Fitness trackers -- long distance runners' opinions?
kristinegift
Posts: 2,406 Member
I've got a mild curiosity about fitness trackers (specifically the Garmin vivofit because I'm a Garmin fan). Does anyone on here use one, and how useful do you find it? I'm on the fence about getting one. I'd like to know how active I am outside of running, but it seems silly to buy what would be, realistically, a $100+ pedometer with some fun features. What are some of your opinions on fitness bands/trackers and their usefulness alongside GPS watches, plain ol' MFP tracking, etc?
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So far I haven't been inclined to get one. They are just a gadget, not necessary but some people really love them.0
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If you have a smart phone you can get many of the same features without having to purchase a dedicated tracker. If you add a smart watch to your phone you can get just about everything plus a bunch of things a tracker can't do.
Having said that, I use an Android phone with a Moto 360 Android Wear watch. Everything is tracked and saved to Google Fit. The thing is, I almost NEVER look at it. The novelty wears of pretty quickly.
I do use my phone to track my runs (along with a HRM and Endomondo). Very useful...0 -
I have Garmin Vivosmart. I like it but like someone else said the novelty wears off especially the sleep tracking aspect. As for running and tracking distance no fitness tracker replaces a GPS watch or smart phone. I also wouldn't rely on the calorie counts. The saving grace is the Vivosmart connects to your smart phone and displays messages, emails etc. when they pop up, especially handy if out running.0
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I needed a new running watch, so I got the new Garmin 225 because of the integrated HR monitor, but has the activity tracking feature as part of the watch as well. Used it for a couple of weeks now and it's sort of neat. I doubt i would wear just an activity tracker but since this watch did it all i gave it a try. It took me some time getting use to wearing a watch all the time since my old watch literally would only last about 4-5 hours before the battery was toast. The data is interesting and i do feel like it is fairly accurate in how it tracks the daily calorie burn. I adjusted the MFP to sedimentary and let the watch track steps, etc and the most it's bumped me up is about 200 calories in a single day. I think there are a few false steps recorded while driving but not more than 10-20 over a 15-20 minute drive. I went shopping with the wife at the mall and manually counted steps for a few minutes and tracked it with the watch and it was accurate. While you are running it also counts those steps towards your goal so on my long run days I've hit almost 30k steps. The sleep tracker is interesting to look at and it can sync via Bluetooth to your phone.
On a side note the HR feature is dead on. My trainer was interested in how accurate it was so we did a Max HR test yesterday wearing both his strap/watch and mine. Over the 30 minute test they were identical at every interval.0 -
I have a garmin 310XT because I also bike and swim and I love it. It was the cheapest multisport (swim) capable one I could find. It tracks mileage, speed, elevation, and has a HRM hookup if you wanted to go that route as well. It syncs with Strava and MFP. My only complaint is that it takes a little long to find GPS satellites sometimes. If you are only running then the Strava app (Or MapMyRun or Endomondo, I'm partial to Strava though) for iPhone or Android would probably work well for your needs. The only issue I have with using the phone is that it has killed my battery on long runs, and I like to have a phone in case of emergency.0
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I have a Jawbone UP that I wear all the time, and track my runs on my Garmin Forerunner 920XT (which is much too large to wear all the time). The step tracking in UP is interesting but not particularly valuable, especially during my training cycles since I'm bound to get a lot of steps in. It's more helpful to remind me to stay active when I'm between cycles and being comparatively sedentary. I prefer the Jawbone to my phone because I frequently don't carry my phone on my person (women's pockets are so small!)
On the flip side, the primary reason I wear it all the time is that I really like the sleep tracking. I'm able to look at the amount and quality of sleep I've been getting and can more-easily trace patterns / correlate how I feel in my training, etc.0 -
I've got a Vivosmart. It's interesting, but nothing groundbreaking. If anything it's giving me more activity cals than just setting myself to lightly active.
As far as steps are concerned, they're all over the place. I have a 20K in the morning where I'l more than blow my step goal before 0900, which will flow through to my goal on Sunday.
Not sure it was worth it, but I did manage to get it very heavily discounted on Amazon.
I'd agree with the point about phones. Mine spends more time on my desk than in my pocket so rarely shows half of what my Vivosmart is showing.0 -
I use an Apple Watch and find it very useful for tracking all day energy expenditure and calories. It has encouraged me to be more active, mainly by adding more walking to achieve daily activity goals. It is also useful in tracking overnight resting heart rate to help *kitten* recovery. It hasn't replaced my Garmin 610 for run tracking though.
