HRM / Garmin / Nike+ etc - advice please

Peeriegemgem

Currently embarking on Hal Higdons Novice 2 Half training, and want to make more of a commitment to my running.

Thinking a good next step after spending a lot of money on nice trainers for my overpronating feet, would be to invest in something like a Garmin / Polar / Nike + Sportswatch - have been through Amazon repeatedly, but would love any advice/recommendations here? All my fb friends appear to be committed Nike+ as they like to compare themselves to each other, not sure I am brave enough to do that! Amazon seems to show a lot of Garmin "niggles" which would be not great due to the price! Help!

Dizzle_65

I have a Garmin 305, absolutely love it. It is also easily the most common one on show at races. Reliable, rugged and slightly 70s looking it's an awesome bit of kit

ridge1980

I have the Garmin 405 and heart rate monitor and I love it!

CarsonRuns

Garmin. Hands down. Find the one with the feature set that you are looking for. Most models are available with or without a HRM. Garmin is the industry leader.

mmk137

another garmin lover here.

I too have the garmin 405(cx comes with hrm), best investment ever.

I also have the nike+ (on my nano), it's great for the music but tracking distance is crap, I have to recalibrate it ever run, which is a pain in the *kitten*, let me tell you that.

I wouldn't bother with polar, they are good just as hrm, but gps stuff, stick with garmin, you wont be disappointed.

scottb81

I have a Garmin 310Xt and am very happy with it. If you want an unbiased review of all the different options see http://www.dcrainmaker.com/p/product-reviews.html

Kasya007

Nike+ is good for beginners, I personally loved the motivational messages you would get when you beat an old record. I started with Nike+, but found it unreliable at times. Some days it would freeze the the iPod or iPhone & I'd lose my entire run, other days it would cut km's off of runs, and THAT is discouraging as well as frustrating. Although, I must say, it was fairly accurate the majority of the time.

However, I also like to run without my iPhone some days & having to carry it along all the time (during all 4 seasons) was a bit of a nuisance. Plus, I really wanted to start keeping track of my heart rate & an accurate calorie count (Nike+ was WAY off on calories, almost as bad as MFP is, lol). So, when I became more serious about running (about 2 years after starting), I upgraded to a Garmin FR 610 and I've never looked back. I it, and if I could marry it, I would. LOL! :laugh:

I would probably start with a lower version of Garmin's Forerunner. I've used it almost daily for a year or so now & I've never encountered any of the problems that I've heard can occur (HR spikes, etc.) Plus, their Garmin Connect site...OMG, it's a training dream come true.

If you're looking to get serious, Garmin gets my vote. Good luck, there are a lot of overwhelming options out there.

BrianSharpe

Another vote for Garmin.

MelisRunning

I received a Garmin 305 for Christmas last year and now I can't run without it! I love it!

runningchick70

My vote is for the Garmin as well. I used Nike+ initially and the info was very unreliable. I have the Garmin 310XT that I use for biking & running. Love it! I'd feel lost without it these days. I just read this morning that Garmin has released a new Forerunner model #10 that is much less costly.

jaxCarrie

I really like my Garmin 210...super easy to use (too many bells and whistles overwhelm me.) turns on/finds satellites fairly quickly. I

arc918

Garmin. Hands down. Find the one with the feature set that you are looking for. Most models are available with or without a HRM. Garmin is the industry leader.

Garmin for sure. My $.02 on the best deal out there: Garmin 410 w/ HRM for $199 (shipped) from Costco.com

Cocochickdeleted

I, too, have a Garmin Forerunner 305, and I have no complaints with regards to its functionality, but I find the size to be a bit intrusive. It's big and bulky, and I have to wear it on the very smallest setting, which I'm not even sure is really a notch--it's the big triangular opening after the pinpoint sized notches. It's a bit too snug on that setting, but way too loose on the last real setting, and it annoys me when it moves around. That said, I do love the information I get from it and am pretty addicted to it.

I got in on this GPS watch designed specifically for women while it was being funded, but it won't be in my hands until next spring: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/956860865/bia-the-first-gps-sports-watch-for-womenby-women?ref=card.

It looks pretty neat. I hope it lives up to its promises.

a_stronger_steph

I agree with the chorus of "Garmin!". I have the 305 and it's great - it picks up signal fairly quickly even though I'm in the middle of downtown Toronto, with skyscrapers all around me (I do, however, leave it out on my balcony for a few minutes before I run so it can pick up satellites while I get ready). I agree with Cocochick that it's a bit bulky and somewhat awkward to wear on the wrist if you have smaller wrists, but my solution to that was to get a little wrist sweatband and wear it under the watch. I have to fasten the watch on the third or fourth last notch, now, but it sits great! Very comfortable now, and no need to worry about sweat corroding the contacts on the back!

camrunner

I just got a Garmin FR 110. It's really basic, very few bells and whistles, but it's exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to know exactly how far I've been running and take some of the guesswork out of things. It's humbled me a little bit, because it seems a lot of the trails around here are not accurately measured, but I think this is going to wind up being a pretty significant step in my development as a runner.

jturnerx

I've always used Garmins. My current is the 310XT. The long battery life was a key feature I required when choosing amongst their different models.

docsharon

I bought the Garmin 610 last year and I love it! Besides having a walk/run option, it has a vibrating alert which really comes in handy in a noisy environment or wearing it under a jacket during the winter. Yesterday, for the first time ever, I got lost on the trail I was running. Using the "Where am I?" feature, I followed my route back to where I started. Garmin has just introduced a budget GPS running watch, the Forerunner FR10. I don't think you can go wrong :happy: with a Garmin.

Cocochickdeleted

I agree with the chorus of "Garmin!". I have the 305 and it's great - it picks up signal fairly quickly even though I'm in the middle of downtown Toronto, with skyscrapers all around me (I do, however, leave it out on my balcony for a few minutes before I run so it can pick up satellites while I get ready). I agree with Cocochick that it's a bit bulky and somewhat awkward to wear on the wrist if you have smaller wrists, but my solution to that was to get a little wrist sweatband and wear it under the watch. I have to fasten the watch on the third or fourth last notch, now, but it sits great! Very comfortable now, and no need to worry about sweat corroding the contacts on the back!

That is a great idea! I have a sweatband that I can wear under mine, so I'll give it a try next time I go out. I also thought it might be worth mentioning that the Garmin 305 does not utilize heart rate to figure calorie burn--it bases calorie burn on distance traveled. I did not know that when I bought it, so it was disappointing to discover. That is kind of the point of having a HR monitor. :-\ That said, I don't know about the other models.

Spook_adr

Just got my Garmin 310 XT in the mail yesterday. I LOVE IT. I was debating whether to buy an iPad or a Garmin with my birthday money. SO glad I bought the Garmin.

Side note: the calories calculated on the Garmin are a lot more accurate than what MFP assigns to exercises. I went for a 35 mile ride today. MFP estimated 1400 calories burned, my Garmin argued 915. No wonder I haven't lost much weight...

johnmcc215

I use the 210 and love it, dcrainmaker has great reviews at www.dcrainmaker.com . The Forerunner 10 just came out also, lists for $129.

rtbrown82

Just announced - http://sites.garmin.com/forerunner10/

It's a Garmin and it's the cheapest on the market (pretty sure that's true). I've been using Nike+ GPS, but I would have went with this if I knew. You can also buy the Nike+ for $145 (without the foot pod and add one later, also add a HRM). I love mine though, it looks great, wear it all the time and get compliments on it all the time.