Garmin Forerunner 210 Review

This morning I went running with my new Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS watch, and I just wanted to share my initial thoughts. So far I really like it. First off, it picked up a satellite signal in well less than a minute, which was a recurring problem with my 205. In addition, it appears to be extremely accurate. The 210 measured my 2.5 mile loop around Hoboken (per Gmaps Pedometer) to a couple of hundredths of a mile--which I consider to be virtually spot on. It is also very simple and user friendly. The 205 definitely has more features and is more customizable, but for just running I am more than happy with the 210. Plus it actually looks like a normal watch, unlike the 205, which makes you look like you are wearing a brick on your wrist. Man, posts two days in a row--don't get used to it!

Killing It

This morning I decided to switch things up a bit and get my long run for the week out of the way first thing. After a bit of internal deliberating I decided to hit the treadmill as opposed to running outdoors. I brought along my iPod nano, so instead of watching television as I usually do on the treadmill I listened to music. I then locked in a 7:30 per mile pace and banged out eight miles. I must say, I was super pumped after this run--it just flew by, and at the end I felt like knocking out a few more miles at that pace would have been no problem whatsoever!

My legs felt a little banged up afterwards, but nothing major. I was also shocked at how quickly my heart rate settled down afterwards--no fighting sweat for the next hour like I sometimes do after even shorter runs. All in all, it was definitely a success, and really boosted my confidence even more. On a somewhat related note I picked up a new toy today--a Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS watch to replace the POS 205 I have had for the last five and a half years. I will definitely report back later this week after I have had a chance to use it a few times. One thing I can already see is the 210 picks up satellite signals much faster, which was one of my primary (but not only) complaints with the 205.

Textbook

So I just completed a textbook training week and I am pretty pumped up about it. After not being able to workout on Monday I banged out five-, five-, seven-, and five-mile runs Tuesday through Friday. This morning I ran five miles at 7:08 pace, including a pretty substantial reverse split for the last 2.5 miles (although I must admit I did take a short bathroom break). So for the third straight week I pretty much stuck to my training program; in fact, I actually have done a few more miles than my program called for the last two (which is not saying all that much, as it is a very low mileage plan). I must say I am really pleased with how my training is going so far. I know that I still have 13 training weeks ahead of me, but if I can keep this up I am going to make that marathon my b-tch...

It's On!

So last week I started my formal 16-week training program for the Marine Corps Marathon on October 27th. After searching around I decided to go with a program from MarathonRookie.com, simply because all the other ones I found included WAY too much mileage (which I think is a fairly common issue in my experience). I am really just following the weekly long runs in the program; my other runs will be primarily based on how much time I have to train and listening to my body. So away we go...

Last week I was only able to get in three runs due to being on vacation. Two were five miles (which according to my program was my week 1 long run), and the other was three (which was scheduled to be five, but I had to cut short because of brutal heat and humidity). So far this week I got in five miles yesterday and six (my week 2 long run) today. Thus, I can at least say I stuck to the long runs in my training program for two weeks--so I have that going for me, which is nice. That is it for now--as always, thanks for reading!