Garmins, why bother?

[trying2persist]

I see these gadgets mentioned but don't get the point. I think they are not convenient nor easy to use. They are gimmicky but don't really add anything. They measure the heart rate, I can feel mine, they tell how many calories burned, why do I need to know,I am not going eat them back soon anyway. Or am I confusing them with podcasts that do not run etc? I haven't got a clue and don't care. But if I find an easy to use one, I would like to try it. Please feel free to convince me 😯

[damienair Administrator]

I have a nice simple Garmin Forerunner 15 watch. It gives me my times for each Km which is nice, my pace and distance ran. I don't bother with heart rate, calories or anything else really. I just keep it simple. Also nice to upload runs onto Strava.

[Madge50 Graduate10]

Hi there, I quite agree with you, can't be doing with too much gadgetry, gives you more things to stress about.....plus it depends on what is important to you in doing this ..........I have a very basic Garmin Forerunner 10, very similar to damienair .

All I wanted was some evidence for me that I'd actually done this thing, and can keep a record of it, this suits me fine, it records my run, the distance, the pace, plus when downloaded I get a map showing me my route which i have found useful when wanting to do different routes etc.,

I've had it at least a couple of years, if not longer, there's even functions (like pacing) on it I haven't used yet 😂, and this one is VERY basic - oh and it is very easy to use, press start, gets the GPS, press go, run, stop running, press stop...

I prefer it to the apps on phones etc., as it has just that job to do and nothing else, I find gadgets with lots of things to do don't always perform as well, e.g, I did use my iPod but found the distances it recorded weren't always very accurate - and I mean at least a KM out....if not more....

Hope you find something that you like.

Mx

[Runon Graduate10]

Some people like to know how far they have run and how long it took them to run it - they like to see if their performance improves over time and so a GPS watch is useful. If you have an ordinary watch with a seconds hand and a measured course then a GPS watch is not necessary in order to find your pace, but if you like to just run wherever you want and see your pace and time and distance then GPS watches are the business.

Sometimes I just want to run, or run for a specific length of time and I don't want to know how fast (or slow) I'm going, I just want to enjoy the run for the sake of it - after all when you go out for a stroll down a county lane you don't say to yourself "Right I'm going to walk for exactly 32 minutes", you just walk to enjoy the scenery - but other times I want to improve my pace or beat a personal best so the GPS watch does come in useful. All the other bits and pieces these watches offer, you can take or leave as you wish.

I use an Apple watch which tells me how fast I'm running, plays music, makes phone calls, sends emails, pays for things in the local shop, gets me through the barriers on the Underground, shows maps when I get lost, can change colour, and can actually tell the time - but it's not a gimmick - honest!!!

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

I drove to a run route once and realised I'd forgotten my Garmin and had a bit of a "what-am-I-going-to-do" moment 😩

I'm hopeless at pacing myself so the watch helps with that and keeps me on track.

It gives me a record of distance which saves me the hassle of working that out myself.

It gives me elevation records which is useful for training

It tells me how many calories I use which is useful for me as I'm trying to maintain my weight. The calorie thing is not that important for shorter runs (up to 10K) but once you get beyond that then you need to replenish properly.

It tells me what my cadence is and keeps me on track for maintaining this

It tells me when I have a new record which always gives me a little boost and brings a smile to my face

I have a permanent record of my runs. This is especially lovely for holiday runs or running somewhere really different.

As Madge50 says, it's easy to use. I don't have a heart monitor on mine but many here do. I don't use many functions but it works for me and I wouldn't be without it.

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10]

It is a personal thing. I love mine and it is all part of my run. I like to go for my run see what my pace is and my heart rate, then I love coming home having a shower and sitting with a cuppa and going through all my stats of the run, to me it is all part of the run and i would miss it if I didn't have my watch, but that's all because it is part of my personality to like the stats that go with the run. I do understand that some people find that horrific and really don't want to know. We are all different and I say go with what suits you. If you are unsure get a free running app to go on your phone and take it out with a gps tracker on and see how you feel about it.

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate10]

I like statistics and like to see progress. I also like to set myself mini goals (like 1000 km in a year). Mine has a heart rate monitor, partly because I know I like to overdo it and constantly running at your limit is a recipe for disaster. Seeing the figures reminds me to slow down!

On the other hand I'm not going to beat myself up if I start going backwards / get slower etc. Running is for fun aswell.

