When I’m running outside I really like to know how far I’ve gone. As an engineer, I like to have precise measurements and goals in mind. If I’m just blindly running for an undetermined period of time and distance I don’t know how much progress I’ve made or how much I still need. That said, here are my favorite methods of measuring distances that you can use when you hit the road.

Pedometer - The amount of accuracy of this method will naturally depend on the quality of pedometer you get. My pedometer is built into my watch and slightly overestimates most of my distances. However, it is cheap and easy to use.

GPS - The GPS solution can come in a watch form as well. This method relies on syncing with a satellite in near realtime, so while the results may be the most accurate of all methods on this list, it is also the most expensive.

Odometer - This method involves using your car’s odometer to measure how far you ran. The downsides: can’t measure trail runs (only road routes) and you have to own a car. Overall, this method is simple and probably one of the most accurate ways to gather distance info on your jogs.

Google maps - This method is my favorite because it is just so easy and can be done from my desk. I like to record my routes on sites like Traingo.com or Gmap-Pedometer.com and figure out how I can make new routes or extend the lengths of my current ones. I’m not really sure how accurate this method is due to Google relying on such a global map system, but the ease of use can’t be denied.