Pros/Cons of a Garmin?

BenMicheal

Coming towards the end of my first year of serious running,I've gotten by thus far on a GPS app on my Iphone to measure distance, Pace,Time etc. which has been grand.
However I've noticed that everyone is raving about theseGarmin watches. With Xmas on the horizon I'm looking into setting out hits fora watch that’s handy for running.
What makes Garmin watches so good? Am I missing a trick bynot having one? Are other brands available that do just as good a job?

tHE vAGGABOND

Depends what your goals are I guess, are you happy out running for health and fittness and just running around the block or with mates, then you dont really need one..

If you have caught "the bug" and are looking at races, thinking about times you would like to beat and all that jazz, then you really do - as its all about running at a consistent pace [and for some folks, but not all, keeping a close eye on your heart rate]

They start out cheap enough, and go up to mad money - depends on what feature's you want? You also should be able to get a starter one second hand for cheap I would bet...

Ceepo

I suppose the answer to this is. DO YOU WANT ONE.
I certainly would not say you or anyone else need one.
Yes they are a handy guide/tool to track workouts but that said a good running program is better than any gps unit.
I am running along time and only got a gps watch earlier this year (caved in when I got it cheap) and would honestly say I only use it 1/2 times per week, and I do however use a hrm.

90% of people run the same routes each week so the would have a rough idea of how far they run. The only thing then is to time them, and most get carried away even doing that. if you run say 7min mile in training and run 7 miles does it really matter if 1day it takes you 50 min, or if is a long run of 90 min and it takes 91, what's more important is if it's an easy run that you run it easy.
The only time that time matters to me is doing sessions

So if you want one get one, but but you probably don't need one

rom

Scott Overall ran 2:10:55 to get the A standard in Berlin in 2011, he almost never wears a watch. He did wear a garmin once when he ran out and back for a 24 mile run in a place he didn't know.

miguelk

Pro's:
Instant feedback on pace (or heart rate if you chose to get a HR monitor) so you don't have to guess what pace you are going at - that was my main reason for getting one.

Tells you how far you've gone (if you want to do a 5 mile run you will know you've gone that far without having to map it on mapmyrun etc)

Can keep track of your milage/progress as stats from workouts are stored to online software.

With more advanced (and expensive) versions you can program your workouts (e.g. intervals) so that you're watch tells you what step is next/what you should be doing.

Overall - more control/knowledge of what you are doing, and less guesswork. Easier to stick to programs with the feedback of the watch.

Cons:

Pricey. Running can be a cheap sport/pass time but a garmin isn't cheap. You don't need a watch to run. Stopwatch/mapmyrun is a less expensive alternative.

You can become too reliant on it - A) Checking it non-stop instead of concentrating on running, Relying on it being 100% accurate in a race and missing your target time

rom

Have had a garmin 305 and now 610. garmin and heart rate is crap.

Krusty_Clown

Ceepo wrote: »

90% of people run the same routes each week so the would have a rough idea of how far they run.

90% of all statistics are made up on the spot. Running the same route constantly would wreck my head. That's why I find a Garmin useful. Also, I don't have the luxury of a readily accessible track, so doing reps and intervals sessions (like this one) is made that much easier.

I agree that it isn't an essential piece of training equipment and can have potential negative connotations when used in a race environment, for anything other than tracking/post-race analysis, but it's a great convenience too.

ultraman1

pro....u get to come on boards and say "dat race was short"...
con...kc gets to come on boards and say "well actually a garmin only measures.....
con...some other sham gets to come on boards and say "a course isnt measured by a garmin....
and all **** breaks loose cos eammo got a half mara pb...

rom

Con: can be used by stalkers (look out your window Krusty)

Peckham

I've been using a Garmin for the past few years, but recently it stopped working. Since then (about 3 weeks) I've been running Garminless and it has enhanced my enjoyment levels considerably (as has leaving the MP3 player at home - "naked running"). I know what distance each of my regular routes are, so the only benefit I get from a Garmin is knowing the pace that I am running at (as well as maintaining a training log).

