Return to Long and a Goofy Garmin

Thank you all for your encouraging comments on my last post.  I felt a little odd posting it.   I wasn’t sure how well “re-embracing the Slacker” would go over.  It does sound a little backwards 🙂

Friday was one of those days that started ok and went south real fast.  So fast and south that it made me question how well I was doing my job.    By the time I got off work all I wanted to do was eat a pizza.   Like, the whole thing.  I had had tentative plans to hit the track for some speed work with a friend but those fell through.  Part of me wanted to use that as added justification for the pizza.   The other part of me wanted to run.  In the end I met up with my mother at the river path.   We walked the first 3 miles while I ranted.  Well as much as I could without going into too many details.   By the end of mile 3, my feet were itching to run.  So I decided to run the last mile.  I felt really good on that mile; I felt like I was running out my irritation and doubt.  So good in fact, I am pretty sure I threw down my fastest mile- 8:15.  Sweet!  I can’t find the proof to back that up though, apparently my Garmin doesn’t track single mile records?!   My fastest unofficial 5k is 26:35 so I double checked the times on those miles, and yep, this was still faster.    🙂

I was told my shoes smell- ouch.
I was told my shoes smell- ouch.

The only bummer was that while running I determined that my white Wave Riders are pretty much done for.   300 miles and done.  Poor, pitiful shoes.  I have already been breaking in their replacements but it’s still sad to say goodbye to these.   Normally I would try to get a few more miles out of a shoe but since I should be in a support shoe but choose to run in a neutral shoe, I have been trying to pay more attention to how the shoe wears down.  On Saturday, I did some shopping and I did purchase some fancy insoles to try and see if that would help get some extra miles out of them.  The verdict is still out on that one.   I also purchased another belt to try out.  I have a fitletic belt and a Flipbelt, but I am always open to possibilities.  10417596_244407052436121_1293357958679351193_n Sunday, I finally followed through on a longer run.  I made it to the track for 8 miles.  I have missed the track.  I didn’t feel up to speed work and figured a long, slow run would be more beneficial anyways.   My Garmin apparently had other plans.   It took awhile to find the signal and by the time it did, it was almost 2/10 of  mile behind.   By the end of my run, it had dropped even more distance.   I could not figure out was going on.  Luckily, I am a little neurotic and still run with the Nike app too.  It tracked well enough.  Warming up was hard on the track. I had to force myself to walk 3 laps, which is huge compared to the 200 meter warmup I used to do.  After that I just tried to keep an easy pace.   I ran miles 2, 3, 4 and took .1 walk breaks in miles 5 and 6.   After that it was all running until I hit 8.  The weather was kind of weird for the run, overcast and kind of muggy but not too hot.  At one point, I thought I smelled rain in the air but nothing ever happened.  Boo, that would have felt great.

I stayed in lane 7 the entire time, my Garmin disagrees.
I stayed in lane 7 the entire time, my Garmin disagrees.

I also got to see a prodigy in the making.  This family came to the track to have the little boy ride his big wheel. He was having some problems steering.  However the scene stealer was his towheaded, little sister.  They brought her a tricycle but she didn’t need it.  She ran laps around the track, barefoot.  He father was cutting across the grass trying to catch her.  She was all of 3 years old and so cute.  She thought it was all a great game to her.  If she keeps running, I’m betting she’s gonna be fast.  🙂

After stretching out some, I tried messing around with a self timer app that I downloaded.  Haha, umm no.  I was either out of the shot or looked like I was tripping instead of running.  I also determined that the new belt is a no-go.  While the pouch didn’t move or bounce, the belt refused to stay put.  Granted I wear my belts super low.  So low, a woman in the SLO half grabbed my shoulder at mile 2 to tell me it was falling off.  Nah, that’s normal.  I could do without the bubble butt effect but it works for me.  This Nike belt will not, so it’s going back.

Do you see how low that is?
Do you see how low that Flipbelt is?

My run felt good.  It was a little harder than I would have liked but considering I had to talk myself into getting out there, I was ok with that.  I tried to rationalize another weekend of shorter runs but even with my revived Slacker-ness, I knew that was a bad idea. But I admit I was glad when I was done.  Then it was time for a quick shower before heading out to dinner with the family.  Olive Garden, yummy.

Ever run into any running phenoms?

Any suggestions for a wacky Garmin?

How do you carry your gear?

 

 

 

 

16 thoughts on “Return to Long and a Goofy Garmin”

  1. My Garmin was acting crazy lately and it turned out there was an update I hadn’t installed. That seemed to help a lot, and plugging it in more often helped mine too. It still loses satellite occasionally during runs (usually next to buildings/under trees), but it’s been a lot better lately. I don’t have any belts, but I’m hesitant to try one for fear of it sliding down!

    Like

  3. I have the Nike GPS watch, and it acts up like that too. I feel like a madwoman because there are times that I just KNOW it is wrong. Last night I went on a 7 mile run on a route I’m very familiar with and at the 3.5 mile turnaround it only had me at 3.3. I turned around anyway and ended the run at what the watch said was 6.75. The average pace at the end was waaay slower than I knew I was running. Sure enough, I mapped out my route on mapmyrun and it said my run was a little over 7 miles! Arg! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one whose GPS watch tries to cheat her out of miles 🙂

    I often do what you did and use the Nike phone app instead, as it tends to be much more accurate.

    Like

    1. Exactly! I know how many laps I was doing and what my average pace is on the track but the Garmin was almost a minute off. It takes a good run and makes you cranky. I sometimes feel a little crazy using both but it just seems to work better. 🙂

      Like

  4. Well done with your fastest mile!! My Garmin is still new enough that it hasn’t gone wonky on me yet, so I don’t even know how I’d deal if it went crazy. I sometimes run MapMyRun on my phone as well as my Garmin, just in case. Right now I carry most of my “gear” (which isn’t a lot at the moment) in the pouch of my handheld water bottle. It holds my phone, any cards, and a tiny bit of fuel if needed. Not ideal for long distances, but it’ll do for now.

    Like

    1. Thank you! My Garmin has been fine until recently, but now it’s had a couple of issues. I used to have a handheld, but I cannot run with that much water, same reason I no longer use my Fuelbelt. But the handheld felt super heavy after awhile too. Extra workout, buff arms!!!

      Like

  5. Okay, I have a D clip on my spare keys that gets clips to my bra strap and shoved down. I have an arm band I hate that holds my iphone and I run the head phones through my shirt… And the things I collect when I run (Frequently I find money, I’ve been finding dimes a lot lately – or a top to a coke bottle, cause I collect my coke rewards, it’s how I afford our family album photo book each year) they all end up in my sports bra, too.

    Maybe I need a belt thing…

    Like

      1. Yes, well, when you are as plus sized as I am, I’m just lucky they make a sports bra that fits! LOL.

        Sadly, I don’t think any of the sport belts out there are big enough for me, so I’ll be sticking with my arm band for now.

        Like

  7. Haha, nice! Yeah, the gps on our watches are always going to be a little wonky. I’ve had mine lost me for an entire lap! Really messes with my splits. And yes, I need to update my shoes more, but I try to rotate several pairs throughout the week so one doesn’t get too overused. Anyway, great job on your runs!!! Sorry about the foot odor. 😉

    Like

  8. Pingback: Oops, I Did it Again | Slacker Runner

Comments are closed.