Smartwatches...any suggestions? 🤔: It is me... - Couch to 5K

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Smartwatches...any suggestions? 🤔

•10 Replies

It is me again. You can tell I love this group!!!! My idea is to go for a run with minimal items... And cheap as possible.... So I am fed up running with my mobile phone, as I find really annoying to put it on a belt... It rides up and down. Don't like the arm band... So my main thing is to bring some music and have sort of running metrics on my wrist... So far I have seen the garmin vivoactive 3 music that seems good, but the accuracy seems to slightly inaccurate as per reviews, bit pricey. Another option I have seen the polar 450 but hasn't got music... But I love the coaching bit... And it seems fairly accurate... Other option is to bring a mp3 player that clips onto the clothes, but I still need some sort of running tracker... £150 is my absolutely max... I don't want to spend a lot at the moment, as I am a fairly new runner on week 7... So any advice? 😀😀😀 Please no fitbits I am not sold on them...

10 Replies
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SlowLoris profile image
SlowLoris

Garmin FR35 is cheap right now because there is a newer FR45 just released.

Sarigne profile image
SarigneGraduate

I love love love my Garmin, it wasn't super cheap (VivoActive 3 Music) but as SlowLoris said the FR35 is pretty cheap atm. The other option of course is leggings that have a phone pocket down the side of the leg - I've recently bought a few pairs and it has transformed my running experience, because like you I didn't like the belt or arm band, and sometimes I want to listen to an Audible audiobook through my phone rather than the music I have loaded onto my Garmin.

Jell6 profile image
Jell6Graduate

I can't advise as I haven't got one, but I would never run without my phone, just in case of emergencies 😶

damienair profile image
damienairGraduate

Forerunner 35. Brilliant watch, good price point and all you’ll ever need from a running watch.

Damien

MarkyD profile image
MarkyDGraduate

Simples :-)

Always run with a mobile phone in the event on an emergency. My opinion is that this is not negotiable, it is compulsory. What you need, though, is a convenient way to carry it... so look for the £5 running belts on Amazon or in Decathlon. Personally I wear a FlipBelt (but these are expensive and I only wear it when I have to wear my least-favourite shorts with no 'small-of-the-back' phone pocket).

Next, for minimum hassle, get some cheap bluetooth headphones. Don't spend more than £20, again Amazon, I use MPOW Magneto and they have been utterly amazing for over 3 years. Today they are £17.99.

Lastly, get a Garmin ForeRunner 35. Currently £90 on Amazon (price varies a bit based on colour).

This combination will give you a world-class running watch, totally bombproof wireless air-buds and get you to play music from your phone - which is a very, very convenient music player with playlists, Spotify (etc, if you like that) and more storage than you can possibly use. You will quickly tire of copying music to a watch.

Jazzyrunner profile image
JazzyrunnerGraduate in reply to MarkyD

Thank you - this is a really useful summary for newbies like me!

Colinsmith profile image
Colinsmith in reply to Jazzyrunner

Yep, this is good advice from MarkyD. Shorts with a back pocket for phone are essential as I can’t get on with arm bands or belt, and you really should have a phone for emergencies. It’s a bit of a squeeze but it fits. I also keep my parkrun barcode in my phone slip case as then should something go wrong my ICE contact is immediately available to any first responder (and it means I never forget my barcode at parkrun, QED 🙂)

I’m happy with my Garmin 735XT which was a present, but I reckon the 35 would do just as well if I was buying for myself.

Only thing I do differently is that, because earbuds never fit me, I use Marathon/Kamtron/Linkwitz over-ear Bluetooth headphones. They’re about £25 on Amazon; I also found they have a better bass response than the ear buds I’ve tried... but maybe that’s because of my weird shaped ears!

in reply to Colinsmith

Thank you so much for your advice given here. I have no option but to wear heaphones, as I have behind the ear hearing aids, no point in trying ear buds! 🤣

in reply to MarkyD

Thank you so much for this in-depth advice, the reason why I am asking is because I have an upcoming holidays and it is going to be superhot, and I want to be light as possible, except for few essentials. I'm not sure if I should get a Bluetooth headphones at the moment, as I wear hearing aids and in a couple of months I am due to upgrade and I will ask for Bluetooth enabled hearing aids. See how it goes... Thank you so much

Colinsmith profile image
Colinsmith in reply to

Good luck with everything, enjoy your hols! 🙂

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