Anyone else use MapMyRun?

[VernRDH]

I guys:3dglasses I have been using MapMyRun (www.mapmyrun.com) to plot out courses through my neighborhood and surrounding area. I planned one yesterday, a 2.5 mile loop. I planned to run it 2x for a 5 mile total.

So out I go this morning, enjoying myself. I get back to my house after the first loop for quick h2o break and my watch says I have been out 23:30. Seems kind of fast for me, but maybe I was just "on".:confused3 Second go round, feeling like I am slowing a little bit. I get home and finish the 5 miles in 46 minutes flat. WOW, thats 9:20 mile average. :eek:

So I am thinking that perhaps the map was incorrect and I didn't really go the whole 5 miles. I thought that it would take me 50-55 minutes, which is about my regular pace of 10-11 minute miles. Do you think that the map might be wrong? I thought about going out in the car and clocking it, but I don't know exactly how accurate that is either.

Any suggestions appreciated. Are there other sites folks use that perhaps are better?

Thanks everyone!!:goodvibes

[Sarah_Rose]

I use MapMyRun to map out routes beforehand, and I also upload the training data from my Garmin 305 to the site after a run. MapMyRun is usually spot on with the Garmin, or no more that 0.10 of a mile off at max. I used MapMyRun pretty exclusively before getting the Garmin, and had a good laugh when I started using the watch and the arbitrary mile markers that we had chosen with MapMyRun ended up being spot on with the Garmin (ie. it turns out the 3 mile marker REALLY IS at the dumpster next to the radio tower. :lmao:)

That said, MapMyRun relies entirely on Google Maps data, and there could be a glitch in the data for your area. I don't know how likely that is, but I have seen other glitches (mostly in directions - there's a notorious one in downtown Seattle where two freeways meet, where you're told to go East on one freeway and then make a u-turn to merge north on the other freeway. Obviously, this does not work and you end up crossing Lake Washington before you can turn around.) so it is possible. There are other run-mapping sites out there (like Gmaps Pedometer (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/)) but they all seem to rely on Google Maps so you might see the same effects as with MapMyRun.

Lastly, and I only bring this up because I am notorious for it, are you sure you ran the route that you mapped? I quite often get into the groove of my run and take wrong turns - it's part of the reason why I got the Garmin 305!

Or, maybe you were just a Master of Speed this morning! :rotfl:

[jmasgat]

Veronica I also use MMR and find that it always comes up a little short for my neighborhood. (I have actually gone out directly after the run and driven the route.) That, plus if you cut corners, run tangents, etc, it can add up. So I just compensate--if I am planning to run 5 miles, I add in .3 or so extra. It keeps me honest!

Maura

[VernRDH]

Thanks for the replies. I checked the route again and it turns out that it didn't follow the road as I had checked in two spots:confused3 So it added some mileage. Turns out instead of 2.5 miles it was 2.15 miles (BIG DIFFERENCE!!). So my 5 mile run was actually 4.3. Which makes my time much more believable. I went back and redid the route, adding to it, to make a 2.5 mile loop (actually 2.59, a little extra to keep me honest;))

I would love to get a Garmin, perhaps I will look into one as I did some temp work last week and made some extra $$$ that DH said I could use for whatever I wanted:rolleyes1

Off to research Garmins!!! Thanks again