GPS Tracking (Read 861 times)

I've heard so much about the Garmin 305 and it sounds like it's something that's really great to use. The only thing is, I'm not that serious of a runner yet and can't justify spending $300+ on it. Does anybody have any recommendations for something cheap that can track the distance ran? I'm not talking about online mapping because I don't trust that to be accurate plus you can't really map everything.

Online mapping is invariably very accurate. I've never had a reason not to use it. If you don't trust it so much just measure out the 100m straightaway of a track in your area and it probably will be damn near equal to 100m.

I guess I should have added one part to my original post. I run on some paths that aren't on a map (like the walking path around a park) and I would like to be able to track that. I know I can go online to the park's website and it will tell me how far around but I like the distances I run to be even and if I run a certain path at one park then it's about 4.13 miles when I would just like to do 4 even.

I bought the 305 in the Fall for $195 with free shipping and got a $50 rebate. Look online, perhaps do a google purchase search and check the garmin website for rebates. You should not have to spend $300. And I bought one in the Fall to replace the one I broke when I landed on it in a tumble during a race. I love it!!

Until recently there were no street map type programs online for the area where I run. I started using Google Earth's satellite maps to figure out where I ran. You can run on roads or on trails and it is all right there for you to see and map from the sky. You have to be a little more attentive to know which path you ran, but it is very accurate...and free. I would love a GPS based system, but until I can get one, I have GPS data available to me for free and it is very accurate.

Hi there, I've started using a new service that a company I work with has just launched. It's live GPS tracking using mobile phones - you just need to run the application on your mobile phone (internal GPS or with an external GPS receiver) and then it streams your route live on the web as well as showing live stats on your phone. Once you're back home you can replay/analyse/export your track, as well as compare two tracks to see how your performance differed by run. You can see more at www.mapmytracks.com - I use it alongside Runningahead -although it would be great to be able to take the GPX export from Map My Tracks and upload it straight into RA. cheers, sw