Tom Tom Cardio – creolened.com

Run 429: Gadgetpalooza

August 21, 2022May 3, 2016

UPDATE, August 21, 2022: Updated to add more tags for easier searching, as this is one that features my late Tom Tom Runner Cardio watch.

Run 429
Average pace: 5:23/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:10
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 17ºC
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 156
Stride: 182
Weight: 164.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 3452
Device used: Apple Watch and iPhone 6 and TomTom Runner Cardio

Tonight I headed out for a cautious run, with clouds overhead but otherwise unseasonably mild and with a nice breeze to keep things from getting too warm, which is not something you normally worry about here on May 3rd.

I also did my first Apple Watch vs. TomTom Runner Cardio test, wearing the Watch on my left wrist as per usual and the TomTom on my right wrist. I probably looked like a dork but that’s okay. Also, anyone who thinks the Apple Watch is bulky should really compare it to something like the TomTom because the Apple Watch looks downright petite next to it.

The results between the two devices were not outlandishly different but they were different. The actual timing of the run on each device is slightly shifted because I bobbled the start time on the Watch when Siri wouldn’t cooperate but the TomTom had already started tracking.

Stats:

	Apple Watch	TomTom Runner Cardio
Time	27:10	26:42
Average pace	5:23/km	5:18/km
BPM	156	154
Distance	5:03 km	5:03 km
Calories	331	367

The biggest difference for me is pace. I haven’t looked into it but I suspect the Apple Watch is doing some kind of manipulation of the data where the TomTom simply presents it raw, as it was recorded (and is more accurate from that perspective). The TomTom is also hooked into my Strava and Nike+ accounts and each of those also interpreted the pace differently:

TomTom Runner Cardio	5:18/km
Apple Watch	5:23/km
Strava	5:27/km
Nike+	5:31/km

I’m officially™ going with the Apple Watch since I’ve been using it regularly and it still makes me look reasonably zippy.

As for the actual run, I set out a relatively gentle pace and this is reflected by the TomTom’s stride stat of 182. This is steps per minute and the ideal zone for most runners is between 160 and 190. Being at the upper end reflects the cautious approach I took, minimizing how much I stretched out as I ran. Surprisingly my pace was still essentially tied with my previous best 5K this year.

The right leg still felt a bit sore, especially around the upper area, but not enough to make running painful. By comparison, tonight’s run felt a lot more comfortable than Sunday’s.

I may try the dual-wielding watches again on Thursday if I run the Langara trail, as I’m curious to see the pace breakdown on a map. If Apple adds maps to the Fitness app, I would probably never switch away from it.

For tonight’s run, I’m pleased that I was able to get through without the right leg feeling worse and, in fact, feeling a bit better. I am guardedly hopeful that the muscles will heal up as I continue to run not like a cheetah.

Run 407: The old man and the hip

August 21, 2022August 3, 2015

Run 407
Average pace: 5:43/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 57:20
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 23-27ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 160
Stride: 175 strides/min
Weight: 152.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3315
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio

The good news is despite sleeping in a little, my first holiday run actually happened in the morning and temperatures remained comfortable throughout.

The bad news was the thing of evil known as my right hip. Never known for acts of great villainy before, it made up for it today, doing its best to topple me.

Yesterday I walked my usual run router and noticed that the right hip was feeling a little sore. I believe this stemmed from sleeping funny and twisting my leg in a way that is sub-optimal, similar to how some people will wake with sore backs. This happened last year then went away. It returned this year and while I have noticed it on runs it’s never really interfered, it’s more something I feel.

Yesterday’s walk was a warm-up, though, because today the hip made its presence known so strongly it completely knocked me off my usual pace. My left foot also started hurting between the 2-3K mark, though it leveled off quickly and I don’t feel it was a factor.

By around 9K the hip mysteriously started to feel much better, so much so that I put on the afterburners to get a good finish in. Halfway through this (with 300-400 m left) the hip did a full reversal and felt like it was on fire or going to explode or something. I had a few moments where I wondered if I would even finish the run. I did and also managed a slow walk home.

I’m not sure why the hip has suddenly gone haywire, unless I’m continuing to sleep wrong. I would correct this if I could stay awake while I sleep but you see the problem there.

I’ll see if I bounce back from this quickly or if it turns into some yucky long term situation.

Other than Hell Hip, the trail was rather crowded today with walkers and joggers out enjoying the nice weather of BC Day. Bonus: no cyclists!

The first TomTom 10k10k RunRun

August 21, 2022July 4, 2015

Run 395
Average pace: 5:37/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 10.03 km
Time: 56:32
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 25-26ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 756
BPM: 161 <- exciting new stat
Weight: 155.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 3214
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio

I don’t normally run on Saturdays, but given my shifted-due-to-Africa-hot schedule this week, it was the next logical day to head out.

I headed out mid-morning to beat the expected high of 30ºC, and the temperature was warm but not stupidly hot at 25-26ºC. It felt warmer in the exposed parts of the trail but tolerable.

This was my second run using the TomTom Runner Cardio watch and the first 10K using it. It worked fine, though I sweated more, and it felt like it was slipping a few times. It wasn’t, really, as I had it secured tightly enough to leave a nuclear blast-like afterimage on my arm for a good while after the run ended and the watch was off. It did move slightly, and I pushed it up my wrist periodically to ease my paranoia that it would squip down to my hand and twirl uselessly.

I listened to music this time and it was much more entertaining than my breathing. It’s also nice to have the phone safely tucked away in the belt before the run.

