Brad Feld

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Hills, Rocks, Sun, Sweat, and MotionBased GPS Mapping

Sep 03, 2005

I had an awesome hour run on Fowler Trail (and then on the fire road that goes to Golden – I don’t know the name of it) today.  I love data, so I’ve been searching for a great watch / pedometer / HRM / web service solution for a year and I think I may have finally found it. 

I’ve been running with a Fitsense watch for the past year which I liked, but didn’t love.  I bought a Garmin Forerunner 201 and played with it some, but the Garmin software stunk (and wasn’t web based, so it ended up being stuck on one computer.)  I was contacted by the folks from MotionBased a week ago and they set me up with an account.  I dusted off my Forerunner 201 and – after three runs – am completely loving the combination of MotionBased and the 201.  Since I do my training based on heart rate + time (vs. distance), I ordered a Forerunner 301 so that I’ll have a HRM.

Following is the run I did today.

It’s live data – you can click through on the View Activity link and you’ll get more data options (and get a feel for the kind of stuff that MotionBased keeps track of).  The maps are awesome – you can play to your hearts content simulating your workout.  I always thought the first part of Fowler was pretty steep, but it only gains 200 feet to the top.  However, it’s a hilly run (and very rocky in the middle) so I gained (and lost) 1300 ft. over the 5.3 mile out and back run.  An excellent way to massage the brain.