GPS watch - worth it?

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

Hi everyone,

Hope you don’t mind me jumping on to this board!

I haven’t been running for ages but really want to start getting back into it. I started running for “fun” but i got quite “serious” after a while, monitoring distance / pace. I stopped due to health issues but these are resolved now and I’ve been given the OK!

Now – What I’m debating is whether to buy a GPS watch (I was looking at the Garmin forerunner 10 – If I boost on my clubcard I can get it for £50.00, I then get 1.5% cashback through quidco and then on top of that I get reward points for using my CC)

Is it REALLY worth it though? Previously I used my mobile (runkeeper) but found that i lost miles (not the odd one or two – but i lost 5 miles one day!!) I believe was due to me putting the phone in a holder (Which blocked the signal) – but I struggle to carry my phone when running (constantly drop it! Smashing screen and then paying excess on insurance....)

Talking to people and the answers vary. Many say get the watch but theres the equal amount saying to just stick with my phone....

What do you all think?

Thanks!

donglemouse

i deliberated and then got one - wouldn't be without it now as having data like average pace and heart rate etc. available whilst running is helpful

amazon have the garmin forerunner 310xt at £130 including heart rate monitor which isn't bad value - a lot of spec for the money and is waterproof

if you have a bit of interest in wanting to analyse your performance i think you will find it well worth it, if you just want to run and don't care about getting slightly scientific you can probably live without it

Gemsie

donglemouse wrote: »

i deliberated and then got one - wouldn't be without it now as having data like average pace and heart rate etc. available whilst running is helpful

amazon have the garmin forerunner 310xt at £130 including heart rate monitor which isn't bad value - a lot of spec for the money and is waterproof

if you have a bit of interest in wanting to analyse your performance i think you will find it well worth it, if you just want to run and don't care about getting slightly scientific you can probably live without it

I have exactly the same watch as the one donglemouse has and agree completely with what they've said. I'm a bit of a data geek so I like analysing my runs. I find it motivates me so I would wholeheartedly recommend! I never take a phone with me when running (I know, I know) and genuinely struggle to see how people can run fluidly with one. I guess there must be a technique, but I don't get it!

Lizling

Assuming you can afford it and aren't going to give up running next week, I think go for the watch. For the amount of use any regular runner will get out of one, £50's a bargain. A phone can't really compete.

JohnnyJet

I bought a Garmin 305 several years ago and it was the best running aid I ever bought. There are updated models now which I'm sure are even better. Getting accurate stats is vital if you want to see where you can improve.

theEnd

Love mine.

So many websites around now to collate your data for free (I use Strava). Well worth it.

G_Model101

I've never owned one. I see it as a case of, if you've never had one, you won't miss it.

Do you guys who own them just look at the data on the watch or does it draw up spreadsheets to be viewed online and other mental stats related stuff to view on a pc?

JohnnyJet

The Garmin watch that I have allows you to upload the data and view stats and graphs but I looked at it when I Just bought it and wasn't impressed. Things have probably moved on in that time but I have created an Excel spreadsheet where I enter every kilometre I run and it displays useful stats etc.

One thing I would say is that having a GPS watch allows you to run anywhere and know the exact distance you have run.

When running the only stats I look at are elapsed time, heart rate, distance run, and current pace.

Lizling

There is indeed a new format for the Garmin connect site, but it isn't really much different from the old one.

I upload data from mine onto the Garmin site but also to another site I use for logging exercise all of different types, so that I can look back over the years and see exactly what training I've done and what my paces were in the lead up to each race.

The other 2 really important features to me are being able to see what pace I'm running at while I'm still running, which is pretty much essential for following most training plans but very awkward on a phone, and compatibility with a heart rate monitor.

It's much more accurate than Runkeeper. When I was marathon training witha friend using Runkeeper, there's be easily a half mile discrepancy for every 10 miles run.

donglemouse

same as the other guys really - the thing that's helped me a lot is:

i) being able to run anywhere and accurately knowing how far i run (otherwise you need to run on a measured route either via driving it another time in a car or if you are lucky enough say to have some sort of park trail with km markers)

ii) being able to manage my pace when i run i.e. allowing me to run at a set pace e.g. 5 min/km

in my experience pre-gps watch:
a) i was rubbish at judging pace, even trying to do it with a stopwatch and a route that had markers every km

b) non-gps stuff e.g. the nike chip thing that goes in your shoe aren't that accurate typically +/- 10 to 20% even if you calibrate them often

cascaid

I have the Garmin Forerunner 10 and it was possibly the best purchase I have ever made! I previously used Runkeeper and found that I was counting down the time waiting for the woman to tell me that I had done another 5 minutes! With the Garmin, I can forget about it and just run - meaning I can focus more on my breathing and running form.