Running the Tangents

[Mushe]

Anybody have a good resource for this, or should I just Google? My half today was on a certified course, but Garmin shows I ran 13.27. I know there's some variation between how a course is certified and how GPS will work, but if think being more aware of tangents would help too.

[Susie]

That's about what my Garmin said I ran at the Philly Half in November - 13.26.  My Garmin vs. course distance was not so much a tangents problem as the Garmin getting weird signals, probably from tall buildings in Center City.  I ran straight down Chestnut St. like everybody else, but my map is this drunken weaving line back and forth across Chestnut.  (See what I mean?  connect.garmin.com/activity/406076797# )  

Have you uploaded your map yet to see if that is it?

[runaways]

I have found that I am better off just trying to run a straight line down the middle than to focus too much on the tangents. Normally I just pick a lane line on the road and try to stick to it, although I do cut in close to the corners. It's so hard to try to hit all the little curves just right.

[gt7301b]

I actually don't think that is too far off for a half. I usually study the course map prior to a race so I know where the turns are and I can hug the turn. It is harder to do this in bigger races. I like to think I am pretty good at it cause I almost always have a shorter distance on my Garmin than Mr. GT has on his.

[clseale]

That's not too bad for a half. I'm usually a little over 1/10 of a mile over. I had a bad one earlier this month that was 13.31, but I think something was screwy. Everyone measured that long. It was the narrowest & least crowded course I've ever run, but the furthest I've been over. Anyway, that was a side tangent. Lol

It's difficult to run tangents if it's crowded & if you don't know the course. I usually hang out in the center of the course until I can see the next turn, then I try to run the tangent. It saves some distance by not zigzagging to the wrong side of the road, when you don't know what turn is coming up next.

[Mushe]

Lol @ drunken weaving! I've downloaded the data, but haven't zoomed in enough to see the weaving. I'll go do that!

Glad to know that it's not really that bad for a half. My first was on a jogging path around a lake that I've done many times before, and not really much opportunity to veer off. This was half in the city, with many turns, and half on an unknown bike path.

[Mushe]

And yes, this was a really big race - 8500, they said; I thought 5000 in my response the other day. Although they did have 4 waves, it was still a lot of people. The waves really weeded out almost all of the early bobbing and weaving I normally have to do, which was awesome.

[psyri]

This article from Cherry Blossom does a good job of explaining why the distance on a GPS is off: www.cherryblossom.org/aboutus/gps.php

That's not a huge difference. It's usually a combo of not running perfect tangents, the GPS itself, and the course being slightly long.

[andrealynn]

I'm really bad at this. I just do my best to be in the inside of curves and try not to run in to anyone otherwise.