Using a Garmin while running on a moving ship

[PaDisneyCouple]

DW got me a Garmin last year, and I was thinking of bringing it on the cruise next month. If in port, I'd expect to work as if I was at home. But if I'm running laps on deck 4, on a sea day, and using my Garmin to track pace and distance covered, will it work normally? I think this has to do with the "prime" and "unprime" observe I learned about many years ago in physics. Going down one side, I'll appear to the satellites as doing my speed + the ship's speed (which will be fast, but still slower than our greyhound); going up the other, I'll be the ship's speed - my own. And since the base (ship) is moving, how will distance be calculated?

Current plan is to just leave the Garmin home, and use a regular old stopwatch, but the question intrigues me.

 

[cruisecrasher]

Cruising speed is around 27mph, but varies. I'd leave the Garmin at home. It takes a little to get used to running on the ship which is after all moving side to side and up and down. It is still fun and doable, in my experience.

ETA-all the salty food throws my run a bit off anyway.

 

[wiigirl]

Cruising speed is around 27mph, but varies. I'd leave the Garmin at home. It takes a little to get used to running on the ship which is after all moving side to side and up and down. It is still fun and doable, in my experience.

ETA-all the salty food throws my run a bit off anyway.

 

[toasterchef]

I'm bringing my Garmin along on my next cruise, but I plan to use it on Castaway Cay for the 5k. Any running on the boat will be timed via stopwatch.

 

[pbwhite]

I enjoyed running last cruise, as the seas were light and didn't bother my cadence. But the GPSr will be largely useless for distance and/or speed measurement.

What will be accurate (assuming you run at a constant speed and ignore the time to run around the bow and stern) is the total distance that the boat travels while you're running.

All you really need to know is the distance around the deck (0.4 miles per lap). It would be cool to use the GPS and show people you were running at 30+ miles per hour though!

Note that this is a different scenario than if, say, you were running back and forth on a moving sidewalk at the airport - then the speed would be incorrect on the GPSr, but your overall distance traveled would be correct.

 

[jrabbit]

And with all of that metal above you , beside you under you and forward and aft where you are in enclose spaces, I'm not sure that it would actually be able to "see" you very well or at all.

 

[scorp111]

You will find it tough to keep the satellite signal on the ship on Deck 4. However, I do still use mine for time so I can calculate pace. Plus having it or Castaway Cay 5K is nice, and you get the little Garmin map as keepsake when you upload it

 

[Moxin]

I think it would be hilarious to see the map after your run was over...

 

[Tower]

I don't use it for running, but I bring my Garmin along to find out where we are in the Caribbean at any given time. Have to be sure to be on the top deck though.
I loved knowing where we were in proximity to various islands I had already set into the GPS.

 

[CALIFLADY]

Kind of off topic...

I know they run a 5K on CC. But can you run on your own on CC? That is, if I want to run 5 miles that morning (as early as possible - cooler is better), can I get off the ship and just take off and run the air strip (a few times) and around to get my 5 miles in? Or does the 5K race have areas cordoned off so you can't go there unless you're "officially" running the 5K?

 

[cruisecrasher]

Kind of off topic...

I know they run a 5K on CC. But can you run on your own on CC? That is, if I want to run 5 miles that morning (as early as possible - cooler is better), can I get off the ship and just take off and run the air strip (a few times) and around to get my 5 miles in? Or does the 5K race have areas cordoned off so you can't go there unless you're "officially" running the 5K?

You're welcome to run by yourself, but you can't get off the ship until almost 8:30 or 9 anyway.

 

[ludari]

I brought my Garmin on one of my cruises while I was training for several upcoming marathons and the connection was spotty. I would especially lose my connection at the front and rear of the ship.

 

[bumbershoot]

Kind of off topic...

I know they run a 5K on CC. But can you run on your own on CC? That is, if I want to run 5 miles that morning (as early as possible - cooler is better), can I get off the ship and just take off and run the air strip (a few times) and around to get my 5 miles in? Or does the 5K race have areas cordoned off so you can't go there unless you're "officially" running the 5K?

You can, but generally the 5k people are among the first out there anyway. Might as well join in.

 

[munchkin322]

I brought my garmin on two of my cruises but I used the foot pod while running on board. Then used the GPS for CC I just wanted to show off that I ran international!! Lol