After starting out I decided to try accessing some of the other screens showing assorted stats during the run. The first screen was a menu of different options that contained about a million items. I got scared I’d screw something up and just put it back to the default slowly-filling-circle screen. I’ll read up on the different options before the next run and like a good scout, be prepared.

The run itself was a middling 5:37/km–not great for a 10K but not too bad given conditions, the infrequency of 10Ks this year and the fact that the TomTom GPS is probably more accurate (and less generous) than the GPS in my iPhone. The only issue I experienced was my left foot starting to feel a bit sore around the 7K mark. It held up for the rest of the run, but did hurt noticeably on the walk home. My great footrest experiment continues, so we’ll see if the left foot holds up better on future longer runs.

While the dandy new faucet by the dam has not yet been broken, someone did remove the spigot attached to it that had ensured a narrower water flow good for filling water bottles. The spigot and its rubber washer were sitting on a post next to the faucet. Maybe someone really hates water bottles. I tried reassembling it but couldn’t manage the task, possibly because the threads on the faucet may have been partly stripped or possibly because I am as mechanically adept as a rock.

Overall, I am neither pleased nor disappointed by the run. I am happy that I got in a full 10K but will reserve judgment on the pace until I get more runs in on the watch and/or the temperatures come back down a bit.

Run 394: The TomTom and obstacle course run

August 21, 2022July 1, 2015

Run 394
Average pace: 5:20/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:53
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 27ºC
Wind: nil to light
Calories burned: 864 (!)
Weight: 155.4 pounds
Total distance to date: 3204
Device used: TomTom Runner Cardio

First, a new milestone as I passed the 3,200 km mark. Hooray for legs that still work!

I normally run Tuesday evening but given the current heatwave and the Canada Day holiday [back bacon/maple syrup joke here] today, I opted to run this morning instead. Sure it made no difference on Sunday when the mid-morning run felt like a marathon in the Sahara but it has been trending very slightly cooler so I was hopeful.

It was 27ºC when I started–higher than I like but at least tolerable–and it was still 27ºC when the run ended. Weird! The sections of the run where I was fully exposed to ol’ Sol were still Africa hot-like but overall it was a much more bearable experience.

This was borne out by my pace, which went from 5:40/km on Sunday down to 5:20/km today. Still not great but decent enough given the conditions.

I opted for only 5K as I was also testing out a new running watch (more in a bit) and experienced no issues other than sweating, sweating and also some sweating. I deliberately ran silent again and confirmed I do not enjoy listening to my own breathing. I also earned +1 on my agility stat as less than a km in a tree had fallen across the Spruce Loop trail. It wasn’t too big so I opted to leap over it and did it in a fashion reminiscent of a clumsy or drunk gazelle. I made it, it wasn’t pretty.

There was a cyclist on the trail and riding fast as well (grr) but fortunately I encountered her after the run so my trail rage was minimal. Trail rage is a term I just made up. It refers to when I fume over things while on the trail. Usually these things are cyclists. I don’t do anything else, I just fume but trail rage sounds cooler than trail fume.

Onto the running watch!

On the weekend I picked up a TomTom Runner Cardio at Best Buy. Wearable tech is apparently a big enough thing that Best Buy now devotes an entire aisle to it. I had done some research and settled on the TomTom because of generally excellent reviews and the fact that the watch has a built-in heart rate monitor, saving me having to buy and wear a heart rate monitor strap, something that had the same appeal as running in a hoop skirt. Oddly, I saw a guy running today sans shirt and he was wearing a heart rate strap. I saw another guy running topless but he was only wearing a heavy sheen of sweat.

Here is a stock image of the watch I found in the vast wilds of the Internet:

Operation is pretty simple using the touch controls below the display. There’s only four buttons so your odds of screwing up are fairly low and there’s no FORMAT WATCH AND REMOVE EVERYTHING function on the watch itself that you can accidentally select.

I secured the watch firmly to my thin sissy wrist and headed off to the lake. Once there I chose the five km run option and after a few moments it found the GPS signal and told me to warm up, with a handy countdown. As I had just walked four km to the lake at a brisk pace, I started off. The watch lets you cycle through different screens while running but I was afraid to touch it on the first run so I watched the default screen which shows a circle filling in as the run progresses. When I reached the halfway point the watch vibrated and the display changed briefly to 50%. It vibrated again at 90% (500 m) which allowed me to give a final push. I do not do final pushes when it is Africa hot but it was still nice to be notified. A final buzz at 100% showed the run complete and my next question was immediately answered–if you don’t stop it keeps tracking. I tapped the controls to stop the run and it switched back to the time display, which is large and digital and makes me feel like I am in 1978 again.

For some reason the phone and watch were not synced so I ran through the process on the walk back and was able to see my stats in all their glory, including for the first time my heart rate. I have no baseline to compare with but my average beats per minute (bpm) was 160. According to the TomTom MySports site this puts me firmly in “sprint mode.” I don’t know if that’s good or “oh my god what are you doing to yourself?!” when running 5K. I’ll do some research.

A nice bonus is the watch also links to my Nike+ account, allowing me to keep tracking my runs there. The only downside is I can no longer see splits on Nike+ but they show up on the TomTom site so I can still get to them there.

As MySports is a work-in-progress, I had to make an account on MapMyFitness and then link it to MySports first. It turned out I already had an account om MapMyFitness. To further link things endlessly, I next connected MapMyFitness to MyFitnessPal. In the end, this means my runs will automatically be posted on MyFitnessPal where I currently have an 884-day login streak going. As my Fitbit Aria scale and Fitbit One are also linked, this more or less means my every movement and weight gain/loss is being monitored to a level worthy of the NSA.

And I’m okay with that.