Testing the MapMyRun App

I recently switched to MapMyRun as my run-tracking program, since Bones in Motion has pretty much been ruined (in my opinion) by Adidas miCoach. I've used MMR in the past, and I think it's a pretty decent program. I figured that now that I'm back to MMR, I should go ahead and download their iPhone app. I first tried the app last Saturday on my 22-miler on the Creek Turnpike trail. It seemed to be pretty accurate, and aligned with my Garmin very closely.

On Wednesday, I strapped my iPhone on for a 7-mile run through the neighborhoods that surround my house. I had a quick start, and I was feeling good. I was a little surprised, however, to hear the echoing woman's voice telling me that my pace was under 8 minutes in my first mile. I have been keeping my weekday runs around 8 minutes lately, but my first mile is usually my slowest. Anyway, I kept chipping away at the 7 miles, and my pace kept dropping. Every time I heard a faster number, I'd pick it up even more. By the end of the run, she was telling me that I was averaging 7:39. I was so excited that I had broken 7:40. Then, I looked down at my Garmin to see that it was suggesting my recorded average page was actually 7:48. Knowing that the Garmin was likely the more accurate source, I went with it. I was still happy to have averaged under 7:50 for 7 miles, especially when my goal marathon pace is 1:20/mile slower, but I was a little bummed to see the discrepancy.

I ran an easy five this morning, and again, there were notable discrepancies between MMR and my Garmin. This time, the discrepancy affected both pace and distance. I was running on a very familiar path at a very familiar pace, yet MMR showed that I was .2 mile behind and several seconds per mile slower than the Garmin (and my instincts).

I would assume that part of the discrepancy has to do with my surroundings, as the more accurate reading came during a run with very few surrounding houses, trees, buildings, etc. on the Creek Turnpike trail. Wednesday and Friday, I was constantly among trees, houses, overhead wires, and buildings. Nevertheless, I'll still use MMR at the Route 66, but my Garmin has the last word!

On a side note, yesterday I registered for the White Rock marathon in Dallas, which occurs just two weeks after Route 66. Leave a comment if you're also attending White Rock, or if you've run it before and have any insights. Thanks!

My Personal Mock Marathon

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the Mock Marathon on Saturday, as my 4-year old daughter was scheduled to play her final soccer game during that time. Turns out, she was sick Saturday morning, and she couldn't make it to the game after all. Nevertheless, I had it in mind that I was going to wake up at 5:00 AM, and I was going to get out and run the 22 miles that the Runner's World group would also be running--by myself. My wife and I had determined late Saturday that my daughter's fever was passing, and she seemed to be better by the time she went to bed, so I continued with my plan.

I had been nervous about the run all week--my previous 22-miler was a little rough. So I decided that I would make the conscious effort throughout the course of the run to slow it down. If I could just keep it around 9:09, I would complete 26.2 miles in 4 hours (and 22 miles in even less!).

I started out on Saturday from my driveway. I ran through two neighborhoods and along 91st until I hit an entrance to the Creek Turnpike Trail near Hwy. 169. This was 3.65 miles in. I headed southeast, telling myself that "all" I had to do was hit 11 miles, and then I could come back home. I ended up taking not one but two short "natural breaks." This is unusual for me. Will have to watch the water intake before the Route 66 I guess.

I hit my usual start point at about 6 miles in, and the sun was beginning to hint at rising ahead of me. A few more miles in and I got to experience the whole thing. Really no way to describe it, so I'm not even going to try.

I ended up using the two water fountains on that section of the trail for my first time. There is one a mile beyond the parking lot at 101st and Garnett, and another just before 145th. I was surprised and relieved that both worked. My water bottle was full of Gatorade, but I was trying to ration it as much as possible.

Incidentally, I was trying out the MapMyRun app for the first time on this run. I kind of liked hearing my distance and pace each mile, and it aligned with my Garmin results surprisingly closely.

At 11 miles, just as I approached County Line, I turned around and started running home. I was still feeling good. I had been stepping gently, especially on my PF-prone left foot. My average pace was 8:47. I was a little worried, as this is 20 seconds/mile faster than my intended pace, and I feared running out of steam before the finish.

Miles 11-15 were pretty uneventful, but around mile 16, I began to realize that being out running on a Fall morning as the sun rose was something that simply made me...happy. I had no other way of describing it.

At mile 17, my iPhone surprised me with an especially motivating song. As the climactic ending approached, I turned my iPhone up louder than I probably ever have (I was in a very safe section of the trail, far from cars, roads, or other hazards), and I dropped my pace to about 7:20 for a minute or two. I knew I would regret it later (which I did), but I just hated to miss out on the moment. I mean, where else can a person do that? In what other situation or scenario? I patted my newly-40-year-old body on the back for opening it up like that, and as the song ended, I dropped back down to around 8:45.

Approaching 20 miles in, I left the trail, got on the sidewalk, and headed back to the two neighborhoods I had seen almost 3 hours previous. At this point, my legs were feeling very sore, but my breathing was still good. Generally speaking, considering the circumstances, I still felt fine.

I ran back through the two neighborhoods that had apparently awoken while I was on the trail, eventually turning onto my own street, relishing the street name in my head as I did. Sure enough, over the distance, I had lost a few tenths of a mile on both my Garmin and my iPhone, so I had to pass my house with sadness in order to hit the full 22 miles on both gauges. One or two houses past and back, and there I was typing in my garage door code.

My average pace remained at 8:45, which would put me in at about 7-8 minutes under my goal of 4 hours. If I can only recreate the experience in two weeks!

I guess I'll no longer enter my stats the way I used to, now that Bones In Motion has been purchased (and ruined) by Adidas miCoach. (Warning: do not migrate your info to miCoach until you're ready to completely quit using bimactive!). I have returned to MapMyRun, which I had used before bimactive. I like MapMyRun, but BIM had more features and provided more feedback.

Good luck to those of you who are running the Route 66. I hope to see you there. And if anyone is running the Dallas White Rock Marathon 2 weeks after, let me know!