Having a Garmin just forces me to speed-up or slow down to hit a pre-determined pace, rather than just running on feel. My objective at the moment is to do two months of easy, consistent mileage. Some days I'm probably doing these runs 20 or 30 seconds faster than "easy pace", other days I'm probably doing them 20 or 30 seconds slower.

However, if I was doing intervals/tempo running or similar, then I would be reliant on the Garmin.

Timmaay

Cons, Some gob****e gets himself a garmin, plays with it all week watching his heartrate the whole time, wears it for an XC race (for which most people don't even bother with watches, its all about position not time), anyways that same gob****e stupidly spends the whole race checking his heartrate instead of concentrating, while running across the finishline he checks his watch, and didn't notice the chap who was sneaking up behind him, and then dips him over the line!

Happened to one of the young lads in my club 2weeks back, we gave him some abuse over it ha!

mossym

Timmaay wrote: »

Happened to one of the young lads in my club 2weeks back, we gave him some abuse over it ha!

it's amazing how many pictures you see of people crossing finishing lines and the shot is of them pressing the buttons on their watch. even the pros.

disclaimer: i do wear a garmin, but i got it more for cycling than running, and i've not being doing either long enough to call myself either a runner or a cylist

lway

Pros: it's smaller and easier to use and carry than a phone. Don't have to worry about dropping your phone or getting it wet.

Cons: People can post their activities to Facebook so you get an update status after each of their runs :rolleyes:. I don't care if you ran 3.52 miles yesterday :mad:.

Krusty_Clown

Top tip: If you want to record/track your mileage, but want to avoid constantly looking at your watch, rotate the watch around your wrist, so that the face is pointing downwards. If you still find yourself taking sneaky-peeks (no will-power), change the displayed data field (or data screen) to something else, like 'heading', or 'Sunrise', or 'GPS Accuracy'.

Tongue in cheek post, but on a more serious note, I keep my Garmin displaying 'Time'. It removes the temptation to worry about pace numbers, when in fact you should be worried about solving all of life's problems.

Ceepo

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Top tip: If you want to record/track your mileage, but want to avoid constantly looking at your watch, rotate the watch around your wrist, so that the face is pointing downwards. If you still find yourself taking sneaky-peeks (no will-power), change the displayed data field (or data screen) to something else, like 'heading', or 'Sunrise', or 'GPS Accuracy'.

Tongue in cheek post, but on a more serious note, I keep my Garmin displaying 'Time'. It removes the temptation to worry about pace numbers, when in fact you should be worried about solving all of life's problems.

Why Krusty surely your not suggesting that we all learn to run by feel, while looking at the little bunnies play, the and even worse, Enjoy the run :-)

Clum

You know that scene in Star Wars where Luke Skywalker is in his x-wing flying along the trench on the Death Star and he turns on his little computer which shows a really awful 1970s orange graphic of what's happening outside? Well poor auld Obi Wan rolls over in his grave and thinks "this little fecker is making a mockery of everything I thought him! If I wasn't a gentle old man, who's also dead, I'd kick his ass". He's so offended by Luke's use of a commodore 64 to bring down the most powerful space ship in a galaxy far far away he actually does come back from the dead! And when he says "Use the force, Luke" he's actually saying "turn off that fancy app you downloaded from in the internet, ya little pup, and would ya look out the window, everything you need to know is out there in front of you!"

The same thing goes for gps watches and heart rate monitors. Handy for training to measure (to a certain degree of accuracy) the distance of a run and the pace and effort it was covered in, but when it comes to racing you need to know how to read your body yourself and not rely on a not-so-accurate piece of technology to tell you if you're comfortable or not.

I have a garmin and I wear it during some training runs but tend to only look at the data on it after a run to compare what I thought was happening (pace and effort) to what the watch recorded. It's so unreliable though I wouldn't trust it in a race.

