How many miles did I run?

Is there a way to calculate how many miles you ran without the use of a pedometer? As the weather gets nicer i do more running outside, so i don't have the luxury of treadmill numbers spat out at me. hehe i really don't want to buy one and have extra things clipped onto me. This is for just curiosity in tracking progress. I used the running calculator on caloriesperhour.com to get an estimate, but it seemed like a lot of miles, so i'm not sure if I did right.

I plugged in numbers until i came to a calorie expenditure closest to the one my HRM gave me. What do u think?

Total time: 1:05
Average Speed: 5.15mph
Miles: 5.6
Average Heart Rate: 152
Calories Burned: 341
Calories from fat: 136 (40%)

If you are running on streets, you can use mapmyrun.com- it is a great tool.

Yea, i tried using that last night but i don't really like it. i do too many loops and go off track and it's hard to tell exactly where at a point on the street you stop or turn around.

But i figured it out! i feel so stupid now. LOL Obviously if i run at a speed of 5mph, then i run 5 miles in an hour. I'm so blonde!

Just a quick question but how did you know your speed?

Also, are you sure your calorie burn is correct? The average (and I know it's just average) number of calories burned per mile is 100. (This fluctuates a bit with effort level and weight--heavier runners burn more and running harder tends to burn more too) Burning only 341 calories over 5 miles seems extremely low to me.

To find my speed i just kept plugging numbers in their calculator to get the closest that matched my HRM. I put in the duration of the run and by trial and error found a speed that matched my caloric burn.

I'm assuming my burn is fairly accurate because i have a polar and it's always been pretty consistent!

I didn't run the ENTIRE time, it was a walk and run, that's how the speed just gets averaged out. i assume that's also why the calorie burn is lower?

Your heart rate is based on your overall health and age.  So getting your speed the way you did is pretty unreliable. 

You can use the following site to calculate your distance (pretty reliably) and then knowing how long you ran you can figure your speed more accurately.

http://www.trails.com/googlemap.aspx

You dont have to run on a road or trail.  Just plot your path, even over unmarked ground. 

You could always go on yellow pages or mapquest and type the address you started at to the address you ended at. It should tell you the miles.

If you walked and ran/jogged, then 5 mph may be too high of an average speed. That means that you probably covered less than 5 miles, so your calorie burn may be right. To me, a calorie burn of 341 is probably closer to 4 miles.

I know that 100 cal/mi is just average (for a 150 pound person I think) but it should be accurate for both running and walking. It is the distance and effort that matter more than speed. I usually use the 100 cal average to just ballpark my calories to check what the calculators give me.

Just like with the other "maps", i dont care for them. Streets are misnamed in my neighborhood, other streets aren't even labeled, and the plotty thing keeps going where i dont want it to go and i have to clear the entire map.

But i did find one that was a little easier to work with as far as plotting points go. i mapped it out as best as i could remember and it really wasnt far off from what the calculator told me. i think i missed a few streets, i'll have to make an actual mapped plan and try it and see and THEN compare. but it looks like i did make about 5 miles give or take!

Holy Bold Print, Batman.

Using one of those mapping websites is the easiest way to calculate your distance IMO. That is unless your street isn't on there, then you could choose a different route or use your car to map out the distance. 

Here's another site where you can map your run:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

If you are running along streets and you don't like the other posters suggestions (which really are nice tools once you get accustomed to using them), you could do the old-fashioned approach: drive off your route in your car, resetting the trip odometer when you leave your house and noting the mileage when you get back.

I love map my walk (map my run/ride/whatever are all the same site...) I'm sorry you found it difficult to use - I find it fairly easy, because if you've made a mistake you can drag your route around and add extra points in the middle etc without having to delete the rest of it. And of course once your route is saved it's there forever - you don't have to keep on remapping it if you're running the same course. It's what I use to tell me distance/time and to keep track of the mileage on my running shoes.

My biggest problem is that I never have a "planned route". I like to go wherever I feel like! And if I try to map it afterwards, I can't remember exactly where I went and in what order. lol

You could eventually invest in a HRM with built in GPS.  Just an idea, since you seem so against all of the websites available.  That should give you the most accurate info about distance you've travelled.

i can only imagine how much those cost! Does polar make them?

Original Post by fillefollie:

My biggest problem is that I never have a "planned route". I like to go wherever I feel like! And if I try to map it afterwards, I can't remember exactly where I went and in what order. lol

I do the same thing, but I usually map out a new route before I go for a jog or walk. If I take the same route everyday, I feel like I'm in a padded room.

A heartrate monitor with GPS sounds like something James Bond would use. lol Timex makes one... cool.

Polar does, but they do look very pricey.  Garmin makes them, and they look a little less pricey, but definitely more than $100.  I have a Polar f6, no GPS.  But I run on city blocks and even if I don't remember exactly the route I took, it can still add up to the same amount of milage if I remember how far down and how far over I ultimately ran before heading back home.  I just use mapmyfitness.com to estimate my miles, and use my f6 to keep track of HR and calories burned.

Original Post by fillefollie:

My biggest problem is that I never have a "planned route". I like to go wherever I feel like! And if I try to map it afterwards, I can't remember exactly where I went and in what order. lol

you know, there are certain variables that are going to be necessary to answer this question.  i don't think anyone here is going to fly to your house and follow you around so that they can do it for you.

i use google earth, because it shows trails as well as roads.  i find it very accurate and easy to use.  using it, i've plotted several routes of different distances and terrain; for instance, i have three different 5k routes, all different difficulty levels, all starting from the end of my drive.  i've also established landmarks on one of my routes (up to 8k) so that i can pace myself.  if i'm going to try a new route, or if i want to run a specific distance, i plan it on google earth before i go.

but if you're going to run willy-nilly in circles, you're going to have to come up with a different method (GPS).  or decide that you don't care about distance.

i decided to not care about miles. I said in my OP that it was just for curiosity, but if its a lot of trouble to figure it out id rather not bother. I prefer my willy-nilly! it makes time go by faster when u dont have to concentrate on reaching a mileage goal.

pgeorgian, i'm sorry if i'm taking this out of context, but your first paragraph sounded like u were talking down to me like a child which i didn't appreciate. I apologize if that's not how u meant it, but that's the tone i got when reading!