[misswobble Graduate10]

I have the basic Garmin f10. How far, how fast or slow 🙂 The split times are useful if you are into racing

My heart is beating so that's as much as I'm bothered

You don't need any tech. Although I do like my cadged MP3 player so I can have some music on the go. I'd put that above the Garmin to be honest

[Cliff_H Graduate10]

I love my gadgets, early adopter and gadget nut here so as in all things having apps and toys enhances the experience for me.

[Oldfloss Administrator 60minGraduate]

I love my Garmin... it tells me, yes I did this, this distance, this time, this day and this speed.. as an Old Snail likely to forget things... that is useful... the best thing about it though.. proves all my running is not a figment of an over-active imagination

[Cliff_H Graduate10 in reply to Oldfloss]

I'm thinking of swapping my Fitbit for a Garmin 235 or Fenix 3 this weekend.

[Oldfloss Administrator 60minGraduate in reply to Cliff_H]

I upgraded my Garmin Forerunner 10 for a Garmin 610, after a heads-up from Poppypug.. £90 offer instead of full price.. I love it ..

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate10 in reply to Cliff_H]

I got a Garmin 235 about 4 months ago. I love it! It tells me all sorts of interesting things!

[Rignold in reply to Cliff_H]

Fitbit to Fenix3? no half measures then... lol

[Cliff_H Graduate10 in reply to Rignold]

I passed the Fitbit charge done to my lad and treated myself to a Garmin 625 in the end, very happy with the decision and a new gadget to play with.

[Bluerockdragon Graduate10]

TomTom for me. Plays MP3s, does heart rate (very accurate but I don't do anything with the data other than check I survived to the end of the run). It also counts steps (whatever), records sleep (I am not wearing a watch in bed) and I could wear it cycling, swimming or running on a treadmill if I wanted to (I don't). The best bit about it is that it gives me my pace, distance and time all on the one screen. The other best bit is that it shows graphs, elevations, distances, compares runs, syncs with other platforms (Endomondo, MapMyRun, Strava etc). I can (and do) spend far too long looking at the stats, but it's a hobby

[Runon Graduate10 in reply to Bluerockdragon]

I had a TomTom Runner 2 which was brilliant and better for playing music than my Apple Watch. I think they're much under-rated compared to Garmins but can be better value for money in some cases and offer more features than some Garmin models. My GPS Apple Watch is more basic than either a TomTom or Garmin as a running Watch but does the job!

[skysue16 Graduate10 in reply to Bluerockdragon]

Interesting about Tom tom thanks for your comments 👍

[skysue16 Graduate10]

I would like a Garmin or similar because although Runkeeper is brilliant I don't think the stats are very accurate on my iPhone. Like others I do like to keep a record of my runs (keep a handwritten diary too!).

[damienair Administrator]

I got my Garmin Forerunner 15 from eBay. It was second hand but perfect. Just £40 will get you one. Perfect for starting out. Not too much info, does everything I need. I saves 10 runs in its memory, and you can upload via a PC onto Garmin Connect, which automatically connects to Strava so you can look back on your runs on your phone.

Damien

[Tomas Graduate10]

By keeping an eye on my heart rate on my Garmin I know when I move from "this is hard but just about ok" into "this is too hard and I'm going to have to stop to walk in a few minutes if I don't slow down immediately".

[mfamilias Graduate10]

If you don't feel convinced, there's no obligation for you to use a tracking device It's there for those who are interested in keeping track of their progress, their routes, their total km... right through to heart beat and cadence for the statistics geeks. I'm not a technology expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I love my FR10. I have had it for two years now, and it gives me the basic info I need - route, speed, time, elevation - , will tell me if I am slower or faster than a planned speed on training runs. It's a source of motivation for me - I get a kick out of seeing that I have performed better on certain stretches of my runs. Seeing it all neatly displayed is a great tool for those who want to find ways of improving. It also gives me the opportunity of contact with other Garmin users on the website.

[MarkyD Graduate10]

Two 'killer' reasons to buy a running watch:

1) It'll record all your runs. Time, date, temperature, distance, pace, even show you a little map of where you've been. It is like a running diary for you to look back on and say 'I remember running there' (or if you are like me: I don't remember going to Munich, let alone the run.)

2) You'll have a display - on your wrist where it is easy to see - of your pace. It will help you to run not too fast, not too slow.