Sure didn't Luke's squadron leader miss the target on the Death Star when he was relying on his computer.

Ceepo

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

90% of all statistics are made up on the spot. Running the same route constantly would wreck my head. That's why I find a Garmin useful. Also, I don't have the luxury of a readily accessible track, so doing reps and intervals sessions (like this one) is made that much easier.

I agree that it isn't an essential piece of training equipment and can have potential negative connotations when used in a race environment, for anything other than tracking/post-race analysis, but it's a great convenience too.

As was this one. To just took a wild guess really. Lol.
I did say Routes not route. I am kind of spilt for choice as I live in the middle of the sticks. Point remains that i know approx distance of each. Don't have a track near me. Old fashioned marks on the road 4s, ks, mls etc does the job for me.
Maybe that's where I'm going wrong. I and to think I could have been great :-)

BenMicheal

Right well the jist of what yous are all saying is that a Garmin is handy for keeping note of your route, pace, time and milage. Its all kept online for you to compare and contrast other races/routes as well as noting your elevation etc, and thats it pretty much it?

My GPS app for the phone (RunKeeper) does all that and is free and it doubles up as an MP3 player as part of the phone. Factor in that you can put it in your pocket and forget about it seems to be a bounus as i would turn into one of those manic compulsive people who would check it for no reason every five seconds if it was on my wrist.

Apart from that above is there anything I'm missing? Like would charting my heartrate right add quaility to my training runs and improve my race times?

PaulieC

BenMicheal wrote: »

Right well the jist of what yous are all saying is that a Garmin is handy for keeping note of your route, pace, time and milage. Its all kept online for you to compare and contrast other races/routes as well as noting your elevation etc, and thats it pretty much it?

My GPS app for the phone (RunKeeper) does all that and is free and it doubles up as an MP3 player as part of the phone. Factor in that you can put it in your pocket and forget about it seems to be a bounus as i would turn into one of those manic compulsive people who would check it for no reason every five seconds if it was on my wrist.

Apart from that above is there anything I'm missing? Like would charting my heartrate right add quaility to my training runs and improve my race times?

I would have thought the fact that your phone is in yo pocket is a drawback because you only get to see your pace, distance when you're finished and there is no chance to correct yourself.

BenMicheal

cambo_gueno wrote: »

I would have thought the fact that your phone is in yo pocket is a drawback because you only get to see your pace, distance when you're finished and there is no chance to correct yourself.

The time, Distance and pace is all displayed on the screen and if you have it in your pocket you can take it out and check it only when you need to. If I was checking every five seconds tho I'd go insane and never be able to run tho!

Gambas

BenMicheal wrote: »

Coming towards the end of my first year of serious running,I've gotten by thus far on a GPS app on my Iphone to measure distance, Pace,Time etc. which has been grand.
However I've noticed that everyone is raving about theseGarmin watches. With Xmas on the horizon I'm looking into setting out hits fora watch that’s handy for running.
What makes Garmin watches so good? Am I missing a trick bynot having one? Are other brands available that do just as good a job?

I can't compare with other watch brands, but I got a Garmin 410 +hr monitor a few months ago and it is the mutts nuts. No comparison with a smartphone. I'm not a gadget person, and I love it. Buyit buyit buyit.

PaulieC

BenMicheal wrote: »

The time, Distance and pace is all displayed on the screen and if you have it in your pocket you can take it out and check it only when you need to. If I was checking every five seconds tho I'd go insane and never be able to run tho!

Ah right, I was thinking of one of those arm straps. Either way, neither is as unintrusive as the watch.

