I also got a chance to use the foot pod with the Garmin Forerunner 305. I didn't take the time to calibrate it, but Garmin claims 96% accuracy with it, not to mention I have the GPS so distance would still be accurate. Annoyingly, I forgot the HRM strap. So what did the foot pod tell me?
My average cadence was 103 strides per minute. What does that mean? I really have no idea! I did some quick research, which didn't turn up a whole lot. I read that elite runners, no matter what age range or length of race, all tend to have a cadence of between 65 and 95 strides per minute, and that the difference in speed is all in the length of their strides. One website said something like, if you have much over 95 that you should be training for the olympics. Wha?
The foot pod is obviously more useful to me at the moment for use on the treadmill, when I don't have GPS signal indoors. I'm sure being able to read my cadence has some usefulness, I just haven't found it yet.
Today's run went very well. The weather was great, cool, but not too cool. There was a slight overcast, which was nice, and there were few people driving because of the holiday week. I kept my pace around 9, trying to stay at or below.
Splits
Mile 1: 9:15.07
Mile 2: 9:14.20
Mile 3: 8:36.95
Mile 4: 8:45.87
Mile 5: 9:02.75
Mile 6: 8:52.15
.19 Mi: 1:36.64 (8:21/mi)
6.19 miles, 55:23.52, 8:56/mi, 777 calories burned (time/distance due to no HRM)
One interesting thing I noticed is that my "taking it easy" pace is still a lot faster than it used to be. I'm much more comfortable maintaining 9-minute miles than before.
My weight was up today, I was 165 pounds. I took it easy on the eating, looking forward to Thursday, knowing I'll likely be eating more that day. I'm going to do the same tomorrow.
Tentatively, my plan for Thursday is to get out the door between 5:30 and 6, run to the park (about 7.5 miles), then play football for a few hours with the guys from church. I'll get a ride back home with one of the guys, then drive the family to my in-laws for the Thanksgiving festivities.
Saturday should be interesting as well, but I'll leave that as a surprise. You do like surprises, don't you?
