Watches, watches everywhere! This year I trained/ran with the following:
- Garmin Forerunner 15
- Timex Ironman 50 Lap
- Polar Heart Rate Monitor
A few weeks ago I mentioned that I am starting to prefer my Timex over my Garmin.
Garmin Forerunner 15
Image: Garmin
I started using the Garmin again during the spring 2014 season. There was no real reason why I stopped using my old Forerunner….probably laziness (charging that watch is sooo much effort). As a quant nerd I do love all the data that comes with the Garmin and its software, Garmin Connect. During marathon training it was nice to wear the Garmin in the event I changed my route – I would know my total mileage without guessing or mapping my run manually online. However, I found that I was constantly looking at my watch to view the total mileage. I would watch the mileage slowly creep up…8.0, 8.1, 8.2…. it was a bit painful. This didn’t really happen until marathon training happened – so it could been a combination of factors – longer runs, unmotivated days, heat.
Timex Ironman 50 Lap
Image: Timex
Until this spring I primarily used my basic Timex Ironman 50 lap watch during my races/training. I started using this watch when I trained for my first marathon using the Galloway method – it has an easy interval setting. I never have to worry about charging it or losing battery life (which the Garmin did during my marathon). I also like the satisfaction of pressing the split button whenever I pass a mile marker. However, the memory count is limited and I have to record my splits manually. For long training runs I would not be able to capture accurate splits unless I memorized all the mile markers (even that would not be 100% accurate). For shorter runs my pace is more consistent so it was easy to track mileage that way. The nice part of using this watch is that I was not counting down between the miles and running has been more enjoyable as of late.
Polar Heart Rate Monitor
Image: Polar
I started using my Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor last fall when I was tracking my calories burned. During races I would wear it with my Timex as well (yes I got strange looks wearing two watches). By the time I ran the Love Run Half Marathon in March I knew my pace equated to about 170-180bpm. I know some people swear by HRM training (level of effort), but I haven’t really researched that but have a general idea about what it is. I also did not have to charge the Polar FT4. I stopped wearing it when the watch could not connect with the sensor. It worked out well because I did not want to deal with a the strap chaffing me during the summer training runs.
For now I think I will stick with my Timex and reintroduce my Garmin in a couple of months. I think I just need to have the willpower not to look at my mileage every minute or so!
What type of sports watch do you use?
Have you ever used HRM training?