TFBubendorfer

The biggest drawback of mobile phone running apps is that the GPS in mobiles tends to be notoriously unreliable. You can run the same course 10 times and will get 10 different distance reading.

b.harte

If you are comfortable with your phone then no need for a gps watch.
There are other apps (endomondo for one) that will give you an audible message if you want every KM/Mile.
Same as runkeeper everything is stored online.
Some newer phones also work with heart rate monitors, my experia does and iphone has a dongle thing as an option.
I've had problems with apps crashing if I get an SMS or call, can be annoying.

However, where a watch really, really comes into its own is the ability on some models to put courses and workouts onto it.
I am on my 2nd garmin, and the feature I like best is the workout, all I do is set up the workout I want to do (try) and send it to the watch, I can then just go out and run and the watch will alert me for each stage.
I don't usually look at the watch much as I know roughly what steps comes where.
A watch will not make you a better runner but it can be a great tool to help.
Virtual partner is a great feature as well, sort of like a ghost lap to try and beat.

Just my thoughts.

huskerdu

BenMicheal wrote: »

Right well the jist of what yous are all saying is that a Garmin is handy for keeping note of your route, pace, time and milage. Its all kept online for you to compare and contrast other races/routes as well as noting your elevation etc, and thats it pretty much it?

My GPS app for the phone (RunKeeper) does all that and is free and it doubles up as an MP3 player as part of the phone. Factor in that you can put it in your pocket and forget about it seems to be a bounus as i would turn into one of those manic compulsive people who would check it for no reason every five seconds if it was on my wrist.

Apart from that above is there anything I'm missing? Like would charting my heartrate right add quaility to my training runs and improve my race times?

If you already have a smart phone with RunKeeper, then the advantages of buying a Garmin are

- The GPS accuracy is much better, but the best GPS accuracy can get is 5% and unless you NEED to know your exact pace, the accuracy on your phone is possibly good enough for your needs

- On most Garmin models, you can use more advanced training like intervals (possibly, you dont care about this)

- The Garmins are fairly robust in the wet. If you run all winter in all weathers,
you may not want to risk an expensive smartphone getting soaked.

-You could get a Heart Rate monitor. Being honest, most plodders like us, dont need or use the HRM and the quality of Garmin HRMs in not great.

If these advantages dont impress you, keep on with what you have.

shane1981

Gambas wrote: »

I can't compare with other watch brands, but I got a Garmin 410 +hr monitor a few months ago and it is the mutts nuts. No comparison with a smartphone. I'm not a gadget person, and I love it. Buyit buyit buyit.

+1

rom

Regarding hrm the wahoo bluetooth low energy one works with iphone 4s or iphone 5 with the need for a dongle. it is a much better hrm than garmin but that is the only plus for a phone.

mossym

huskerdu wrote: »

- The Garmins are fairly robust in the wet. If you run all winter in all weathers,
you may not want to risk an expensive smartphone getting soaked.

.

this, one of my main reasons for moving from an app on the iphone to a garmin. after an absolute deluge in ballyhoura mountain biking one "summers" evening, where the guy i was with lost his iphone to water damage even thought it was inside a supposedly waterproof pocket, i made the decision to move to a garmin, and glad it did

people go on about the price, my 410 cost 150 from amazon uk, they drop to 130gbp every so often. that doesn't seem a huge amount for me considering what you are getting

BenMicheal

I think I'm going to invest in one, some pretty convincing reasons for it. Watched a youtube video demonstration on one last night and they seemed the job so one will be added to the Xmas hint list.

Which model do people suggest? Was looking at the 410?? Any suggestions?

mossym

i have the 410 and like it. it's a bit big to wear as a normal watch, so bear that in mind, but i use it for running and cycling, with the HR strap for both and cadence sensor on my bike, and really like it

Darren 83

I have the 410, does what I need it to do, there is the 110 its a basic model.
could you borrow a friends and see how you get on with it?


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Forerunner-Enabled-Unisex-Sports/dp/B003EG83LK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352971368&sr=8-1

thirstywork2

I don't use my garmin much anymore.Have lost the ability to know roughly what pace im running at.
They are great for sessions though.