GPS HRM

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LishieFruit89
LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I already have a HRM (Polar FT4) and I love it.
But as the summer approaches, I want to run/walk more outside and I'd love a HRM that shows me the distance and pace I was going.
I have a crappy non-chest strap one but I don't buy the distances it shows me.
Currently, I've been using the FT4, Google Maps, and physics to determine my distance and pace.
It's not that I don't love physics, I do (I'm an engineer afterall) but it's not always accurate and using Google maps gets annoying.

What GPS/HRM do you use?
What do you like/dislike about it??

Thank you!!

Replies

  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
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    bump?
    please help!! lol
  • Moriarty_697
    Moriarty_697 Posts: 226 Member
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    My first HRM was a Polar FT7 and I liked it. For the rest of the data (speed, distance, etc.) , I used a stopwatch and mapmyrun.com. The only problem was I started to get tired of keeping multiple sets of data and figuring things out manually.

    This spring, I decided to treat myself and bought a Garmin Forerunner 610. I looked at the cheaper ones but I got drawn in by the touchscreen. It's a GPS watch and HRM. I love it. It keeps ridiculous amounts of data and is easy to use. It's also not much bigger than my normal wristwatch, so I can use it to track my cycle commute to work and not have to change watches when I change clothes (not an obvious selling feature, but it's nice).

    It's fully customizable. You can set up the watch to show only the data you want, laid out the way you want it. For instance, when I'm cycling, I usually just show my speed and total time (I rarely use the HRM for cycling). For running, I show time, HR, lap pace, and distance. Intervals, custom workouts, it does it all.

    I've yet to find something to dislike about it. It was expensive but I haven't regretted buying it.

    As for HRM's, it really pays to go for a chest strap one. The straps are getting much more comfortable and the increased accuracy is worth it.

    Check out dcrainmaker.com for all kinds of info about and reviews of gps watches and the like. I spent a lot of time on his site before I made my purchase. There are a lot of watches out there and he does a good job of looking at a variety at all price levels.

    If you wind up not wanting to go the GPS route, take a look at mapmyrun.com. It's a great place for mapping runs and logging workouts.
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Wow, you were super helpful!

    Thank you so much!
    I know about the chest strap, I don't really even notice it anymore lol

    But don't you have to carry a cell phone with you to use mapmyrun??
  • jporche77
    jporche77 Posts: 32 Member
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    I started with a Polar HRM but when I decided to actually get serious about running outside I bought a Garmin 410. It's pretty awesome. It has a chest strap to calculate my heart rate and on the display it tells me my pace. An added plus it has a virtual partner to pace against.
  • Moriarty_697
    Moriarty_697 Posts: 226 Member
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    I did the phone thing a couple of times and it does work if you don't mind lugging your phone. Personally, I use an ipod for music so I quickly tired of bringing two devices with me (I have an android phone). What I usually did was just map it out at home in mapmyrun and then just recorded my time with a stop watch and inputted it later. It's pretty good if you normally run the same route every day. You can track your general progress from day to day.

    Even now, I still like to go into mapmyrun once in a while if I'm going someplace new. I'll map out the run I want to do so I have a rough idea of the distance involved. I may change things up when I'm actually out there (the Garmin makes this so much easier) but at least I have a rough idea of where to go and the distances involved to get the run that I want.
  • kuregisto
    kuregisto Posts: 124 Member
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    I started with a Polar HRM but when I decided to actually get serious about running outside I bought a Garmin 410. It's pretty awesome. It has a chest strap to calculate my heart rate and on the display it tells me my pace. An added plus it has a virtual partner to pace against.
    Starting note: GPS tracking recommendation only from me - I can't speak to the HRM part (I don't use one), though my watch supports linking one available from the same vendor.

    +1 for the Garmin 410. I bought it because I got tired of using my phone to track my running events or training. The GPS tracking is fantastic and the satellites lock on quickly.

    And as jporche77 mentioned, it has a "Virtual Partner" that lets you set a pace to compete against. I usually configure mine for my target time when running a race, then see if I can beat the little pixelated challenger.

    I spent ages investigating, and then delaying purchase of, GPS-enabled watches. I finally settled on the 410 because it was one of the three I had narrowed down as acceptable for both price and features. The final verdict was when I searched the forums and found a post over a year ago from another MFPer who had mentioned loving hers. I sent her a message and asked if it was still holding up (wear and tear, etc) and if she still felt the same way about it. After her response (a wholehearted approval still), I finally grabbed one (Amazon seemed to have the best price - add $50 for the version that ships with the HRM).

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