My Garmin 405 is a fantastic piece of kit and, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'm completely lost if I'm without it (figuratively - I don't use it for navigating!).
Its usually extremely reliable too; as am I for that matter - aside from the very occasional hiccup I tend to be very careful about switching it on/off at the start and during any stops during a run.
Last night it looks like we both failed though!
It was a club run around some back rounds and Eccup reservoir and until I reached the reservoir it seems to have worked fine: an 8:51 opening mile running with the group followed by two miles in the upper 7s where I headed off ahead on my own, both look accurate. The last mile and a half look about right too - quick at first and then slowing right down as I ran back with the group along an unlit uninhabited road in the dark.
Its the reservoir bit that looks wrong. Near the end of that section the guy I was running with tripped and fell in the failing light and I suspect I switched the watch off then but didn't restart it. Fifty metres further on we stopped for the others to catch up and I think the press of the button then will have restarted it rather than stopped it as when I looked at the watch my average pace when we set off again had dropped by over 30s a mile.
I thought that was it, as it would seem to explain why the pace was out so much, but the distance also looked wrong - by more than 50m! After uploading today it looks from the map like it completely lost the signal for a good chunk of the reservoir route (or more likely was switched off?) as it seems a mile or so short.
Ah well, that means I'll have to assess it more on feel than figures, and on that score I think it was good. Again, no pain during or after even though I wasn't quite as fixed in focusing on engaging the lower abs. I managed the hills well too when running alone - maintaining a below 8 minute mile pace even for stretches with steep bits. One hill in particular, the steep access road from the reservoir was particularly pleasing as I took that deliberately hard as a test and despite feeling sick towards the end managed it just fine.
All in all a good and enjoyable run with good company. Its a shame I'll have to miss next week's as I'm away in Birmingham in the afternoon and very much doubt I'll be back in time.
Beyond last night's run its been an uneventful couple of days. Monday became an impromptu rest day - I hadn't had one for a while and felt jaded - and diet has generally been poor (quantity rather than quality) for the last couple of evenings.
Today is another day though...
1 comment:
What a bummer! Guess you'll have to go and do it again without turning it on and off just to make sure. ;)
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