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Garmin: Reinventing the Wheel (Read 1293 times)

    I figured this'd be a catchy subject so I could dupe yinz all into helping me with my new toy. First: I haven't RTFM fully, but I've scanned it. Do plan to read it. Maybe. Didn't come across my particular concerns. Second: Yes, I have searched on the forum and will continue to do so for Garmin related issues. I know my Garmin 305 isn't perfect. Compared with my mapped 6 mile course (mapped via gmappedometer [and I run in downtown Pittsburgh, where I can hyper zoom in]) Garmin showed me at 6 about 470 feet earlier than I'd be done (used the lap feature to figure the difference.) I guess my question is, how do people log their distances once they get a Garmin? Stick with the old? Go with Garmin and scrap the old? Totally redo logs to reflect BGE (Before Garmin Era) and GE? (Kidding about doing that. Maybe.) Does some Garmin owner want to come play with me and tutor me? We can drink beer when done running. Or before. Or during. No, I really don't have anything better to think about at this very moment. Yes, sometimes I am this anal.
    zoom-zoom


    rectumdamnnearkilledem

      I use my Garmin for distances. I don't manually map anymore. Garmin's not perfect, but neither are the online maps.

      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

           ~ Sarah Kay


      My legs are killing me

        I use both the Garmin log and the RA log. It's nice to have the back up. As far as being able to tell you any of the finer features of it, I'm afraid I am of no help. I have the attention span of a fly and haven't read the manual. I know how to turn it on and it gives me my pace, elevation and distance - so I'm good.
        jEfFgObLuE


        I've got a fever...

          I guess my question is, how do people log their distances once they get a Garmin? Stick with the old? Go with Garmin and scrap the old? Totally redo logs to reflect BGE (Before Garmin Era) and GE? (Kidding about doing that. Maybe.)
          Ok, none of that re-doing the logs BGE stuff. I'm not gonna sweat over a couple hundreths. I sync my Garmin with the Garmin Training Center, but only to manage my profile and workouts. I sync with MotionBased (MB) for my distance. Under Account-->Preferences-->Tune-Up, I have GPS corrections and MB Gravity (altitude corrections) selected to be applied to each run. MB does weird stuff with the time sometimes if you start and stop during the run, so I use the time on the watch. To summarize: 1) Time from the watch (or GTC) 2) Distance from MB I enter the above info into RA. When Eric gets the GPS stuff done, we'll be able to skip MB and upload our data straight to RA, skipping the middleman.

          On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.


          A Saucy Wench

            I just go with what the garmin says and dont worry about it. If my training changes significantly because I ran 0.1 mile more or less than I thought I did then I should be running on a track. In lane 1. Precisely 20 centimeters from the lane edge. I dont sweat it if Monday it says my route is 5.15 and tuesday it says the same route is 5.23. So monday I ran 5.15 and tuesday I ran 5.23. It is what it is. Maybe I cut the corners differently. Over time it all evens out.

            I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

             

            "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

              I use my Garmin for distances. I don't manually map anymore. Garmin's not perfect, but neither are the online maps.
              I agree. Depending on reception, Garmins may be as accurate as 15-20 ft of actual coordinates. Can you zoom in that close? If you really want to split hairs and have loads of time to spend mapping, use both and average the two.
                Thanks all. I'll have to look at the motion based thing. I didn't even know til today when I grabbed the brochure that it's Garmin affiliated. I'll investigate myself why Garmin provides more than one data logging option. I'm just using TC for my so-far 4 runs. Can't wait til Eric gets something rocking here. One of the whole points of the Garmin was to eliminate the time I spent mapping courses using gmapspedometer, so that's a good thing. I love it. So no one wanted a beer, eh?
                jEfFgObLuE


                I've got a fever...

                  So no one wanted a beer, eh?
                  Are you kidding? I've been sitting here waiting for it.

                  On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

                    Dumb work-beer filter won't let me attach it Wink
                      I had the same questions when I got mine. The 305 showed my most frequent routes to actually be slightly shorter than what I thought. I didn't go back and edit any of my logs, but I did lengthen my routes to get my desired distance on the Garmin. I figure I'd rather run past my goal than short of it. It'll just make me push that much harder to reach my desired times and make race day seem easier.
                        I figure I'd rather run past my goal than short of it. It'll just make me push that much harder to reach my desired times and make race day seem easier.
                        Ditto. I call it "cheating against myself."
                        Trent


                        Good Bad & The Monkey

                          gmappedometer
                          Dude. Use RunningAHEAD.com. Much better 'n gmappedometer. Dude. More importantly, do you like monkeys?
                            Dude. Use RunningAHEAD.com. Much better 'n gmappedometer. Dude. More importantly, do you like monkeys?
                            No need now for silly mapping cuz of freeing nature of the Garmin. Wrote this in my log just minute ago: Still getting to know Garmin. Last night, I read the manual and programmed many of the fields. Very nice! Today, a very freeing run: Oh, where should I go? There? OK, I'll go there, and not care, because Garmin will track it for me. And that's what I did. Some climbing. Some stops. So, fun. Your monkey looks very tempting. I might like to pet it. (By which I mean, I'd love to run your marathon. Logistics may deter me this year though.)
                            Trent


                            Good Bad & The Monkey

                              Running the Monkey'thon is foolish. I would not recommend it. It changes you. In bad ways. But it is, er, memorable. And pretty Smile I use RA to map runs before I run them and GPS after. Mapping helps me plan new routes. It is also helpful for when I am traveling. And I save the routes and use them as a reference in my log. Give it a shot. More importantly, do you like monkeys?
                                Your monkey looks very tempting. I might like to pet it. (By which I mean, I'd love to run your marathon. Logistics may deter me this year though.)
                                Logistics should deter me this year, but I've already made up my mind that I want to run it, so I've started my "Monkey fund".

                                Michelle



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