Entries from June 2008

I've been running for more than 20 years.  I've been running marathons since 2000 and for most of that time I have resisted technology.  I bought a Nike heart rate monitor and speed/distance pod several years ago but the pod never calibrated well and my heart rate data never really interested me.  Eventually, I gave up the tools and just used the watch.  When the Garmin 305 came out, I didn't feel the urge to buy it.  I had enough friends with them that I could always ask 'how far' and avoid wearing the heavy 'brick' on my wrist.  Also, running is as much therapy for my head as a physical workout for body and I've long argued that I don't need to know my heart rate and pace for each mile.  Sometimes it's nice to get lost in the run and not worry about it.

When the Garmin 405 came out I was also just coming off the high of a fabulous experience at the Napa Marathon.  (It's well organized, small, gentle rolling hills and absolutely beautiful.)  Boston qualifying was back within reach (not close reach, but doable with a lot of work) and I decided that I would make the investment in a new training partner.  They were backordered at REI, but after a couple weeks I picked up my brand new Garmin 405.

My first couple runs with my new 405 were terrific!  I had my exact mileage and pace per mile and the knowledge that it was being recorded made me run a little faster.  Then came a track workout with the 405 and I will admit to uttering more than a few 4 letter words.  The training partner kept coming on and STAYING on so I couldn't see the timer for feedback.  Then I tried the lap button and it didn't reset the larger timer view.  It just continued running and I couldn't get instant feedback during my workout.  I'm sure this is a setting that I can change but changing the settings are not intuitive with the 405 bezel design.  I found this out when I accidentally turned off my GPS and set up coordinates 5 miles into a 15 mile run.  8 miles later I finally figured out how to get it back on and the rest of the run the watch beeped at me with every step.  Sigh... I admit to more 4 letter words.  The sleek bezel doesn't make me happy and does not work well in the rain, a problem for one who lives in Seattle.

The Garmin ANT agent tool to upload my running data as well as the garmin connect web site for storing this data online have also proven disappointing.  It's really cool to see the maps and data on my runs.  But again I complain that these aren't very intuitive and I haven't uploaded data since the first time.

I've dumbed down my watch to just show my overall time, distance and pace.  My friends that have the Garmin 305 can show 4 readouts on their screen and include their heart rate.  That would be useful if I was into the heart rate monitor or maybe it would help me find value in the HRM.  As it stands, I've run with the HRM once in 3 months.  I think this goes to show that I'm just not a running techno geek.  But my advice to those techno geeks out there that have yet to join the Garmin bandwagon... save your money and buy the 305 on sale.  Or wait until Garmin learns from the current 405 and improves upon it in v2.

We just returned from a trip to California.  We spent most of the week at my parent's home in La Quinta and ventured to Orange County for a couple nights in the Newport Beach Fairmont and a day at Disneyland.  Flights to Palm Springs and Ontario were pricey, but Virgin America was advertising some great specials to LAX so we decided to add an hour to our drive and try flying Virgin.

Due to 8 years of consulting and an irrational fear of flying, I really hate to fly.  But I am always thrilled to try something new and looked forward to trying the Virgin experience.  The planes were brand new A319s with an in flight entertainment system in every seat called 'Red'.  Red is similar to Jet Blue's television system and would have been really cool except the sound didn't work in our seats.  The flight attendant told us they were still working out the kinks.  Better luck next time!

What we did find really cool was Red's ordering system for beverages and food.  They did the initial round of cart service and from there, if you wanted another drink, you could order it right from your seat and they'd bring it to you.  It's much nicer than the dings that constantly go off as people confuse the flight attendant call button with the light button and the service is terrific.  I also liked that Virgin America is cashless.  I was a little bummed, however, that we couldn't order champagne to celebrate so we had to toast our engagement with gin and tonics.  (see previous post on engagement!)

It's been about a year since I last blogged.  I realized this about a month ago and was actually waiting for the year anniversary of my last entry to start blogging again.  I can't guarantee consistency, but look forward to writing some posts.  And I start with some really big news... Richard and I are engaged!

He proposed with a Pirates of the Caribbean 22 carat plastic ring since the real ring (see above) was in safe keeping since we were enjoying a weekend at Disneyland.  He had the ring, he had the place (overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Manhattan Beach) and he asked the question, in the form of a question.  And, I said... YES!

We're still searching for a date and location, but we're currently thinking September 2009 at a winery in Oregon.  If you have any suggestions, please send them our way!