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Google Earth is another software application that matches up well with a GPS device such as the Garmin Forerunner 205/305. By uploading your GPX files (or converting from your Motionbased or Everytrail account by hitting the Google Earth button), you can import your GPS data and tilt the map to create a 3d track. Below is the Pacifica 50k, Woodside 50k, and Quad Dipsea.

I love how the distance and altitude are matched up to show the full scope of the adventure. It's nice that it's always sunny on Google Earth too. I had previously posted about two other GPS upload sites that cause data addiction, Everytrail and Motionbased, so I thought I would share one more!

SD

[Note - I edited the above text to remove my incorrect information about needing Google Plus]

I'll be the first to admit I'm a trail running geek. If there is an electronic device to try, I'll be one of the first to strap it on, even at the risk of looking like Robocop at the starting line. It doesn't always work out (see my complete electronic meltdown at the Ohlone 50k, or the dead remains of the five iPods I've eaten through in the last two years), but I keep hope alive that the latest updated version of an outdoor gadget will stand up to the rigorous demands of ultrarunning.

GPS Tracking - Cool or Crapola?

Up until this year, I would have said that Global Positioning System (GPS) devices are a class of gadgets that hasn't lived up to its promise. My Garmin Forerunner 201 was such a piece of crap, I could run an entire 50k and barely track one mile of it. Each run would turn into a frustrating bout of trying to get a clear signal, distracting me from nature and the event. Within a few weeks, I had it on eBay with dozens of other frustrated runners struggling with similar entry-level GPS devices, and we were all ready to write off the whole GPS device category. If it wasn't for the comments of blog readers and fellow runners, I never would have guessed the Garmin Forerunner 205/305 (and it's new SiRFstarIII GPS chip)would be such a dramatic improvement.



I bought the Garmin Forerunner 305 about two months ago, and have been very impressed with how well the new GPS chip can receive a signal in the trees and canyons. On average, I am tracking about 90% of the time, which given my penchant for redwoods and ravines, isn't half bad. The watch-sized form factor is also nice. The battery seems to hold out relatively well for 50k and 50 mile runs, but conks out if you go much longer than that. But much to my surprise, I've been reaching for the Forerunner 305 for nearly every run. It took me a while to realize why I was doing it - it wasn't the information I had during the run (since it's always an approximate), it was because of all the cool ways I could use the data after the run.

New Ways to Use GPS Data - Everytrail and Motionbased

Once you have a relatively accurate GPS track of one of your runs, there is an endless amount of things you can do with it on the Internet. Much of this is thanks to the Google Earth/Google Maps team, who have opened up their API to allow all kinds of topographical use. Two great uses of this can be found at Everytrail.com and Motionbased.com.

Everytrail.com

Everytrail.com is a new site that allows you to upload your GPS tracks, set up pictures along the route, annotate, and share with others. Their upload software hides the technical details, so you don't need to know the in's and out's of GPX or KML formats (don't ask - it's ugly); just plug in your ForeRunner, and it does the rest. Here's a sample where I uploaded the Woodside 50k:



Click on "View Details" to go to the Everytrail.com site and see more about the race. One of the features I really like is the ability to plot pictures along the track. That way people can see a topographical layout of a race and check out where all the sweet views are. You can also look for other trails in the area and see the views from their routes as well. Everytrail is also "blogger friendly" in that it makes it easy to embed a map in your blog entry, much like YouTube has. Take a look at the other users of Everytrail, and you'll see it's mostly hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers, all of whom carry a camera.

Motionbased.com

Motionbased.com is a subsidiary of Garmin, so most Garmin product users will find out about it in the product literature. The site is geared to be an archive of your events, where you can compare to previous times you did a route and see if you're improving, check out other trails and routes in your area and more. Most of the features are free, but the advanced features will cost you a monthly subscription (so far I'm content with the free stuff). Similar to Everytrail, it has an upload software tool that makes the process of uploading routes very simple. Here is a map created with Motionbased of a run I did in Central Park:



If you click on the link above the map, it will take you to the full detail page. Note the added details on the first link for such things as wind speed, temperature, and heart rate information. As a "library" of courses and experiences, Motionbased does a good job of capturing everything it can. There are thousands of users too, so it's likely you will find plenty of paths in any area you are looking. Another fancy (although I'm not sure how useful) feature is the upcoming "player" capability. that allows you to follow along as somebody runs; you can find the option on the right hand side of my Central Park run, if it's turned on.

What's Next?

Do we really need more ways to stay online instead of getting outside? Probably not. In the end, nothing beats a chilled out run in nature with no gadgets to worry about. But these new gadets and services do help in our ability to share the experience online. I think it's great to see Internet sites make use of data beyond the normal rates/speeds, and I bet we're going to see a lot more. A quick check of other sites looking to make use of GPS data shows them popping up everywhere, from mountain biking (MTBGuru.com), to utilities (GPS Visualizer), to GPS phone mapping (Bones In Motion) and more. I think this is more than just "a GPS product that really works"; it appears to be the beginning of the GPS era. Let my addiction begin now!

Have you got any great GPS advice/features to share? Please let us know!

Thanks, SD

Have you ever plotted out all the places you have raced or run? Thanks to Google and Yahoo Maps, it's easier to do than ever (and free too - bonus!). As I was recovering from a long run last weekend, I used a tool by MapBuilder.net to plot out many of the races I have done in the last few years. It's a fun way to kill a few hours if you're interested.

