA - but well worth it IMO - and it won't be too much longer before we can import directly to here.

Thanks~ You mentioned an elevation plug-in. Which one is that, and will I not have elevation data displayed without it? Any other plug-ins I should bother with?

Bonkin

posted: 6/19/2008 at 1:07 AM
modified: 6/19/2008 at 1:08 AM

Here's a link to the Plugin Catalog for SportTracks. I use the one called "Elevation Correction". Without it, SportTracks still shows elevation on charts, just like GTC and MB. After you install it:

This plugin corrects the elevation of GPS tracks using SRTM elevation data, which is automatically downloaded from the official NASA FTP server.

Your GPS is plenty accurate regarding your position, but vertically - not so much. This plugin helps to fix this. Much like the Gravity service on MB does. Even after you install the plugin, SportTracks will allow you to "Uncorrect" the elevation data, if for some reason you want to look at the original data collected during your run. I haven't used any of the others - but just downloaded High Score and Training Planner. Haven't looked at the Training Planner yet, but High Score looks pretty cool. To install the plugins, download the zip files and extract them to your Program Files\Zone Five Software\SportTracks 2.0\Plugins folder. (Or wherever you installed it - make sure you extract to the Plugins folder). Make sure you exit SportTracks before you do it - or exit and restart it after you install.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

...the best of times, the worst of times... (Read 783 times)