webdevmatt

One sweet feature of the New Droid is in GPS; that’s right GPS for “free” (I paid $99 for my Droid). With GPS and Google together, you have a Maps Made In Heaven I mean Match Made In Heaven ;).

My first Google Maps and GPS combo app was introduced to me by good buddy @alex_howansky. We both share a love for tech and fitness so he turned me on to My Tracks. This application, on your Android powered device, will track your activity (Bike, Hike, Run, Walk, anything that has a trackJ). Turn on your GPS, fire up the app, click “Record Track” and whola, you, represented by a little triangle, will start moving around a Google map in one of two views you have come accustomed to on Google Maps (street view, satellite view).

So, we got a GPS that will track our motion. If we want, we can watch a little triangle move around a screen / the streets of your home or visiting town. Here are some more things that are also nice about My Tracks:

• Track time while you are moving and not moving (total time). That’s right it knows when you start and stop, and it keeps track of that for you.
• Track your distance, pace and speed
  • For both moving time and total time J
  • In real time and an average summary at the end of your run
  • Audio feedback, if requested on a configured interval eg. <robot voice>you have gone .9miles at 7minute 30second miles per hour</robot voice>
• Track and display your elevation
  • In real time and a summary of elevation max and min
  • Summary max and min grade in percent

Once you are finished with your track, you will push the stop track button and you are prompted to:

• Enter the name of your track
• Enter the type of activity you were tracking (running, walking, hiking, biking, etc.)
• Enter a description of the track (it was a nice day, it was flat, safe, etc.)

Once you are happy with all the pre and post run documentation, it’s time for the power of the Droid. Like most “things” you do on your Driod, you can share your track with just a couple swipes of your finger. There are many sharing options ranging from emailing the tech happy GPX or KML representation of your track to yourself or a favorite tracking site right down to old school sharing your map with your friends; like we used to with gmap-pedometer. If methods of sharing don’t work for you, how about uploading your track to Google Docs. When you hit this button, My Tracks will send the data to Google Docs, and it will be waiting for you in your Google Document repository as a new sheet (just like an excel spreadsheet) for you to tuck away or perform your own trending magic from day to day.

I have been running with my Droid for over a week and it is a pleasure. I’m still trying to find good accessory to hold the Droid while running so if there are any suggestions please post a comment so I can check it out. Happy Running and Droiding.

The Nike running log is nice. When I first started using it, I found it slow and a little to flashy, but it had something, which I couldn’t put my finger on. Maybe it was being new to running and being more of a data guy, I was a little disappointed. It’s now been over 2 years since I started using Nike’s online logging, and I’ll tell you what I find it useful. It collects, stores and reports on my data very nicely. The easy canned reports for looking at running history, the ability to track sneakers and the wealth of content for interested runners are at the top of my list for this running log. On the downside, ease of entering your run and storing routes is disappointing compared to some of the other sites.
Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:
1. Customize what data you want to put in, you can put in as much or as little as you want, and it’s right at your finger tips
2. Sneaker miles tracking
3. Nice canned reports for easy progress tracking and look backs
4. All sorts of content for learning about everything from training to gear(of course). I stick to the training articles; they are very informative (http://nikerunning.nike.com).
5. Free training programs for everything to first 5k to advance marathon training.
6. *If you have Nike+ very nice community for setting goals, challenges, sharing ….

Cons:
1. Not so great data entry (can’t tab through text boxes, scrolling doesn’t work 100% as you would think)
2. Integration with only Nike+ (pedometer)
3. No reverse integration with Nike+ community (would be nice if manual entry people could participate in the Nike+ running community)
4. No easy way to create routes compared to others. I will say that when you do create a route, having the route data carry over is nice.

Recommendation:
If you like to collect a lot of data on your runs, use Nike+ and want to store more information about your runs, and want an easy way to look at your progress, this is a great running log. My recommendation is for seasoned runners or Nike+ users.

I began running about 3 years ago, and it has become a way of life for me. When I first started it was recommended that I log my runs and being a “techie” it had to be done digitally and it had to be done online. Starting off with coolrunnings.com, which got consumed by active .com :(, I moved to Nike’s offerings because I was running with their shoes and figured, they gotta be good (straight logging http://www.nike.com/trainingtool/v3/web/training_shell.html, integration with Nike+ http://www.nikeplus.com). Over the years I’ve tried out others with two notables http://www.runthere.com and http://www.mapmyrun.com. Over the next week or so I’m going to give you what I like and dislike about these three logging sites, nike, mapmyrun and runthere and you can choose which will work for you. Please comment, provide your favorite log sites and ask for recommendations for the type of runner you are, I would love to provide you my suggestions.

I look forward to providing you with some good information on these 3 log sites and getting your comments.

Ok, so my Sportband crapped out after a very wet run so, the great people at Fleet Feet Syracuse or Nike, you can never be to sure took it back and replaced it with a new one, yippeee. I queried the owner of Fleet Feet and he mentioned that on the Fleet Feet owners forum, there were mixed reviews on what was going on with the Sportband, “there was one store who sold 100 and only had 1 returned, while others sold 27 and had 15 returned.” It appears that the store in Syracuse was one of the latter sceneries, and I may go into my theory on this phenomenon at a later date.

My first run with Sporty 1.5 was nearly an exact replica of Sporty 1.0, 5 miles on OLP with the calibration off almost 1.1 miles. I set the calibration, so easy, I do love that feature of old Sporty. I will run again today and see how it works out, my expectations are high. It’s about 83 degrees today so there will be a good deal of sweat trying to creep into the watch, the saga continues.

