I finally got serious about running again and I am delighted! Over the last few weeks, especially since the temps got cooler, running has been a pleasure.  I feel like I’m starting to get into a groove and am motivated to continue on.

I think I’ve worked out my GPS tracking issues and have managed to track some of my more interesting runs on Trackr and through Vida One MySportTraining and VidaOne GPS module.  Here are two routes I captured through the VidaOne GPS module: 

Down to the Creek & back up the hill	Boundary Waters Blue Trail
My usual “down to the creek and back up the hill” route.  This route is about 2.5 miles long and is difficult simply because there is a steep incline all the way back.  I have not yet been able to run all the way back up the hill but I am seeing progress and believe I’ll master the hill in September	I ran two loops on the Blue Trail last Saturday.  This was an exhilarating run because I had not been able to complete even one loop without having to take some walk breaks.  A sure indication of progress and improved fitness

Trackr is a cool, free windows mobile application that I use to track my progress when I’m out running.  The software uses my winmo phone’s data connection to upload my progress to my Trackr web page at the time I am out running.  My saved tracks can be viewed on my Trackr web page with a map, satellite or terrain overlay.  I’ve linked my Trackr account to my Flickr account, and if I take pictures on my runs and upload them to Flickr, links to the pictures are posted on my saved track (Trackr matches up the date and time of Flickr photos to approximate locations on saved tracks).  You can click this picture to view the saved track on my Trackr page.  If you click on the blue camera icon, you can view a picture I took at the end of Saturday’s run.

I have completed most of my runs with my very favorite running partner, Gracie.  Gracie is my 4 year old chocolate lab who is always ready to run and has no problem keeping up with me.  In truth, at my present running pace, Gracie probably views these runs as just a quick trot around the neighborhood.

One of the benefits of running “down to the creek & back up the hill” is that sometimes Gracie gets to play in the creek, which she enjoys tremendously.

Gracie keeps me from getting too focused on time or pace. During any run, I can almost always count on her to take at least 2 poop and 5 pee breaks.  Most of the time she stays focused on the task at hand, but sometimes tempting distractions run across the path (squirrels, ducks).  She can be a very powerful dog during those times, but she’s only gotten away from me once (and that really was my fault for not proactively reining her in when I saw trouble approaching).

Software / Hardware used

• Trackr
• VidaOne MySportTraining
• VidaOne GPS (you must have MySportTraining installed on your device to use this software)
• Hardware used was either the HTC Fuze or the HP Ipaq Voice Messenger