As an activity tracker alone it's not worth the cost. But for me with that and everything else it does it was well worth the price.0 -
So I took the (least expensive) plunge possible and decided to try out the Jawbone Up Move. I can clip it or use it with a strap, it's $20-$50 less than the Garmin Vivosmart and Fitbit Flex, and it has pretty solid reviews on Amazon, so I figure it's a safe entry-level tracker. We'll see how I like it after a week or two and if I'll be keeping it. Thanks for all the opinions, everyone!0
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I just use my Android Phone / Google Fit for general purpose "am I moving enough" every day but honestly I already know if I am not on a non-run day. What I'm trying to do is inject more walking into every day including run days to break up my sedentary work life.0
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I've seen lots and lots of Garmin fans here on MFP. I wore the Nike+FuelBand for 3 years before getting my Apple Watch. I love it. I can start/stop my runs - change my music - and read the "Go!!!!" texts people send me during my runs without taking my phone out of my RooSport. I use the Nike+Running app and everything syncs with Apple Health - and MFP. I love it.0
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I wear a Garmin GPS watch. I think it is an indispensable training tool. I have a whole bag full of broken garmins... I probably will buy a different product next time?0
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OP here! I wear a Garmin GPS as well. I've been wearing the UP Move and my Garmin together on my runs, and my Garmin is still waaaaay more accurate for distance and gives me data that I thrive on: mile splits, cadence, elevation, etc. I upload the Garmin cals to MFP and ignore the Jawbone stuff/use the UP app separately since it gives me different (though very useful) data. For example: it's cool to see how many steps a 15 mile run is; puts "repetitive motion injury" into perspective (for the record: 15 miles was approximately 23,600 steps!). Definitely keeping the UP; just knowing I have it on makes me more likely to take the stairs, take a small walk during lunch, and avoid taking the bus to work.0
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I use my fitbit for calorie tracking for everything EXCEPT my runs. I couldn't function without it.0
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Just run, baby.0
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RunningGuru wrote: »Just run, baby.
This. I don't bother with phones or fitbits or any of that jazz when I exercise.0 -
RunningGuru wrote: »Just run, baby.
This. I don't bother with phones or fitbits or any of that jazz when I exercise.
For me it's no bother. It makes it all like a game. I can certainly see how some would see them as added complication or frustration - but for me it just adds fun.0 -
I've sometimes thought it might be fun - but actually I'd just be using the activity tracker for the stats geekery rather than any useful purpose. It's easy enough to see whether your calories in/out are working if you're pretty active by paying attention to your weight and energy levels. I do use a garmin to record my running and help me pace myself in races, and that's probably all I need (and used to manage without).0
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RunningGuru wrote: »Just run, baby.
This. I don't bother with phones or fitbits or any of that jazz when I exercise.
For me it's no bother. It makes it all like a game. I can certainly see how some would see them as added complication or frustration - but for me it just adds fun.
It does feel sort of like a game. Very fun! And I love seeing the many thousands of steps after a long run. Justifies laying in bed the rest of the day
I've sometimes thought it might be fun - but actually I'd just be using the activity tracker for the stats geekery rather than any useful purpose. It's easy enough to see whether your calories in/out are working if you're pretty active by paying attention to your weight and energy levels. I do use a garmin to record my running and help me pace myself in races, and that's probably all I need (and used to manage without).
I thought it would just be geekery as well, but it's proving to be pretty useful in figuring out better sleep habits like when I should go to bed and what I should to do fall asleep (computer time, reading, etc). It also validated my net-cal-goal that I set on MFP, so that was nice. Other than that though, it's basically just for fun. One more app to keep track of fitness stuff!
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Aaah yes - reality bites. I'm pretty sure I'd be even geekier if my budget allowed
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I have a garmin 310XT because I also bike and swim and I love it. It was the cheapest multisport (swim) capable one I could find. It tracks mileage, speed, elevation, and has a HRM hookup if you wanted to go that route as well. It syncs with Strava and MFP. My only complaint is that it takes a little long to find GPS satellites sometimes. If you are only running then the Strava app (Or MapMyRun or Endomondo, I'm partial to Strava though) for iPhone or Android would probably work well for your needs. The only issue I have with using the phone is that it has killed my battery on long runs, and I like to have a phone in case of emergency.
I just used an app on my phone for the longest time. I just didn't see the point in buying a GPS watch when I already had my phone with GPS on it with me all the time anyway. I didn't have any problems with battery usage, but I used Google MyTracks which is a VERY basic GPS tracker. It's light on battery use though and I could have it running all day when snowboarding and still have 30-40% left even with regular use of my phone for pictures, video, and texting throughout the day. I have heard the other apps out there like Strava and MapMyRun are pretty heavy on the battery, but I've never used them. MyTracks does allow me to export a TCX that I can then upload the Strava for more analysis.
I only bothered to get a GPS watch when I needed some more advanced features like setting laps for intervals and the like. It's also nice to have something waterproof so that I don't have to worry about it if I'm in the rain or doing mud runs.0 -
The_Enginerd wrote: »
I only bothered to get a GPS watch when I needed some more advanced features like setting laps for intervals and the like. It's also nice to have something waterproof so that I don't have to worry about it if I'm in the rain or doing mud runs.
