GPS Kids | Peg’s Posts: With Forerunner 110 on-hand, I’m Boston-bound!

  Pending any unfortunate trips down the stairs or other trauma, I’m boarding a red-eye flight to Boston tomorrow with my running partners and a mutual running friend. We’ll literally hit the ground running to pick up our race packets and make some key stops at the Boston Marathon expo. Of course, we’ll head to the Garmin booth to visit the sales and marketing team. Can’t wait to witness the vibes from customers anxious to try and buy the new, easy-to-use Forerunner 110. Garmin’s special trade-in offer — $25 off a new Forerunner when customers bring in their old one — is sure to bring in runners who’ve literally been waiting for their trusty Forerunner to bonk so they can upgrade. And what happens to the old ones that are still keeping perfect pace? Garmin will donate all working trade-in units to Girls on the Run, a program for young girls that pairs running activities with lessons that reinforce healthy living and self-esteem. Girls on the Run is one of my favorite charities, and I’ll be sure to visit their booth as well.

Since the days leading up to marathon are slacker/saving the legs days, I’ve had more time for mental prep. Been reviewing course maps and reading some fabulous tips from Runner’s World, the Boston Athletic Association website and various tidbits from B.A.A. race partners. The best news of all came in yesterday’s eblast: The B.A.A. has increased the number of portable toilets in the Athletes’ Village. 
That news alone is worth my $130 race registration fee. And it was followed by a very PC way of stating “don’t go there”: Please respect the residents of Hopkinton by not trespassing on their property for any reason.

Other Boston news I’ve been following: the favored-to-win status of Ryan Hall, American record holder and Garmin-sponsored athlete who’s been training with the Forerunner 110. Check out this video of Hall’s recent training run on the course, where he’s using the 110 to track all his stats. Love watching that guy run — effortless forward motion. Seeing this got me scheming. Suppose I work my way up to the elite start (those of us shorter in stature have ways), tether myself to Hall and just coast for 26.2 miles? It appears he has enough power to spare.

Next stop in my mental prep/site scouring: the New Balance “We run this town” site. Particularly enjoyed the “speak Boston” tips. Another site, forwarded by a coworker, offered “run Boston” tips paired with street-level photos of the course. Somehow I’d pictured streets of gold, and the slightly dingy photos on that site just weren’t measuring up to the images I’d concocted. But since everything about this trip is new to me, I’m looking forward to every inch of it. And with my new training partner on hand, Forerunner 110, I’ll be tracking every mile and every minute on race day. Later, while giving my legs a rest, I’ll be able to upload my data to Garmin Connect so I can review every lap, view it on a map, replay the race and share it with friends and family who’ll be following from the sidelines back home. Here’s how my qualifying marathon last fall looked in Garmin Connect. Here’s hoping I can relax, take in the sights and savor every step.

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