GPS and HRM advice needed

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EdTheGinge
EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Happy new year all.

I have just taken up running and am training for an upcoming half marathon, I want to purchase a watch to show current and average speed, distance, calories burnt and heart rate monitor, oh and do I want fitness/training pal ?

Can anyone recommend one, maybe Garmin Forerunner 110 etc ??? Baring in mind I'm in the UK.

Thanks in advance

Replies

  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Anyone
  • donnam40
    donnam40 Posts: 246 Member
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    I have a Garmin 110 as does my husband and we both love it. They are easy to use and my hubbie wears his as a watch too.

    Good value for money in my opinion.

    Donna
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    I have a Garmin 110 as does my husband and we both love it. They are easy to use and my hubbie wears his as a watch too.

    Good value for money in my opinion.

    Donna

    Awesome stuff, thank you :)
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    I like the motoactv for it's flexibility.

    You have to buy the HRM strap separately, but it works with Ant+ (and bluetooth I think) sensors.

    I like that it also does step rate without extra sensors - nice to see that without specifically trying, I was actually pretty consistently on 180spm in that 5k fun run I did.

    If you've got a smartphone, may be able to do a fair bit through that - you can get bluetooth HRMs which will work with pretty much any smartphone.
    Newer phones allow you to use 'bluetooth smart' which has a lot lower power consumption, similar to Ant+. (Normal bluetooth sensors don't have great battery life.)

    I'd have gone this route if I didn't also want the pushbike sensors, or if I had a newer smartphone.
  • RunningMs
    RunningMs Posts: 52 Member
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    I have the Garmin Forerunner 405. While a bit pricey, it has been a great investment. The abliity to see your previous activities in graphs and maps has been a great tool for me.
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Thanks all that's put suggestions across. Still unsure though
  • RogueViper101
    RogueViper101 Posts: 20
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    Hi,

    Not sure if this is of any help. I have a Polar FT7 (tracks average/max heart rate and calories burnt). I have a smartphone and use a free app called 'SportsTracker' to track my rowing sessions; it uses the GPS and 3G data to track your sport activity (tracks different sports). Since I started using the app at the end of October I've tracked over 100 miles of rowing; you can see how it works for one of my rows (although most of my activities are private) - http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/RogueViper101/6feuc8d7bhqu6lmm

    Cheers

    Mike
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Good suggestions but although I have an iPhone I don't trust myself to take it running with me lol. Ummmm this is a tougher decision than I thought.

    Is the Virtual Trainer worth it ?
  • donnam40
    donnam40 Posts: 246 Member
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    I have an iPhone too but prefer to run without it. That's where the Garmin is good - it is just a watch, nothing extra to carry. Just my two cents worth...
  • zealousmissjj_wechange
    zealousmissjj_wechange Posts: 445
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    Hi there! I have the Polar ft40 which tracks calories burnt and heartrate and warns me when my heartrate gets too high. I'm incredibly pleased with it!! If you are running, wouldn't you prefer one with GPS though?

    Good luck!
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Your 2 cents worth has been noted lol and yes indeed GPS is what I'm after. Think I might just bite the bullet and get the Garmin Forerunner 110 with HRM. I can push myself without an annoying bleep lol.
  • SwindonJogger
    SwindonJogger Posts: 325 Member
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    if you can afford it then the garmin 610 is king of the gps watches for running. The touch screen is excellent and it has vibrating alerts which are great for interval training. And wireless data transfer to your pc.
    You can get awesome details on the 110,610 and other gps watches on dcrainmakers blog (just google him)

    all the best for 2013
    sj
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    if you can afford it then the garmin 610 is king of the gps watches for running. The touch screen is excellent and it has vibrating alerts which are great for interval training. And wireless data transfer to your pc.
    You can get awesome details on the 110,610 and other gps watches on dcrainmakers blog (just google him)

    all the best for 2013
    sj

    The 610 looks like it might be just out my budget, however I've had a quick look at that guys blogs and they're very informative. Hopefully they'll help make my mind up.

    Cheers
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Anyone else got any recommendations for running watches ?

    On another note anyone got an opinion on Carrera Zelos and TDF Road Bikes ?

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