I knew I had to get out there and go from a run today, although I was really sore after yesterday’s session with Steve. Most of the day it was pouring down rain, then around the time when I was getting done with work, the clouds parted and the sun even came out. I really didn’t have any excuse not to get out there and go for a run.  I changed then headed up to the mountain for a run up to the top of Bear Mountain. Nothing all that adventurous happened during the run, but I was able to gather some good data from my Garmin 310XT to share with you. Although those of you who just did the Beast a couple weeks ago will recognize some of the pictures. The hay is still their the rope are gone. It would have been awesome if the ropes were left to climb at the top of the run!  It was amazing how such a nasty morning turned into a stellar afternoon. Another beautiful evening in Vermont.

TRAIL RUN

Killington, VT

Distance: 6.81 Miles

Time: 1:12:48

Pace: 10:41

 

As I have said before, I would review my two new toys. The first is the Garmin 310XT, not only a GPS device but also a heart rate monitor. First off, I love this new training tool. I have not had a heart rate monitor since I was in high school training. We joke our bodies so much that we are actually working hard and pushing it, having the heart rate monitor keeps you honest! Part two of the Garmin 310XT is the GPS, which is also great. I had been getting frustrated recently with the inaccurate readings from my iphone app so this watch has been great.

 

Summary

I have now used this training device for three completely different runs. The first was my race over the weekend, where the waterproof features made the cut (It is waterproof down to 50 meters). It also made it through the mud that day. The second time I used it was running through the streets of Saratoga on the road, again it performed well! Finally, I used it yesterday to run on the trails and in the woods of Vermont. Three different runs and three different environments.  It has not let me down yet.

 

Charts

 

The real appeal for me in getting this GPS/heart rate monitor was it’s battery life (20 hours). Now I know this is overkill for most people and the watch was designed for the multi-sport athlete. However, as my training increases that 20 hours will prove to be helpful. I have a couple 24 hour sessions scheduled after my ultra marathon is over. This is a very short review and I will go into more detail at a later date. I will let the screen shots speak for themselves.  These are just a few of the stats you can get after your run, along with a map and all the other things I was able to get with my iphone app. I love stats an all the techie stuff, so for me looking at all the data afterwards is really appealing. This device definitely is a game changer and will help me become more focused on my training.

 

My parting words on this device, super easy to use, extremely helpful with my training and it’s all Mac friendly. This was definitely a birthday present worth getting. Thanks Mom, whose birthday is this Wednesday by the way! Happy Birthday Mom!