Reply With QuoteWhen I was running, I used a Garmin Forerunner watch and it was fantastic. It also covered Cycling and Swimming, which is great if you decide to get into Tri stuff.
I've recently taken up running , currently on a treadmill but as the weather improves I will be heading outdoors.
I'm struggling with pacing so would really like a watch that could help track my pace so I can see at a glance whether I need to speed up etc
Huge amount of variation on the market and I do have a Samsung S3 Frontier which I could upgrade to the new Galaxy or perhaps a proper runners watch would better ?
Any advice ?
I dont need notifications, pay apps, etc etc. Just need GPS, the pace calculator and possibly the ability to track/record to an app but this is not essential
When I was running, I used a Garmin Forerunner watch and it was fantastic. It also covered Cycling and Swimming, which is great if you decide to get into Tri stuff.
Garmin 235.
Fantastic watch although I don't think it works with a treadmill.
I personally like the Garmin range. They will probably all do what you want.Originally Posted by Liner33
Most will probably do some of the "smart" things you don't want too. In with you on that, it's just the onward march of tech though.
Fenix 5 is the best all round and can also pass off as an everyday smart watch too. Lower down the range and much cheaper will probably do what you want.
The better running functions include cadence, contact time, balance etc to really help analyse your running style and adapt over time ( if you want that).
Another vote for the 235.
I tried an Apple Watch thinking I’d wear it for everyday use but realised I just needed a running watch for running and the Garmin’s brilliant for that.
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I use my Garmin Fenix 5 for running both outdoors and on the treadmill. Great bit of kit, also use it for mountain biking, road biking, swimming and hiking. Theres loads more it can do that I don't use and you can knock off the notification part if required (although it is handy). Links seamlessly to Strava as well. If the Fenix 5 is a bit ott for your use then one of the other Garmins that have been mentioned would fit the bill.
Garmins are great, I had a forerunner 225 and now I have the 645 music which is a nice upgrade as I love running to music without a phone
Battery life is good too
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Garmin 920XT. It does swimming, running and cycling, indoors and out.
The pace setter is very useful but the best feature is running a specific route against one of your prior efforts. It'll tell you in real time whether you're 10 secs up or 20 secs down against your performance at this point on this route last Tuesday. It's good because it therefore takes into account the fact that you'll be slower going up hills.
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Many thanks guys , lots to look into . I did look at the Fenix but it looks like a hammer to smash a walnut for what I need.
If its just for running outdoors then the 235 would be great.
I have a Fenix 5 and others have said its great- my wife had a 235(and it was also very good) but has just changed to the vivoactive 3 music
What about the Fenix 3 its cheaper than the 5
Garmin 230 or 235 (230 doesn't monitor heartrate). I find the Garmin app quite good for tracking progress and storing history.
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To buck the trend above - Garmin are great yes. But if you are after another option of a watch which does the job great, you could try Pulsar. I have one I used just for running and it does link to Strava and other apps, as well as provide all the data you need on a large screen. I have the M400 which I seemed to remember paying around £100 for. Although seems it may now be discontinued! Also comes with heart rate monitor.
Do you mean Polar?
Ha yes!! Definitely not Pulsar!
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I bought Mrs K a Forerunner 30 from here; she loved it so much I bought a new one for myself - £99 in Argos (I know...). Is an extra £60 for the 235 a good investment? I don't listen to music running, but perhaps when (ha - obviously I mean 'if'') I move up to longer distances?
Another vote for Garmin. Got an end of line deal on a Vivosmart HR+ and it isn’t much bigger than my Fitbit alta was and does more than everything I need it to. Had it not been such a good deal I’d have got whichever forerunner was most in budget I suspect. Only bugbear at the budget end is lack of onboard music/a metronome.
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I went cheapskate on this. Decathlon OnMove 500 which was about £70. Been perfectly fine. Have used it today for the Parkrun and 2 x 24km cycles. It links automatically to Strava where I do my analysis if necessary. Yes, one day I might get a Garmin Fenix but as a quick fix for my first triathlon last year (at that time had already spent a bucket of money on everything else from the entry to accommodation etc) it has been absolutely fine and I don't worry about goosing it which I might if I'd dumped £600 on it.
Garmin Vivoactive will do the job fine, the 235 is not bad. Both will do the job great, the Vivoactive just has a lot more ability to cover more things if you decide to progress further with your fitness. Apple watches I find are poor for fitness, very low level fitness monitoring. The higher up the range you go with Garmin the more stats you collect.
I am currently using a 935 as its like my Fenix Plus titanium but smaller and lighter, I also have Fenix 5s Plus as well as a 645M for switching out.
Amazon has 30% of the forerunner 235. At £139 it's a great price for a really good running watch.
As others have said - Garmin. I'm a long time runner and cyclist and the Fenix 5 is an amazing bit of kit - however if you're starting out and don't need mega battery life get one of the cheaper ones for ~£150.
I've used several different Garmin's and Sunnto's, one of the great things about Garmin is the ability that it mounts as a USB device when you plug it into the PC - in the event that your activity doesn't auto-upload via wifi / bluetooth (if your chosen watch has that feature) is that you can pull the file directly from the watch and upload to strava (if that's you thing).
I do a few long distance things, so having battery life over over 12 hours on GPS is what I wanted, but honestly any GPS watch will do! Enjoy!
I alternate between the Fenix 3 and Fitbit Ionic. The latter is perfect for running, syncs quickly to Strava, has a built-in HRM, works with Deezer, and has a lovely bright screen. A great alternative if you don’t want all the often excess tech of the Fenix
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I’m another Garmin user, I had a Forerunner 405 for many years, and when the battery gave out I went to a 735, which I use for everything - running, cycling, swimming (indoors and out!) and as a HRM for circuits etc. It’s very light weight which I don’t like, but it does a job and that’s what’s important.
Running, you can set up alarms against HR, Pace, distance etc and the Garmin app is very comprehensive against everything you would like to track. I use it for tempo and sprints, where it buzzes to start stop laps, and is easy to notice. It also can give prompts via a phone and earphones which is also useful! It does take time to get things set up as you want them though, there are lots of screen options and menus to work through, but once done, it is simple...
Easy,
Don't run, it's bad for your ankles, knees, lower back.
If in town you'll also breath in more CO.
You have to wear ridiculously tight day-glo lycra from observation
You become rude and push past people as the have the audacity to use the pavement for walking on.
Amazon have Vivoactive and music on deal of the day today
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