There are a lot of endurance related websites I like. MapMyRun is one that I love. After all, it's a free site that adequately replaces GPS or other tracking equipment that can easily run into the hundreds of dollars. Once a runner has entered various routes, it's easy to pull up an account and find a run that meets their needs.
Not interested in mapping routes? MapMyRun makes it very easy to find routes entered by those in the area. From short run workouts to century plus bike rides, finding a new route is as easy as entering a zip code and any limiting criteria.
One vital piece of the puzzle is knowing the route. For the Green Bay Marathon, the group coordinating the training runs printed route directions onto clip-on reels runners could take with them. As my runs are based on routes I've run many times before, I generally identify a route, and look up the exact distance when I finish.
That, of course, requires a good memory when recalling those routes. Until Saturday, that had never failed me. When it did, that lack of recall cost me several miles.
I headed out late (6 p.m.) Saturday after my wife returned from a convention followed by church. I knew my route, and left her with the general outline so she would know where I was running. As always, the plan included a couple of refueling options.
Most of my routes are built upon a couple base loops. Depending on the distance needed, I add sections to those loops. In this case, I needed 20 miles, so planned on using the route with the most "additions."
All went well, and based on certain "checkpoints," I was comfortable with my pace. Well, comfortable until I hit the 2:45 mark. With four or five miles left, I was either WAY slower than I thought, or I had made a severe mistake in my route. And at exactly three hours, I made the decision to finish the run as it started, knowing that distance was exactly one mile.
I finished the "shortened" run in 3:10, including about five minutes for pit stops. Even so, I would have put my pace at something just under nine minutes per mile. That should have put me home in less than three hours.
The next day, I checked my routes and was unable to find ANYTHING including the final loop I had added to reach the final 20 mile distance. Even my guess at the mistake wasn't right. One segment of several miles wasn't on a single map in my profile. Somewhere along the line, I have completely made up a "known" route in my head.
In the end, my run was 21.2 miles. That's after cutting a couple miles off at the end. The bad news? I need to spend some time consolidating my routes, because I seem to be having difficulty remembering all of them (and me not even 40, yet).
The good news? I am more than ready to pace my co-worker for the marathon. I hoped to complete 20 miles in three hours. I completed an extra 1.2 miles in only five additional minutes. We're ready to rock!
I just hope they have the race course well marked. It's apparent I'm not up to the task of remembering the route.
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