2 weeks to go....

This time in 2 weeks I will have completed my first 10k. I have kind of mixed feelings about it actually - I went out for a run today and came in at 1 hour and 3 minutes. Overall its only 3 minutes more than my target time and 2 weeks should be enough time to push myself and get that down, but I don't think I have time to get in more than one 10k run before then, and maybe one or two 5k's.

So I might just need to give my all on the day and see where I get to. Its not my ideal by any means and I do want to get under 1 hour before the day itself. But I guess I just didn't put in enough effort or enough runs beforehand.

I will be going for my last training run next Sunday and a gentle run the day before. Will see how it goes!

And the winner is....

Following on from my last post, I have decided to go for a Garmin Forerunner 405cx. It just seemed to make the most sense out of all the options.

Given its accuracy, the ease of storing, transferring and recording data and the convenience of it also being a decent watch, it was actually a pretty easy choice in the end.

I don't think blowing £250+ on a (prospective) brand new iPod when there is absolutely nothing wrong with my current one would be the wisest move. Plus at most it would be half the capacity of my current one - meaning I would need to be selective about the music I put on there.

I was tempted by the Nike+ but it just seemed a bit half-assed compared to the Garmin for me. You know, if you're going to do something, do it wholeheartedly - the Nike+ just seemed like a cheaper and probably less accurate alternative to the Garmin.

And for the phone...well I need a phone anyways and I have settled in on one, which does also have GPS. But it is less accurate and the data transfer charges to upload my running data would be ridiculous.

So there you have it...I have just ordered mine, and I will keep posting how it goes.

To GPS or not to GPS...

One of the things that annoys me about my running at the minute is trying to track my progress. I have approximations of my times and speeds to go on, but I want some good solid numbers to work from.

I am a bit of a data monkey I guess - Number crunching is my banana. Yes I am aware of how immensely profound that sounded.

So I was thinking if I get some sort of GPS device which comes with the relevant software it will be a major aid to me tracking my progress - to track improvements, see where I am struggling, how much my speed varies...and so on and so forth.

This of course raises the question of what device to get...and hence my predicament.

I think there are realistically 3-4 options here - both GPS, and other:

1) One of those funky GPS watches which Garmin produces, costing something like £250 minimum.

2) Nike+ - which doesn't work with my iPod classic and therefore would also require investment in a new iPod.

3) A phone with integrated GPS - Nokia, Blackberry, iPhone and a few others all have such phones and you can get run-tracking software for them.

4) Potentially a new iPod touch - there's rumours afoot that this will be out in mid-September and might have GPS.

Ideally the iPod touch I am hoping for will come to fruition. Means I can be in possession of an extremely cool device, an iPod which has not been out of production and for which plenty of accessories are still produced, the GPS device I need and...did I already mention the coolness?

It means I can stick with getting a cheap-o phone as well. I really don't have great luck with phones so spending a load on one and locking myself into a contract for 18-24 months is a bit of a risk.

The Garmin is not a bad option either - seeing as there is as such nothing wrong with my current iPod and its still in pretty good condition. Only thing is its a pretty big investment for something I will probably only use specifically for running!

Anyways that's a bit of a brief overview and completely inconclusive. I think I will sit tight and wait and see what Apple brings along in its music event in September. Watch this space 09/09/09!