Runners - garmin vs polar?

meerkat70

I have a polar FT7. By and large it's been fine (though I do have occasional issues with it dropping mid way through a workout).

I've been toying with getting a garmin with gps and hrm for running though, and wondered what your experience of this has been? I'd like something that could do the job of tracking mileage as well as hrm, to minimise the gadgetry I have to lug around with me. But I don't want to spend huge amounts of money, and wondered what would be 'good enough' to do the job I need.

Also wondering if it's really worth the expenditure to get the garmin, given I already have the FT7 - so I guess what do you see as being the advantages of one over the other.

Finally any recommendations on model would be welcome.

BerryH

Whether it's worth it very much depends on what you're looking for out of your training, or if you're a numbers junkie. In addition to a bit less bulk, you get to see the effect parts of your workout had on your heart rate - see it soar when you climbed that hill or did a sprint, see it drop when you tied your shoelaces etc.

Garmins are extraordinarily expensive if you're not sure you want or need one. Perhaps you could look into getting as second hand Forerunner 305 on eBay?

I have a 305 I haven't used for years (I used to have money back then!) but the HRM no longer syncs despite new batteries. The reason I haven't fixed it is because:
1. It's an extraordinary faff to programme in a planned workout
2. It takes an age to sync to satellites and seems to be worse than phones for finding GPS in urban settings
3. I run alone and need a phone with me anyhow, and that does a lot more stuff than just GPS and workout tracking!
4. Constant feedback on how hard I'm working for such a slow speed was demotivating!
5. Sometimes pausing to grab a gadget - my HRM, phone, or even a watch - is enough to put me off my workout

If you want more bang for your buck, maybe look at getting more out of your FT7. Read "Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot" and design yourself a programme based around that. It'll keep you in all the stats you need and could get you running faster for less effort!

pyrowill

Do you have a smart phone and if so do you take it running? If so download runkeeper app. It's awesome and what I use. I use that for GPS tracking and I have my Polar HRM for my hr, at the end I combine the too into Runkeepers website.

BerryH

Here are the basics of the book I mentioned:
http://www.fetcheveryone.com/article-view.php?id=87

mamitosami

I love my Garmin 305. I got it at Costco, so it wasn't hugely expensive. I love that it tracked distance, speed and calories. I didn't ever really care about HR, but it tracks that as well. The calorie burns were essentially the same with or without the HRM.

I found the Garmin to be incredibly motivating (I'm extremely slow!!), but I liked to see how far I'd gone and alway picked a goal for distance, sometimes I was motivated to beat it too... I love my gadgets and that one has proven very useful to me. I love that you plug it into the computer and shows where you ran! I don't use it to its potential, so there are plenty of other features you could use it for. I trained for a half marathon last year, it was essential to my training, I could just run and not have to plan out a route every time.

I also have a BMF, but I still wear the Garmin to track distance...

meerkat70

Do you have a smart phone and if so do you take it running? If so download runkeeper app. It's awesome and what I use. I use that for GPS tracking and I have my Polar HRM for my hr, at the end I combine the too into Runkeepers website.

I already do this. As I said, I'm trying to reduce the sheer number of things I take out of the house with me...

penny_eclipse

I have a garmin (would have to look at it to tell you the one but probably the 305), I love it...it IS my HRM...I use it to calculate my calorie burn on things like zumba/gym by using the av hr and time and plugging it into a formula to work out calories...but for running and cycling I use the cals given on distance as it has my weight (and my bike's weight) plugged into it, and bases it on speed, incline etc.....

For me knowing distance and speed is more important, and being able to see how my HR was affected by an incline/part of the route etc is great.

I don't find mine takes ages to sync, even in urban areas. Occasionally when I move it from Oxford to Hertfordshire (or back) it takes slightly longer...but given that I use it most days, it already knows where the satellites are likely to be. I like being able to stick it on my wrist and forget about it...at boxercise it goes in my back pocket of my running tights as it gets in the way of the gloves...I got over how big it was very quickly, and like being able to programme the screen to show what I want to see...

I bought it after my bro bought his...he's the kinda guy that does weeks of research before buying anything. Initially I was going to get another pure HRM just for gym/zumba etc...but decided that since both use the same formulas based on av hr just one is internal, and the other meant I had to do the maths but saved myself money, I decided it wasn't worth the investment.

If you're happy with the app....and your current HRM....do you need one? It's just another bit of kit...personally mine is invaluable and 1 key, 1 phone, 1 watch and some water doesn't feel like too much...but I know others that would think that was TONS!!!