GPS Watches - Are they "mission" critical

Kantoran

Team - I am in my third year of triathlons and have resisted the urge to buy a GPS watch.  I have joined EN and wanted to know if this type of watch (as compared to a basic Pulsar HR watch) is required. 

 

Thanks

Bob Arsenault

Nothing is required, you can get very good workouts by using no technology at all ( it has been done for years)

But,   if you want the most scientific way to train properly, to hit your paces exactly to get the greatest benefit of your workouts, to limit the possibilities of over training and getting injured. As well as to race at the exact pace that we have tested to and know we can sustain for the entire distance, then yes you should get a GPS. 

As I tell my patients "  I'm pretty sure I know what it is, but let's take an x-ray so we know for sure"   Seeing is knowing !!  

In my mind it is a no brainer.  Get one and start training exactly.   But realize, once you get one you can never go back.    Can you imagine not having a cell phone or computer, we don't NEED them, but boy do they make life easier and more convenient.

Steven Ford

What Bob said, you don't really need it but I didn't really need that double fudge brownie either

GMAN 19030

I can't imagine running without a GPS watch. Knowing your exact pace is a great piece of info.

Linda Patch

Get one. Knowledge is power around here. The way we train, the watch moves from the category of expensive toy or cute gimmick to a piece of equipment you will use with purpose on every every single run.

mgraffeo

Depends. What are your goals (race distances, timeframe), what is your running background?

The answer to someone who wants to nail the pacing of an ironman without a long running background is likely different from that for someone who does mostly Olympic races and was a track runner in college.

That said, I don't know anyone who started training with one who regretted it.

Mike

Jon Bergmann

I too have been thinking about this: Do folks have any suggestions about which gps watch is best to get?

Cary Blanco

@AMA168 (what happened to real names in the forums!) - GPS watches are a tool here in EN land, a very powerful tool. They are not required, but for a small investment they help keep you honest about your training and racing. GPS by itself is the start, with both HR and PE coming into play on tough or easy days. On a full IM your GPS watch is an extremely powerful tool for the first two miles coming out of T2 where your pace is usually off the chart compared to what you should be running.

@Jon - Garmins are the tool of choice around here, most have the FR305 or the FF301xt.

GMAN 19030

Posted By Jon Bergmann on 03 Oct 2010 08:11 AM

I too have been thinking about this: Do folks have any suggestions about which gps watch is best to get?

Garmin 310XT.  It's the only one in the Garmin line that's waterproof which means you can wear it during the entire race.  It also doubles as a great bike computer.  It's interchangeable on your wrist or bike with the quick release kit and bike mount.

Read DC Rainmaker's review: http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2009/09/garmin-forerunner-310xt-in-depth-review.html

 

Kevin Walter

If you are on the fence and have a smartphone, you can any of several apps to track pace while running, even upload the workout to Training Peaks like a Garmin. Not good for racing, but okay for training.

marcellusbest3

 I use the Runkeeper app on my iPhone and there is an Android version available.  There can be some GPS accuracy issues, but I really enjoy it.  Runkeeper also has a website that your exercise data is immediately sent to when the exercise session is over.  See my signature to see what I've been doing to get ready for the October OS start tomorrow. A significant advantage to using Runkeeper is the cost...I think $10 and there is a free version as well.

Tom Glynn

I've got a Garmin 305. Been around for a long time and aren't very pretty, but $150 new is a great value and I've never had a problem with it. Had mine for a bunch of years.

Beth_S

Garmin 310xt -- it behaves. I initially purchased a Timex Ironman Bodylink. Learn from my mistakes and get a Garmin.

 

Nemo Brauch

I think the hard thing about using a smart phone app for run workouts is going to be doing intervals. You just can't trust those apps to be as accurate as a GPS watch or a regular old fashioned timex watch with a lap counter at a track. No- ya don't need a GPS. But I wouldn't rely on an iphone app for your workouts. A watch with a lap/split counter and a measured course (trail with markers or a track) will serve you just fine.

jburbatt

I think a Garmin is one of the best ROI, especially since you can pick up a 305 for $150 (toss in a discount code and it's even better). It will help you identify your pacing much easier, but I think the biggest change for me was running consistent. When I just ran by mile markers and a lap watch I found my running to be more uneven than when I started using GPS and could smooth out my pacing across the mile much better (i.e. running a steady 8 min/mi vs. running an 8:30 for 3/4 of the mile, then picking it up when I realized I was behind in hitting my paces).

Dave Tallo

Posted By Cary Blanco on 03 Oct 2010 09:20 AM

@AMA168 (what happened to real names in the forums!) - GPS watches are a tool here in EN land, a very powerful tool. They are not required, but for a small investment they help keep you honest about your training and racing. GPS by itself is the start, with both HR and PE coming into play on tough or easy days.

 

 

Bolded for emphasis.  Pace is a tool, and it's the common language that workouts are delivered here.  But Cary is 100% correct in highlighting that pace, plus Heart Rate, plus Perceived exertion, is where the money is.   Knowing what effort normally comes with Threshold, or what HR is typical for Marathon Pace, or whatever, is incredibly important to feedback from one session to the next, to monitor progress ("wow ... in that set if intervals, my HR was 5bpm lower than normal ..."), or to account for course variables. For example, I did most of my training for IMC on a track and knew what my race pace was to be for every inch up to mile 18.  But the race didn't take place on a track, and instead, had a headwind that was tough for about 30% of the run, and was really tough for another 50%.  And there were hills.  Hills that went up and down.  So come race time, my GPS didn't give me a lot of valuable information on execution at pace, but I was able to use those secondary measures of hr and rpe to round things out because I knew what they should be at a certain pace. 

 

rah2774

my Garmin has been indispensible since I bought it almost 2 years ago... the beeps drive everyone I run or ride with insane (including myself), but it is key.... at least for me bc I (and all EN'ers) know how to use it - meaning it's not simply a $300 watch that will tell me how many miles I've run/ridden.... pre-EN I had VO2 max tests done and trained in HR zones... and dropped 30 minutes from my marathon PR...

Now I have the data tool zones for the run and bike programmed in... and I program my workouts so I don't have to remember what I'm supposed to be doing when... and then I can look at my data when I've done to see if I met my goals.  As others have said the ROI is huge.  It's like having a coach on your runs or rides (telling you to speed up, slow down, drink, whatever)...

On my ride Sunday my 305 went bezerk and I was lost without it...some might enjoy riding for the sheer joy of riding... I probably would if I didn't have an IM in 5 weeks... so I was inconsolable for the rest of the ride, hoping I was pushing it hard enough... so, in a nutshell, I've really come to rely on this thing... I don't like working out without it.  Period.  If I can't figure out the problem, I will upgrade to the 310xt - and will have it ready and programmed in time for my 5k tt Thursday! 

Cary Blanco

@Dave Tallo - thx for the props

In other news Garmin announced 2 new GPS watches today, the FR410 & FR210 - both seem to be aimed more at pure runners than triathletes.

http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2...tions.html