Spending my Christmas money!

[tortoisegirl]

Happy New Year to this great community and I hope that Santa was kind to you!

I am stuck on the "illness" couch at the moment - frustratingly I haven't managed to run for a week. My lovely husband has offered to buy me a fitness-tracker-watch-GPS-thingy as part of my Christmas present, (slightly belated, but I am not complaining!) I don't have unlimited funds, and I am firmly in the beginner camp, pootling around at 5K and enjoying myself. No plans for a half-marathon, might possibly boot up to 10K at some point.

I am quite taken with the Garmin Forerunner 10. However, I do use May My Run on my smart phone, so my question is, would it add anything useful except for not having to fight with my phone in the arm band which does drive me demented. What do you think?

[CookieM Graduate]

I'm wondering the same things - so I'm hoping for someone else's wisdom on here!!

[Hidden]

I have one and it is so simple to use. I download my runs afterwards so I get a running log. It gives me my route, distance, elevation and pace. My hubs has a more expensive forerunner that also gives wrist heart rate which he uses for more in depth training. As a beginner I love my forerunner 10. I just take this and my shuffle and no mobile phone needed.

[tortoisegirl Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I don't think I will be worrying about heart rate! However, I don't have a shuffle, and I do like Iistening to a podcast when I run. If I relegated my phone to MP3 player at least I wouldn't be trying to swap between apps on the go. (Usually results in a dropped phone!)

[Curlygurly2 Graduate]

I found MMR & Runkeeper very hit and miss, but that might be down to my ancient phone. I have a Garmin FR10, and have found it very reliable, but no, unless you get something better than the 10, it won't give anything that you don't get with MMR.

[tortoisegirl Graduate in reply to Curlygurly2]

I thought not. But like you, my phone is a bit unreliable - it didn't like being dropped in the loo. I have done runs and then realised it thinks I stood still for half an hour!

[CarolStr Graduate]

Another one here who's wondering the same thing.

I currently use Endomondo (free, not Premium) as an app and the stats magically appear on my PC! What I have done to make my stats more user-friendly to me is to create a simple spreadsheet - one line for each run and a space for comments - takes 5 mins after each run and I can look back over my runs and see how I've improved (yay!). So maybe I've answered my own question here - no need for a watch until I decide I need wrist HR (if I ever get that serious - currently a 5k runner looking to get to 10k but no plans for anything further).

I run with a phone in my pocket (Father Christmas forgot my running belt belt :-0 ) and bluetooth headphones so saves fidgeting about with the phone.

But I do like my gadgets ...

[tortoisegirl Graduate in reply to CarolStr]

I am a little more old school - I tend to record my runs in a little book! I am thinking that I will let my husband buy me the Forerunner 10 (such marital sacrifice on my part) and downgrade my smart phone once it dies. I only really use it for Map My Run and the radio!

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to tortoisegirl]

Yes, I have done the same thing. My Smart phone wasn't very smart, quite stupid in fact - it wouldn't even take photos eventually, nor could I make a phone call on it. Now I have a £10 basic phone from Tesco, much better! Garmin IS more reliable than the phone apps IMHO.

[RunaroundSue]

I have a Forerunner 10 for running and bought a cheap Jawbone Up for everyday step counter. I also have a spreadsheet to record everything, including time and distance from the exercise bike.

[tortoisegirl Graduate in reply to RunaroundSue]

I am still using my phone at the mo - the headphone socket has given up now so I will see how I cope with "silent" running.

[RunaroundSue]

I gave up on Smartphone Apps when I appeared to have run home in a straight line, seemingly hurdling fences and running through houses

[tortoisegirl Graduate in reply to RunaroundSue]

Amazing what super powers running gives you!