10 Miler Training: 7 mile group run

I did my first group run, as part of the Charlottesville 10 Miler Training Program! I got myself really anxious about the run - I was nervous about the weather (it snowed before and after the run, but not during), being able to run 7 miles (the last big runs I did were 6 miles on Thanksgiving and 8 miles at the beginning of November), and running with other people. It ended up being totally fine. I went around the same pace that I would have done myself, so I wasn't pushed too fast or slowed down. It was nice having something scheduled, and it forced me to just get it over with. It also held me accountable, since I knew that if I stopped to walk, the people around me would see, and it would take me forever to get back to the track where we met to start. Next week is only a 5 mile run, which I'm much more comfortable with.

The really cool part, was that Joey let me borrow the Garmin Forerunner 210 watch I just got him for Hanukkah. It gives you so much information about your run! I got him the watch that has a heart rate monitor, so you have that data as well. You can see your heart rate plotted out over time or miles, so you can see how that is affected by hills or your pace. The really nice thing is that you can upload your files and view everything online, and that those files are compatible with running programs like Runkeeper. I just uploaded the file to runkeeper.com and it filled in all of the information. The only weird thing was that my average pace was slightly different, but that's okay.

Here's all of the information you get from your run. First, you get a summary of your run. You get some overall details about your timing, elevation, and heart rate, the graphs of which are shown on the right. I think it's interesting that you have multiple times listed. I'm assuming the time versus moving time, is when I had slowed down to a stop before pressing pause on the watch. I'm also assuming that elapsed time includes the time when I had the watch paused, so I can see how long I was stopped at lights, etc.

 

You get a really nice map, much cleaner than the maps I get using Runkeeper. You can see the loops I made around the track before we got out on the road. You can also tell when I crossed the street. On the right, you can see that it gives you the weather forecast during the run. That part is really nice when you want to compare runs, and see if there are reasons why you didn't do as well. 

   

You know I love getting information about my splits. Well this was like hitting the jackpot! Joey already set it so each lap was 1/2 mile, which is what I've been using as well for my splits. The information that was cut off on the right side is just about my heart rate.

This is what Runkeeper told me after I uploaded the Gpx file:

You can see that the distance, duration and average pace are all just slightly different, but definitely close enough for me. I would say that my average pace was somewhere between the 10:03 and 10:08 that the Garmin gave me.

Overall, this was pretty darn cool. Maybe Joey will let me use it again :) Or I'll have to buy myself one! The heart rate monitor I was thinking about getting is $70 - it's the polar bluetooth equipped one, that does not come with a watch. You use apps on your phone to sync with it. For $170, I got Joey both the gps watch and the heart rate monitor. Since I'm much more interested in information about my running than my heart rate, it might make sense to get the watch. I'll have to keep thinking about it. Since I bought it for Joey a week ago, the price went up $35.

Also, I successfully completed my first week of 10 Miler Training!

Week 1:
Tuesday: 4 miles (treadmill)
Thursday: 4 miles (outside)
Saturday: 7 miles (outside)
Weekly Total: 15 miles



If you liked this post, check out the posts below!

Recap of 8k race

8k training: 8 mile run in Charlottesville

7 mile run in Wilmington