Marathon training for the fall

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Jhensley2011
Jhensley2011 Posts: 54 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am starting my second marathon training this coming Saturday and am completely excited! My first marathon was a challenge AND a blast...i can't do just one. So now that I have the "bug", I am needing to get some supplies to help me on this journey. ONe thing I am needing to get one of those watch things that tell you how fast you are going, calories expended etc. I've heard of the garmin but those things are EXPENSIVE! Yikes! Trying to find something a little more wallet friendly but if I have to break down and get a garmin, I will. Any suggestions!

Thanks!
j

Replies

  • fitnessbugg
    fitnessbugg Posts: 141 Member
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    Great topic! If you have an Android phone or an iPhone, there are several apps that do the same thing as a garmin. It's amazing what's out there. Take a look in your app store.
  • Jhensley2011
    Jhensley2011 Posts: 54 Member
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    I do have a droid! Great suggestion! Thanks!
  • mike20603
    mike20603 Posts: 32 Member
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    I have a Nike+ Fitness Band. Its about $60 and has basic info:

    Total time spent running
    Pace per M (or K)
    Calories burned (I'm surprised how close these numbers are to MFP's)
    Distance ran (or walked) in M or K

    It needs a small pod attached or inserted into your shoe (the band comes with the pod). You may need to buy a small pouch for it if you don't own or plan to purchase Nike+ running shoes...the shoes are $80 and up, the pouch is $6 and fits any shoe.

    I would love to have a Garmin for the GPS accuracy, but the cheaper ones are bulky and the small ones are too expensive (for me). I settled on the Nike band and now I love it.

    As well, it lets you track all your runs on Nike's site. I find myself somewhat motivated by being able to compare ALL my runs...I want to go faster/farther, etc.

    BTW, I am a very new and beginner runner (and slow). I run 4x per week, from 2-5 miles each time. I've ran a couple 5k races, and have scheduled a couple more. The entire reason I bought it was to track my progress while running, and it works great for that.

    Hope this helps.
  • deenie169
    deenie169 Posts: 22 Member
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    Hi!
    I am Marathon Training, too, for the fall: Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon (MInneapolis-Saint Paul).
    It's my third marathon, and I think I am mostly doing this because my DH says he wants to do one...a bucket list kind of thing.

    I had a Garmin that died a miserable death-getting waterlogged while I did the dishes. I'd had it for several years and liked having HRM and distance. I didn't use the little plug-in thing for tracking my workouts on line...it was just one more darned thing to do.

    I currently use RunKeeper application on my Droid and I think it is just great, since it can help with tracking runs, trends and you can set up intervals for your pace. It's big to carry, so I got a neoprene armband at TJ Maxx that it will slip into. RunKeeper will also give voice intervals for distance or time if you like. I run this concurrently with Pandora on my Droid. Although the combination of streaming Pandora and RunKeeper sucks battery life, I like carrying just one device AND that Run Keeper will just speak over the music that's playing. RunKeeper also uploads your running to the website so that you can see all of your runs there, rather than having to manually upload info from a device.

    Let me know if you try it and what you think.
    Best wishes for an awesome training season!
    ~deenie
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    I couldn't dream of training without my Garmin. There is a new model (the 610) coming out right about now, so guys like me will be ditching our older models so we can get that which is new and shiny.
  • guidnca
    guidnca Posts: 64
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    Garmins can be expensive. I think the 305 (w/hrm) can be had for under 150. I am using a 205 (w/o hrm) and I love it. I am not certain I would want to train without one. If you don't want to get hooked, don't buy one.
  • Jhensley2011
    Jhensley2011 Posts: 54 Member
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    I found the Garmin Forerunner 110 in Target for 179.99 if anyone else is looking. More than I expected to spend BUT I can't believe how much it HELPS to motivate me to get out there! Definately a good purchase. Thanks for everyone's suggestions!
  • maryrunslikeafox
    maryrunslikeafox Posts: 136 Member
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    Runtastic Pro for Iphone.. maybe on droid also.. LOVE it.. GPS capabilities..gives you your split times..cals..etc!

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