How Far, How Fast
Have you ever wondered how far your favorite running or walking route is? Does it follow roads and sidewalks or does it include trails, parks, or 'short-cuts'? There are quite a few tools available today that can help you figure out the distance of these routes. There are several web sites that display a traditional road map, a satellite photo, or a combination of the two. You can then 'click' on the map to follow your route (even if your route doesn't follow a road) and it will calculate the distance for you. Most of these also allow you to save the route for future reference or share with your friends. Some of the web sites also allow you to create notes (such as where you put the water bottles on the course or where a restroom is located) for the route. These sites tend to be extremely accurate and are based on GPS data. Below is a listing of some of the more popular web sites in this category:
www.gmap-pedometer.com
www.mapmyrun.com
www.usatf.org/routes
www.walkjogrun.net
Even Better
There are also devices that you can wear during your run or walk to not only tell you how far you've gone but also such information as your current pace, your average pace, your speed, your running or walking time, total elapsed time, elevation, and much more. Some of these you wear like a wristwatch while others communicate with your iPod. The brand that 'sets the standard' in GPS technology is Garmin. They offer several different models. Some models even incorporate heart rate technology to let you know how hard you are working your body. Some doctors even recommend that their patients use heart rate technology to make sure that they stay within a certain heart rate range.
We can order ANY of the Garmin GPS models that you may want and guarantee to beat anyones price on these. Here's the Garmin web site if you'd like to learn more:
www.garmin.com/fitness/products.html#running