Crowded Streets

I'm not sure why, but there seemed to be more people out this morning (6:20AM) than normal. There were more people walking to and from work. There were more cars (and, thus, more pollution) on the main road through Nairobi. We live about 2 blocks south of this road and I normally run along it for a half mile or so — most of that on a frontage road. Rarely a dull moment in Nairobi.

Still can't figure why the Garmin 305 usually shows and average pace and an average moving pace that differ by 3-6 seconds per mile even though I don't stop. Funny, though, one day when I did have to stop to wait for a vehicle, they two paces were the same. Ah, well, I guess that's part of the margin of error. So, can I count the average moving pace as my pace? LOL!


Thanks to a couple of guys who gave me a solution to a couple of my issues with the Forerunner 305.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

What I Wish for Garmin

I received a Garmin Forerunner 305 for Christmas and have really enjoyed using it. I like knowing all the stats — pace automatically calculated for each "lap", heart rate constantly calculated, showing the fastest pace for each lap and the run, and all the other data. However, there are some things that I would change. Given my druthers, I wish ...

• ... that there was a simpler way to upload runs to the online Garmin Connect from the desktop "Garmin Training Center" software. Best I can tell, it's just like running the site from a browswer and manually uploading data.
• ... that there was a way to record multiple runs or activities between syncs. I tried to record a road trip and wanted various segments but it only seemed capable of recording it all as a single activity.
• ... that the "Garmin Training Center" software and/or "Garmin Connect" web site had some user-defined fields in its database. I would like to be able to track the mileage on my shoes, for instance. Being about to identify each pair and then connect the right pair to a given run would be very helpful.
• ... that Garmin used Google Maps rather than Bing maps or at least that the user had a choice. Bing maps may be just fine for the US — I have no idea — but Google Maps are far, far superior for Kenya and South Africa.
• ... that "Garmin Connect" could be set up to automatically post to Twitter and/or Facebook (or other social network) and to automatically post to or be embedded in a Blogspot or Word Press blog. Comments could be added to a run and posted with the run data.
• ... that the icon for runs were more interesting. Does Garmin really think that the blue triangle is a good icon?

Reckon Garmin is listening? None of this requires doing anything to the watch software or firmware — it's all tweaks to the desktop software and the web site. And, if you are listening, Garmin, make the changes on both the Mac and Windows versions of the software — don't leave some of us hanging.

By the way (and I get nothing for this), Amazon currently has the Forerunner 305 for $127.99 — it's a great price for an excellent running/GPS watch.

This morning's run:

Run well, y'all,

Bob

Still Pushing On

Perfectly good Kenyan English phrase, still pushing on, meaning that one is enduring. I'm still running though I'm not blogging — just not much to say.

Last week, I decided to run a route that I had been dreading. It involves a long (almost 1.25 mile) uphill at the beginning, a steep downhill, and then a short but steep uphill. I did it and ran the whole thing. It was a real confidence builder. There's probably a life lesson there — something to the effect that meeting challenges head-on gets you past the fear to see what you can really do.

This morning must have been red shirt day. I wore a red shirt this morning. I saw 3 of my neighbours out running and walking and 2 of them also had worn red shirts — the third must have missed the memo.

This morning's run, if you're interested:



Run well, y'all,
Bob