So, I have be training with my buddy Nike+ Sportband, I like to call him sporty for short, and he’s been treating me pretty well. After my first calibration on the street, it was pretty much dead nails on with road runs. Hit green lakes a few weeks ago and Sporty was off about 1 mile on a 10 mile run, I think there needs to be 2 calibrations, 1 for the road and one for the trail. No biggy, was going to calibrate the walk pace for the trail and I’m guessing my partner would be right back up to speed.

Well, before hitting a measured trail run again, a tragedy has fell upon young Sporty. After a very wet run on Onondaga Lake Park (OLP), life lights were quite fain. I couldn’t really see the display, but my live running partner said, “4.86 I think it says 4.86.” So I left Sporty on the counter for a few days off, and then it hit me. 3 days later as I put Sporty on my wrist to start the day, there’s nothing but a tiny black led  background staring back at me.

I though, maybe, just maybe all he needed was a little juice so I brought out the paddles in the form of my laptop and plugged him to see if he could be jumped. Sporty just hung off their like a lifeless kidney bean.  All the coaxing and chanting doesn’t seem to effect Sporty’s will to live. Sporty I will miss you, we had some good times together, maybe Fleet Feet will replace you with one of your brothers.

So, one of the great things about running is, all you need is shoes and some clothes and you can go running. No ball, no team, nothing by you, the road and some shoes. Then you start to run more and more, and like anything else you find special gear that you “have to have”. Maybe some special socks, sneaks, and who knows some neat things you can take on your runs (heart rate monitor, ipod, GPS). So this winter I got myself a pair of Gortex running shoes. I figured I could wear them outside and stay dry, and wear my other shoes indoors. Gortex has always been a great way to keep dry with boots, jackets and gloves, why not running shoes.

The winter went by and my feet got wet. I attributed this to my aggressive sloshing in the puddles to take the shoes to the extreme, and essentially getting water over the ankle of the shoe, but now, I’m not so sure. It was a beautiful day for a run, 49 degrees and a slight drizzle, are there any better conditions for the Gortex shoes? I got on the road, and not more than 2.5 miles in, sure enough, my left foot was soaked. Not just wet, when I finished the run, I could have got a few shots of hydration directly from the shoe. Any runner knows this phenomenon adds about 1 or 3 lbs to your feet and a nasty swamp foot upon finishing (not to mention the swimmers prune foot as well K).

Nike, I know Gortex doesn’t make a faulty product, I think I’m coming for my money or a new pair of shoes.

It’s been a full day. I got out the running email early, we’ve got a location but no accompanying runs, they are supposed to follow later in the day. Fast forward to 5pm, oh shit, I forgot to send out the runs :(.

In steps Listas, what if previous runs were posted out on the web, I would not be in this dilemma. But, you can do that anywhere matt. True, but the wiki esque feature in Listas makes it a little bit more compelling than some other means :|, and I’m trying to see if people like Listas as well :). So runners, come one come all, it’s time to put out some runs from some of our favorite Central New York bars, I’ll start em up, and please feel free to add to them. Let’s see what Listas is all about, and oh yeah, don’t forget to show up at the meeting spot (no one showed today :(). It was a beautiful day to run :), and at least I made the most of it :p.

Here’s the first list, pretty lame : Dark Horse Runs

 We pound our legs many miles a week. Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s easy, it is usually accompanied by a little pain. But here’s why I run; Good friends, great weather, competition, and the exhilaration of the body alone taking you to so many places you can’t get with with your car. I can babble on forever, but thanks to “imaging technology”, yes a digicam, I’ll spare you all this time:

 
Green Lakes 55degrees(click to enlarge)

P.S. Charles, could have used some vasoline today :|. Perfect weather for running = perfect weather for chafing

First the trots now the raw beef between the thighs. I know what your thinking Piat, but that’s not what I’m talking about, I know how you love a nice “beef drape” every once and a while. Along with the trots there’s this another equally uncomfortable, if not painful, side effect of not having a runners body, and running, and that’s the inner thigh chafe.

Yesterday, donning my shorts with compression shorts emended in them (they have some how contracted a hole in the most inconvenient of areas), purchased explicitly for preventing the chafe, I was almost brought back to my freshman year of college. <flash backs music with Wayne and Garth moving their hands and fingers up and down muttering “doodleee doo, doodleee doo, doodleee doo>

That’s right chafing to the point of near bleeding. The inner thigh swelling like water balloon on the verge of breaking to a point of perspiration. A tragedy was avoided this time, but what will happen next time. I think it’s time to retire the Acics shorts that served me well for 5 runs, yes that’s it 5 runs. Maybe this post should be attached to a letter to Quality Control over at Asics, it can’t hurt right. What’s the worst they can say, “Your not a runner, runners legs don’t touch in the middle. These shorts were made for support, not chafing.” Who knows?

Moral: If you don’t ask, you will never know.

So, the body and mind is back again, but this time with a twist. So we’re off for a 14 mile trek on foot, my longest run by 25% more than the past long one last week. Myself and a trusty running partner.

It all started with an explanation of a 3lb dump. You heard it right, a weigh in before and after crapping, and the result was 3lbs. Quite impressive, am I right? Who can top it? At the end of this topic was the prediction of a second coming of the Trots. “We’ll see what happens at mile 4” (inside joke).

Maybe that’s what got me through, or so goes the theory? The first 10 miles seemed to be cake, then the physical breakdown. Every step was my longest run, but with my partner at my side, we kept moving with idle chat chit making the miles melt away like the butter on my corn the night before (and by the way mile 4 did not bring any other things melting or squishing from any orifice but the sweat glands ;)).

Moral of the story: Not crapping your pants is good, but it’s easier with a friend who can mentally redirect your thoughts to other things.