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Greater Manchester Marathon 2020

36 watchers

KeithL Feb 2020 10:08am, 24 Feb 2020 155 posts	0 KeithL I have never been that convinced by the mile markers at Manchester. Just seem to have been some odd ones over the years (usually 15-19) Sounds like you are in a much better place Larkim
spendap Feb 2020 10:10am, 24 Feb 2020 17 posts	0 spendap Sounds like very good training larkim. I'd also be interested in the accuracy of mile markers since I think I'll need to do pretty accurate pacing to achieve my target 4hr. I did my longest run for 12 years yesterday - 22miles. It was pretty comfortable apart from a bit of sand blasting running along for beachfront for a couple of miles. My training is going OK, but I suffer from calf injuries and I've never felt completely sure that I won't pull something. For that reason I'm doing nearly all my training at low HR with one session a week that includes some MP. It's going to be a leap of faith on the day that I can maintain MP without pulling my calf muscles.
jda Feb 2020 10:14am, 24 Feb 2020 6,442 posts	0 jda You have a full right to return for 7 days (at least until we properly leave the EU and tear up consumer protection laws) but in practice most sellers are more generous than that (and will remain so after we leave the EU, so you can ignore my first snark). 2nd the comment about 235, mine has been great and though I've kept an eye open for newer models, they really don't offer a significant upgrade for me. I have found the mile markers pretty good, the garmin distance tends to drift a bit by 20 miles but so does my brain and I'm measuring in km which all adds to the fun. 60 miles is serious business larkim After running almost exclusively outdoors over the winter, I'm suddenly putting in a lot of treadmill miles in this weather (having a bit of a cold right now puts me off going outside too). I still don't really have firm evidence of where I am physically but two halves in the next 3 weeks (not flat but on courses I've run before) should tell me what I need to know. Expecting a marginal pb, probably not the 2:45 that I dream of.
K5 Gus Feb 2020 10:15am, 24 Feb 2020 3,382 posts	0 K5 Gus I never ever understood PtB's claim that "This will work for races with tunnels, skyscrapers, tight turns, inaccurate mile markers – anything" How does it still work if the mile markers are wrong ? I agree it works great if mile markers are known to be spot on, eg London, but on a course where you can't rely on the mile markers, then surely lapping at wrong mile markers is no better than lapping at wrong GPS distance ( ie auto-lapping ) ?
larkim Feb 2020 10:16am, 24 Feb 2020 10,427 posts	0 larkim On cheap GPS - I picked up a couple of Vivoactive (oldest models) via Ebay around Christmas; one to replace one that my son had knackered with too much swimming in the sea, and another as a cheap Xmas gift for one of my boys who really wants a running watch but I couldn't justify £100+ on. Picked them both up for about £30, both in perfect condition. It's the watch I use, and I love it - hugely accurate, really customisable. Definitely a cheap option if you need / want the flexibility.
larkim Feb 2020 10:25am, 24 Feb 2020 10,428 posts	0 larkim I think Gus that if the mile markers are wrong individually, the average pans out OK by the end. But if you can't trust the mile markers, you can't trust the GPS either, then you have no data other than feel. By all accounts the foot pods are very reliable and very accurate, so that's an alternative approach. I'll probably be using this epate.com discussed on DC Rainmaker dcrainmaker.com which is broadly the same thing as PtB's approach but with some additions. The alternative option for me was to go for long laps - perhaps 3 or 5 miles. Then even if the mile markers at those points are a bit off, the impact of the error is relatively small. The risk there is that the average lap pace you're seeing up to the marker could be wrong for quite a long period of time.
Fordyboy Feb 2020 10:30am, 24 Feb 2020 187 posts	0 Fordyboy Thanks All for the comments. I'll be sending the 45 back tomorrow so hopefully Amazon will refund. Has anyone any experience of the 735xt? I appreciate it's a multisport watch but it's on Amazon for £170 at the moment and looks to have the features of the 235 for a less.
Nelly Feb 2020 10:31am, 24 Feb 2020 3,959 posts	0 Nelly Gus - I'm not sure I've seen PtB's claim, but does he say "inaccurate mile markers" or "an inaccurate mile marker"? Clearly if GPS is wrong on the first mile marker, then it will be wrong on all subsequent laps, however, if the first mile marker is wrong on the course (as has happended at GMM when the sign was pointing in the wrong direction on an out-and-back!) then it only affects the average pace for the first and second laps, not any subsequent laps. larks - there was a time in the past (~4-6 years ago) when I'd have said not to trust the mile markers, but I can't remember off the top of my head any issues in the past few years. That said, as you know, Manchester city centre is not Canary Wharf, and the city centre loop is mostly surrounded by 3-5 storey buildings, so I'd be surprised to see the same widespread GPS issues as seen at VLM.
Fordyboy Feb 2020 10:31am, 24 Feb 2020 188 posts	0 Fordyboy Ignore that. It was £170 without the HR strap!
larkim Feb 2020 10:33am, 24 Feb 2020 10,431 posts	0 larkim The Beecham Tower is there though isn't it? And running down and past MOSI. Definitely opportunity for a bit of unanticipated GPS wiggle. Agree though, it's no Canary Wharf.