I’ve run twice here in Manila and both times, it’s been pretty frustrating.
First, I have to run in early evening (which is my morning).
As you might imagine, it’s still pretty hot and humid outside and the air quality isn’t great. Plus it’s also really crowded; according to some sources, Manila is the most densely populated city in the world and I believe it.
There’s a small running park not far from my hotel, although I do have to cross a couple of very busy streets—I wait for the walk light because to do otherwise would be taking an insane risk. The park itself has little twisty paths and people run but I’ve been running around the block on the sidewalk. That’s sort of less frustrating although on one side of the rectangle, the sidewalk is very narrow and I have to go into the street briefly.
But what’s more annoying is that my Garmin cannot keep a signal and keeps hopping to different satellites which makes my run look like a drunken toddler did it. And in turn, that makes the pace and distance tracking wildly inaccurate. Kent believes that the satellite issue is because I’m so far south in the northern hemisphere; most of the satellites are further north so my Garmin spazzes out.
The first day I ran, I set all kinds of “records,” only of course they weren’t. They were just equipment glitches. The second day I ran, I ignored pace and distance and ran for time (35 minutes) and still set more “records.”
I’m super glad I chose the later marathon instead of the one in April. Otherwise I would be absolutely freaking out because there is no way I can complete my training plan here, not with any accuracy.
First, I have to run in early evening (which is my morning).
As you might imagine, it’s still pretty hot and humid outside and the air quality isn’t great. Plus it’s also really crowded; according to some sources, Manila is the most densely populated city in the world and I believe it.
There’s a small running park not far from my hotel, although I do have to cross a couple of very busy streets—I wait for the walk light because to do otherwise would be taking an insane risk. The park itself has little twisty paths and people run but I’ve been running around the block on the sidewalk. That’s sort of less frustrating although on one side of the rectangle, the sidewalk is very narrow and I have to go into the street briefly.
But what’s more annoying is that my Garmin cannot keep a signal and keeps hopping to different satellites which makes my run look like a drunken toddler did it. And in turn, that makes the pace and distance tracking wildly inaccurate. Kent believes that the satellite issue is because I’m so far south in the northern hemisphere; most of the satellites are further north so my Garmin spazzes out.
The first day I ran, I set all kinds of “records,” only of course they weren’t. They were just equipment glitches. The second day I ran, I ignored pace and distance and ran for time (35 minutes) and still set more “records.”
I’m super glad I chose the later marathon instead of the one in April. Otherwise I would be absolutely freaking out because there is no way I can complete my training plan here, not with any accuracy.
3 comments:
Aha. Thanks for the explanation. I know that the Garmin bit is super annoying, but I admit that your visual is also kind of funny. It reminds me of what I'm sure my route looks like when dog walking, to be honest.
yikes! That Garmin graphic tells it all. Just do what you can and stay safe!
LOL at the Garmin. Poor thing.
Sometimes I open google maps when I'm on the train - to see where I am (especially at night when I can't see outside) - and I watch the little location indicator try DESPERATELY to stay on the roads (not the train tracks).
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