5 tips to get good run maps

You probably already know about sites like Gmap Pedometer or Running Ahead that allow you to click on a Google map and sketch out your runs. If you don't know what I am talking about, drop everything and go check them out right now. Especially check out Running Ahead, which is an awesome running log. But after you create a few maps you might notice something strange. If you zoom in all the way on a map you created at a higher zoom level, your points are all over the place, making your computed distance off. I've had routes be off by a couple percent, which really adds up. Here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Draw your map at the highest zoom level. Seriously, this is the best way to get the most accurate distance on your maps.
2. Draw your route right down the middle of the street. I pulled my hair out trying to draw my lines on the correct side of the street in an obsessive-compulsive desire to get it accurate. What happens if you decide, like I sometimes do, to mix things up and run your course in the opposite direction? Split the difference and draw the lines down the middle of the street.
3. Google maps doesn't draw parking lots and other non-road structures. If you want to draw your route through shopping centers or parks, the best you can hope for is to switch from "map" view to one of the satellite views. Sorry, it's still wicked hard to draw out nature trails, especially in wooded areas. But if you like to run laps around the mall, then let the satellites help.
4. Go nuts. It doesn't cost anything to draw more and more maps, so go wild with it. Find routes you wouldn't ever dream of running. I was shocked to learn how short a distance it is from my house to the river.
5. Plan your vacation or business trip. Unless you like running in the hotel's closet-like "fitness center" with the bronze age treadmill, get out and run while you are out of town. Plan a couple routes ahead of time and give them a try. Once there, a hotel employee could help you determine whether it's safe or whether you'd be running through downtown Beirut.
   

These tools are a godsend to the casual runner like me who cannot run 30 minutes and say with confidence, "Ah, that felt like 4.8752 kilometers." What are some of your favorite Google maps hacks for running?