a watch for long distance training.

matstand said:

I currently run about 5-7 miles 3 times a week, with the odd 11 mile
run as well, building up to a Marathon one day. As I tend to run a
different route each time, I find it really hard to compare performance
between one run and another.

You don't need to "compare performance" with your daily training runs. If your
daily training runs are faster than marathon pace, they are too fast, you should
not be trying to "perform" on these.

As far as speed work is concerned, where you may (but don't have to) assess your
performance, you really should be using the same hill/loop or a standard track,
unless you['re doing fartlek in which case you shouldn't try to measure
performance.

Quoted message said:

I'd like a watch with a speed/distance-ometer in it,

If you're looking for a cool toy as a source of entertainment, these are just
fine but they won't help you a whole lot with your training.

Quoted message said:

is their any reason to buy a GPS based
watch rather than a (presumeably) cheaper one with with a footpad? All

I don't think your presumption is correct. There are reasons to choose either
way. Use google.

Quoted message said:

I want is to know is what speed I am doing at any given point

The watch will not accurately tell you your speed for any given point
(especially a GPS!)

Quoted message said:

and the averagespeed/distance for my journey. any recommendations?

Google earth, Microsoft streets and trips, a bicycle computer for accurate
course measurement.

Quoted message said:

I'd prefer the cheapest,

See above -- those three are the cheapest for measuring courses.

Quoted message said:

but I dont mind paying for something that is genuinely
better.

Bike computer is probably the most accurate.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

i use a garmin watch (forerunner), and i find that it is extremely
accurate and useful. i've checked the distances with my car and it's
usually accurate within a dozen feet per mile. the pace might not
always be right on, but it will correct itself over the course of a
run. it's very useful when you want to run a specific distance but
don't want to be stuck on a set course, or when you are in a new town.
i love it. i don't use it every day, only on days when i want to
explore or run intervals. there's no other easy way to run intervals on
the road. is it as accurate as a track? heck no. but it's a lot better
than guessing. a good investment of $120 in my opinion.

Dred said:

i use a garmin watch (forerunner), and i find that it is extremely
accurate and useful. i've checked the distances with my car and it's
usually accurate within a dozen feet per mile. the pace might not
always be right on, but it will correct itself over the course of a
run. it's very useful when you want to run a specific distance but

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Quoted message said:

don't want to be stuck on a set course, or when you are in a new town.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I agree with this, it's just a scenario that I have yet to encounter. I don't
recall ever having the need to run "a specific distance" except when I am
racing or doing intervals.

Quoted message said:

explore or run intervals. there's no other easy way to run intervals on
the road.

Sure there is. Identify a course, and use that. You don't need to know
how long it is, in fact if you're running hills, knowing the distance doesn't
help anyway, because you will run much slower up a hill. If you run intervals
on the same course several times frequently, you can compare your times for
different workouts and cross-reference those against race performances.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

thanks for this. As someone who has never done any research in how to
train, i just figured if I could simply track my time and distance each
run I could work at increasing both each time I went out and that a
speed/distance watch would help me with this. reading your responses
and other threads, makes me think that I should probably buy a book
about training before I buy a watch.

"... Identify a course, and use that. You don't need to know
how long it is, in fact if you're running hills, knowing the distance
doesn't
help anyway, because you will run much slower up a hill. If you run
intervals
on the same course several times frequently, you can compare your times
for
different workouts and cross-reference those against race performances.
"

intervals. 800 repeats. you can set the watch to give you a time every
1/2 or 1/4 mile. i don't know too many people who know their courses
well enough to figure split times for 1/4, 1/2, or custom distances.

for hills, don't need it. for tempo run, same thing.

bottom line- it's a toy. if you have $120 to blow and want a cool
gadget, get it. but you surely don't NEED it.

Quoted message said:

I'd like a watch with a
speed/distance-ometer in it, is their any reason to buy a GPS based
watch rather than a (presumeably) cheaper one with with a footpad? All
I want is to know is what speed I am doing at any given point and the
averagespeed/distance for my journey. any recommendations?

I use a Fitsense foot-pod system and it's good for all that. Properly
calibrated, it gives me my pace at any given time and total distance.
The main limitation is that it reads differently on different surfaces
-- for instance, I ran a 2-mile stretch on concrete and asphalt one
way and the same stretch coming back on a parallel gravel path; the
gravel part read 2.14 miles. So if you use a lot of different terrains
then you'll have to keep adjusting the calibration (not hard to do
once you're used to it).

I use mine mainly for tempo runs where I want to maintain a specific
pace, but when I was getting used to my neighborhood and the various
distances from here to there, I used it a lot to measure courses. Not
so much now. If I move to a different neighborhood I'll use it again
to work out my routes.
--
Brian P. Baresch
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Professional editing and proofreading

If you're going through hell, keep going. --Winston Churchill

On 27 Sep 2005 06:59:05 -0700, "matstand" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

thanks for this. As someone who has never done any research in how to
train, i just figured if I could simply track my time and distance each
run I could work at increasing both each time I went out and that a
speed/distance watch would help me with this. reading your responses
and other threads, makes me think that I should probably buy a book
about training before I buy a watch.

for goodness sake. get one. i got an old timex
speed distance model. tells me current speed,
and distance travelled and averages and stuff.
i don't use it every outing but for learning
pace i like it. say i want to run 10 minute miles.
it tells me. if i want 9:40. it tells me. what you do
with the numbers may not be what others think you
should, but that's ok. get it. use it and then improve
yourself.
....thehick

there is a card board one with a circle design it has distance time =
speed on it. one side. the other has the 360° on it. it is only a 4
inch double circle model. it has marine calculator on it. I look it up
in goggles and this is not the same thin. there was a insurance place
who office got what ever and in the dumpsters they were.. I got a mess
of them and been given them away to people who our on there feet more
than there job or car to work and back thing......
you could try navagations and or tools...
or I use day........night.......
my bike and back pack.........
p.s. i got a home........
just need to venture out into the trails..... see you soon....... walk
like you mean it.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I have the Garmin forerunner 301 and like it alot. You can you it for
time and distance. You can use it for pace, interval or make your own
workouts on it. I have even geocached with mine. All this plus a
heart rate monitor. You can connect to you PC and upload/dwonload data
there are also websites that you can log your data on. An example of
a home made workout, I set it up for 5 minutes warm up pace, 30 minutes
tarining pace, then 5 minutes cool down pace.

matstand said:

thanks for this. As someone who has never done any research in how to
train, i just figured if I could simply track my time and distance each
run I could work at increasing both each time I went out and that a
speed/distance watch would help me with this. reading your responses
and other threads, makes me think that I should probably buy a book
about training before I buy a watch.

Check this one out...based on google maps, some nice people in nj
modified it:

http://www.sueandpaul.com/gmapPedometer/