Saturday, March 2, 2013

Bethpage 13 round 2, and the gentleman stalker.

I did another 13 miles at Bethpage State Park today, running the same route I did back on January 20th of this year. I started out and sustained too fast a pace in the beginning this time for such a long run. I was in much better control with less fatigue and pain the first time I ran it.

As usual, which gadget to believe?

Jan 20          Time    Pace     Distance  
Runmeter    2:14   10:09   13.26
Magellan     2:13     9:24   13.87


March 2
Runmeter    2:08    9:45    13.14
Magellan     2:08    9:58    12:86

So, as I'm happier with my time, I'm unhappy with the fact that I can't get more congruent result with my gadgets, and that I really started to struggle at about mile 9.5. I felt myself sinking into my hips, with pain laterally at my left knee. That plantar pain returned also, but I found that if I splayed my toes before I struck the ground, it felt better. My TFL's on both hips were screaming at me. I WAS ACTUALLY GRIMACING at certain points. My ears were singing to me at about 4000 Hz (the doctor told me I'm loosing hearing in that range, and that's why I've got tinnitus) A headwind had developed, and although the sky became blue, spotted with autumn-like clouds, I started to feel chilled. I tell you, it was brutal.

But I was able to slow down and not have to walk up that hill at the end. I shortened my stride, kept the 180 cadence, pumped my arms in front of me to keep my weight forward, (LOVE ChiRunning) and before I knew it, I had made it!

I had to cut short my stretching at the car, because I was really getting cold. I was sweating, and the wind was just sucking the heat out of me. Then, just like my first run, I heard the same question asked of me from a guy maybe in his late 60's, early 70's. He rode up on a bike, circling around the back of the mini cooper, just like last time.
"So, how far did you go?"
"13"
"Wow! That's great! What are you training for?"
"A half"
"But you just ran a half!"
"Hey. Aren't you the guy who said the exact same thing to me the last time I was here?"
By that time, a few women on bikes rode up behind him.
"Usually that line works. I guess I'll have to find another one."
The woman directly behind him shook her head at him, smiled at me, and then they were off.

Magellan Data

Runmeter Data

5 comments:

  1. Ha ha! That is funny, Celia! Crazy about your hearing. I need to have mine checked too. I can't stand that it keeps me from falling asleep sometimes because it is so loud. What kind of doctor did you see?

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  2. An ENT guy. He wanted to send me to a place in Manhatten if I felt that I could not deal with it anymore. Some cognitive suppression or something. Meanwhile, there is a Dr. that advertises on 1010WINS right here on the Island I could try if I need it.

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  3. Haha! Gotta love the ladies man! Nice run too ;)

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  4. That's a great story with that guy. Can't blame him for trying!

    In terms of your device accuracy, I've found that GPS apps or units will generally give no better than 99% accuracy. It all depends on the consistency of communication between the unit and the satellite. A GPS captures distance by sampling a triangulated signal between two or more satellites. If a sample is missed, or delayed, the software will interpolate the difference.

    You will find that on runs with multiple turns, your accuracy can drop as much as 5 percentage points. Bethpage, with its long straight paths, generally under counts between .8 to 1.2%. I almost always Gmap my runs and compare distance with the Garmin. But, of course, I'm obsessed.

    Nice performance on the 13+ though, regardless of which method of counting you used.

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  5. @Stacey.. Thanks! I wonder if I'll see him again. I'll keep you updated.
    @ER - all this inaccuracy just pushes home the point that I really should also start running based on perceived exertion. That's a great idea about mapping it. Then, at least I'd get a more accurate avg pace - forgetting about the splits. Thanks!

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