You can find the map here. Just click on one of the red pinpoints to learn about the race, or use the list of locations on the right. Hey, look - maybe Auburn, CA IS the endurance capital of the world. ;-)

MapBuilder.net is a free service that simplifies the code-writing for building both Google and Yahoo Maps. It's a fast way to play around with the technology, and once you look at the source code, you can get an idea of how to extend the map (and skip the Mapbuilder ads if they drive you crazy). For you bloggers out there, give it a shot!

Cheers,

SD

(Bev gives her first hand report of Hawaii's HURT 100 - thanks, Bev!)

“The course is very runnable, just be careful and don’t get caught up in the first 2 laps. A 4:15 to 4:30 first lap is good for guys, then about a 4:30 to 4:45, then 5:00 hours. If you do that, the last two laps should be around 6 to 6:30.”

I don’t honestly know who said that in the early morning hours prior to the start of HURT 100, 2006. I don’t even know if it was one person, or a composite that I put together in my mind. All I know is that I didn’t pay any attention to it!

When the race started at 6am, there was a mass of lights bouncing up the dark trail, feet picking carefully through the roots and rocks of the first hill climb. I started fast hiking/jogging to get up toward the front and see who was where in the field, finally pulling up beside Jim Kerby and Karl Meltzer. Alan (Abbs) was right behind me and a young man named Corey was there with us. The five of us set a fairly stiff pace, me pulling up the hills, then falling back a bit on the technical descents. For most of lap 1, I was with Karl, James, Corey, and Alan just following their footsteps through the technical areas where I am not good. Lap 1 was FAST....I didn't see anything except the feet in front of me or the ground when they put me out in front. Going into Paradise Park aid station, we passed a waterfall and I had no idea it was there until we came back from the aid station and there was this 300' fall right in front of me... talk about focused. Coming out the first aid station, I noticed Darcy Africa coming in to it about 5 minutes or so after. I kept following the feet, scrambling over rocks and picking through masses of roots. We finished lap 1 in 3 hours 52 minutes, much to my surprise.

Lap 2 was still fast...a little slower though, 4:13. I stayed more or less with Jim for lap 2 while Karl kept up that ungodly pace the entire race (he could have completed another lap by the time I finished). I took the time to change socks at Paradise Park, knowing how bad my feet can get if they stay wet. Darcy was staying pretty close, making up some time on me on when I changed socks.


After lap 2, I slowed a bit to look around on lap 3, I was still pretty close to James and enjoyed that contact, and I started to see what I was running in (don’t look down though, the ground is a mass of treacherous roots and rocky sections waiting to catch toes and turn ankles). The forest was quite spectacular, I often saw little critters running across the trail and thought I heard a pig once. I even saw a little orange feral kitten. This lap could have been brutal if it had been really hot. As it was the weather to this point was perfect, no rain, sun dappled through the leaves. Warm enough to take off shirts, but not so warm that you were sweating profusely. I took the time to really look at the waterfall coming out of Paradise Park, but still recognized that the next woman was only minutes behind me. I picked up a head light at Paradise, just in case I didn’t make it to Jackass Ginger before dark. Jim was coming out of Jackass Ginger as I was going in. He had picked up a pacer, a luxury I did not have (nor did I have crew). Once the darkness set in and I was alone, it was hard to keep any kind of decent pace going. I was a little worried about hurting myself or going the wrong way, fortunately Cindy, an angel had shown up at the main intersection to direct traffic. The ground in some areas was just a mass of roots, the downhills were treacherously steep with boulders in some areas you had to crawl over, the climbs were just steep, and everything was slippery and muddy and getting worse as more and more feet passed through.


I had a bright headlight, but not my waist light (it is at the S/F). Big mistake, and not good enough lighting to really make any speed on technical areas and I no longer have the guys to follow foot placement. I got back to the Start/Finish aid station in about 5:13 and looked up to see Darcy coming in about 3 minutes or so behind me. She came over to her bin, next to mine and said "you know I'm only doing the 100k don't you?" I tried to be nonchalant, thanked her, wished her good luck and continued to eat and deal with my stuff while she took off on her final 2 mile loop to finish the 100k. Darcy went on to set the Women’s course record for the 100K.

Laps 4 and 5...ok its dark. These laps were much slower, mostly at a walk. It was carnage out there...it looked like the night of the living dead...at the intersection you could see lights coming from all directions, people looked half catatonic, lights bobbing around through the trees. Very surreal! I finally finished that fourth lap and figured I could run at least some of the next one...


Overall, the race is very well organized and the aid station people were great. On lap 5, I decided to change socks one last time at Jackass Ginger and Greg washed my feet, put powder on them and helps me with my socks while someone else got a cup of soup for me. The trails were great the first couple of laps, until they started to get chewed up by all the feet going over them. A crew and pacer are a must if you want to shoot for a fast time, but the race is easily doable with neither.

I’d like to extend a special thank you to Sunsweet Growers Inc out of California for their incredible support of Alan’s and my racing over the last several years. Not only have they provided us with unlimited quantities of dried fruit (the best food you can eat for endurance events), the members have been personally supportive in many ways. I’d also like to thank Montrail and Petzl for providing great products, without which running an event like HURT would be impossible, and Scott Kremer Chiropractic care (Red Bluff, CA) and Carol Borror massage therapist and friend (Red Bluff, CA). And thanks also to everyone who has followed our adventure racing and running and cheered us on over the years.

- Bev

[Note: Bev went on to crush the HURT 100 course in 27:18, the first female and third overall; on top of HURT and Western States this year, Bev and Alan are organizing a Trail Running Festival in Oakridge, OR in July, 2006]