8/16/11
11 miles tempo / 1:33 / 8:27 avg pace
*1 mile warm-up and 10 miles at MP (8:35). Splits: 8:09, 8:07, 8:11, 8:14, 8:18 – I felt like I was running too fast so I checked my splits and slowed down for the remaining 5 miles – 8:38, 8:37, 8:29, 8:28, 8:25.
Isn’t it supposed to be Three Things Thursday? Hmm, not sure. Oh well, go with it.
Redemption Tempo
This morning I got a second chance to do a tempo run that I attempted 2 weeks ago. It didn’t go so well the first time but I was able to get some redemption today. The trail was soft and mushy from all the rain, which made it even harder to maintain MP but that’s OK with me. I always want to prepare for the worst case scenario and then, if it’s not so bad, I’ll be pleasantly surprised. Does that make me a pessimist or a realist?
GoGazella
A social network for marathon and endurance runners created by a Philly-based husband and wife team. A Facebook for runners, if you will. Check it out and if you decide to create a profile, make sure you friend me 🙂
Garmin “Pace Smoothing”
Maybe you all knew this but I found out there is a way to minimize how much your pace fluctuates on your Garmin. When I was training for NJM, I was getting annoyed at how often my pace would go from 7:30 to 10:00 to 9:00, etc. Even though my effort was consistent, my Garmin pace wasn’t. My Garmin is only 2 years old (I have the 305). I looked up the problem and it directed me to something called “pace smoothing”.
Per the Garmin manual, pace smoothing averages your current pace over a certain amount of time to avoid errors in GPS position and speed due to varying satellite signal recognition. When you turn on or increase pace smoothing, the pace shown on your Forerunner is steadier. It did help, although I still think there could be something wrong with my Garmin since I never had an issue until this year. But I’m too dependent on my Garmin to part with it and get it looked at!
How to “pace smooth” (at least on the 305 model): mode –> settings –> running –> speed units –> smoothing. I’m using “most” for the least amount of fluctuation.
Are you addicted to your Garmin? Can you run without it? Even better question, can you RACE without it? No way Jose…I’m addicted!
I have the pace smoothing thing on mine. I can run Garmin free, but I wouldn’t race without it, otherwise I think I’d start too fast.
Great tempo run! I can’t wait for your marathon and BQ! 🙂
Nice tempo run! I love my garmin, too! I rarely go without it. It’s not that I am looking at it all the time when I run but I just like to be able to run different routes and not have to think about how far it is. I always race with it, too. Again, not so much to look at during the race, but to have it recorded to look at my splits after the race. I am on my second garmin–my first lasted about 4 years until it died.
I love/hate my Garmin (I have the 405CX). I feel like it’s often lying to me and yet I always race with it and don’t like training without it. I think I used to be much better with my pacing before my Garmin days, but I still find it very useful and try my best not to get *too* dependent and look at it every two seconds. And it’s nice to not have to go to mapmyrun or wherever and try to figure out what I’ve done! I’m dying to get the newer, super simple one – I rarely use the advanced settings on mine anyway and hear the new one is great!
glad your tempo run went better! i am also totally addicted to my garmin and don’t even like to go out for short easy runs without it. it drives me crazy how random the pace is sometimes. i look down and think to myself, “there is NO way i’m running a 10 minute mile right now!”
have a great day! 🙂
I’m trying the pace smoothing asap! Never heard of it, and that drives me crazy. Technically, I can run without my Garmin, but I hate it. Nice job on the tempo run! I think you can really do three things any time. Even on a Monday, if you want.
Whoa, I have never heard of pace smoothing! Thanks for the info. Do you ever have issues with your first mile? Whenever I start out, it ALWAYS tells me I’m running, like 10:00-12:00 pace which is unusually slow for me. It’s possible that I’m getting interference from buildings (I live in Manhattan), but it seems very weird. Wondering if there’s anything I can do about it…
That happens to me as well if I run in Philly near buildings. I think it’s just interference and little can be done about it 🙁
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seriously. your speed amazes me. i am getting so excited for your marathon. you are going to be amazing! i am so excited about the gogazella! i just joined and added you!!! so cool!
Thanks Julia! I will gladly accept 🙂
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thanks for sharing the info about pace smoothing. i had never heard about that before. i have a 205 and your instructions worked for it too 🙂
You know what? Lately, I’ve been leaving my Garmin at home. I don’t know what changed!! I guess I’m taking some time off from hardcore training for now (even though I miss it something fierce… it’s for a good reason).
You are totally going to BQ at this race! I can feel it!
Completely obsessed with my Garmin 405! I tried to run without it once this summer and couldn’t do it. My bf has issues with his 310x and the pace being off and jumping around like that.
I wonder if there’s pace smoothing on the 405cx, or if that was “fixed” for that model? I never use current pace – always average pace for the lap or overall- because it stresses me out to see it jump all over.
I am definitely Garmin-dependent. I received the watch before I started running longer distances, so I am very used to having it on me for all my runs. I think it helped me to run longer distances because it was so exciting to look down and see how far I had gone, back when 4 miles was a long run for me 🙂