I only bothered to get a GPS watch because I wanted to set times for intervals! I didn't even want the GPS particularly at the time...0 -
I have a suunto ambit 3 sports sapphire it's new toy I am now in love with it now I have figured it out!! To some extent it tracks activity which I never realised it did!! It will tell me I have been vigorously active even if I haven't told it I have done anything!! It also tells you how many calories and how much recovery time you need.. I never bought it for that though.. Mainly use it to track runs like the fact it is a multi sport watch it's water proof to 50 metres it syncs to my phone via Bluetooth so I can actually load my runs on to my phone without hooking my watch up to the pc.. The other good things about it the GPS is awesome the battery life is very good too the thing gives you so much data you are not quite sure what to do with it!! Can you tell I love my new toy!!0
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@steff274 You sure do! That's cool that it gives you suggestions for recovery time! Very fancy!
@The_Enginerd I used Map My Run on my phone last spring when I got back into running (and yes, it was a huge battery drain!), but now I almost never go out with my phone. I hated holding it, wearing it on my arm was annoying and rendered it unusable, and it was uncomfortable to put in the lower-back zipper pocket on my shorts. I like to tell myself that I'm just preparing for when I upgrade to a phone that I wouldn't be able to take anyhow because none of the newer phones will fit into girly shorts' pockets!0 -
My interest in a GPS running watch started after I killed my screen/digitizer on my phone thanks to sweat from my back. I'd been carrying my phone in a SPI Belt to record runs using Strava. A plastic baggie works... but both are annoying solutions especially when running with a dog (think stops, squirrels, and bio breaks).
A former runner now returned I already knew the running bug had bit me deep and that I'd want laps and intervals and such so it was easy to decide to get the tool.0 -
Aren't there non-GPS watches that would have done the interval timing you wanted? Get the GPS watch just to have GPS in case you decided it would be useful?The_Enginerd wrote: »
I only bothered to get a GPS watch when I needed some more advanced features like setting laps for intervals and the like. It's also nice to have something waterproof so that I don't have to worry about it if I'm in the rain or doing mud runs.
I only bothered to get a GPS watch because I wanted to set times for intervals! I didn't even want the GPS particularly at the time...0 -
kristinegift wrote: »@steff274 You sure do! That's cool that it gives you suggestions for recovery time! Very fancy!
@The_Enginerd I used Map My Run on my phone last spring when I got back into running (and yes, it was a huge battery drain!), but now I almost never go out with my phone. I hated holding it, wearing it on my arm was annoying and rendered it unusable, and it was uncomfortable to put in the lower-back zipper pocket on my shorts. I like to tell myself that I'm just preparing for when I upgrade to a phone that I wouldn't be able to take anyhow because none of the newer phones will fit into girly shorts' pockets!
I ALWAYS have my phone with me anyway. It's my music player (although I've been running without music lately and learned just to enjoy being out there), it's nice to have it with me for pictures, when I'm on the trails I will have the maps pre-downloaded to my phone so I have a map to figure out my way and in case I get lost (this happens more than I care to admit... I don't have a great sense of direction), and it's good to have just in case something happens and I need to call in case of an emergency. I found an arm band (Nathan?) which does a good job of holding it in place and keeping the sweat off.0 -
The_Enginerd wrote: »kristinegift wrote: »@steff274 You sure do! That's cool that it gives you suggestions for recovery time! Very fancy!
@The_Enginerd I used Map My Run on my phone last spring when I got back into running (and yes, it was a huge battery drain!), but now I almost never go out with my phone. I hated holding it, wearing it on my arm was annoying and rendered it unusable, and it was uncomfortable to put in the lower-back zipper pocket on my shorts. I like to tell myself that I'm just preparing for when I upgrade to a phone that I wouldn't be able to take anyhow because none of the newer phones will fit into girly shorts' pockets!
I ALWAYS have my phone with me anyway. It's my music player (although I've been running without music lately and learned just to enjoy being out there), it's nice to have it with me for pictures, when I'm on the trails I will have the maps pre-downloaded to my phone so I have a map to figure out my way and in case I get lost (this happens more than I care to admit... I don't have a great sense of direction), and it's good to have just in case something happens and I need to call in case of an emergency. I found an arm band (Nathan?) which does a good job of holding it in place and keeping the sweat off.
I do miss having my phone with me when I want to take pictures of something pretty or funny or weird on my run. But I have an iPod shuffle for music, and a GPS watch for distance/etc, so the phone was just one more gadget with the potential to be ruined by my sweat, lol. I used to put my phone in my shorts pocket in a plastic bag, but after dozens of long runs without needing to use it, I decided to ditch the uncomfortable square-block weight on my lower back. I always route my runs so that I come back past my apartment halfway through so I can call it quits if something happened or I feel bad. It's not 100% safe, but eh. I'll take my chances for the sake of comfort at this point!0
IMHO Geekery==Fun. 
