Reservations about GPS Watches (Read 1795 times)


Black-Toe-Nailed

    And there is a hidden advantage of sing a GPS, such as my faithful Garmin 201 (yes, 201): 

     

    Given the size of these bread-boxes it gives you an extra strength workout !

     

    BTW: Is there somebody else  who wears these things on the INSIDE of their wrists ?

    --

    "If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years,
    then will power is no longer a problem. It's raining? That doesn't matter.
    I am tired? That's besides the point. It's simply that I just have to."

    Emil Zatopek

      As an older person getting back into running after a long time, I have found my GPS extremely helpful in finding target heart rate and pace. Also the collection of all that data is very usefull in managing my running schedule. Prior to using one, I tended to over work myself and then have to take long breaks for recovery.


      Black-Toe-Nailed

        "Older person"???

        Mate reading your entry I thought you were 70 or so... I wouldn't say that you are an 'older person'.

         

        I am 48 myself and my idol is a guy from here from the Netherlands aged 55 who made 3:15:00 in a marathon.

         

        There is a guy aged 94 running ultras and a guy aged 108 in the UK who runs marathons...

         

        Mate, we are still babies XD

         

        KK, I better stop sitting in from of the computer, grab a fresh diaper and my pacifier and go running the 17miles I have scheduled Wink

        --

        "If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years,
        then will power is no longer a problem. It's raining? That doesn't matter.
        I am tired? That's besides the point. It's simply that I just have to."

        Emil Zatopek

          I am 48 myself and my idol is a guy from here from the Netherlands aged 55 who made 3:15:00 in a marathon.

           

          There is a guy aged 94 running ultras and a guy aged 108 in the UK who runs marathons...

           

           

          I feel that we have to mention Ed Whitlock - a 3:15 marathon last year in Rotterdam at 80 years young.

          AmoresPerros


          Options,Account, Forums

            I can't resist cross-posting this. A GPS watch also enables the following entertaining exchange:

             

             

            > What time is it?

             

            I don't have a watch.

             

            > What's that on your wrist?

             

            That's an expensive watch-like device that doesn't show me the time-of-day.

             

            > (Wordlessly walks off shaking head.)

            It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.


            A Saucy Wench

              My garmin has the time.  Its teeny tiny normally but i have it as a data field as for 90% of my runs what time I have to be home trumps everything else.

              I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

               

              "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7


              Black-Toe-Nailed

                I don't use a GPS watch, but I use a Polar wearlink+ bluetooth HRM that connects to my android, and I use Sportstracklive to record my runs and my HeartRate.
                It really keeps me more motivated, to know all kinds of data...

                 

                I was using that too, but I got annoyed by the weight of the phone and I got back to my Garmin 201... which is heavier but I can swap it in mid-run.

                 

                I also have a Garmin FR60 with HRM and but I managed to obliterate the food pod jumping over a folded metal ladder and I really don't feel like buying a new one... but the foot pod is really accurate once calibrated (much more than the Nike+ pod), it does not depend on the satellites and it is the most light weight thing that you can wear, just a a watch!

                 

                The problem is that I can't use it in my minimalist / barefoot trainings, so that I stick to my bread-case: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=230

                 

                Yes, it's huge! and it's as uncomfortable as it seems, LOL

                 

                --

                "If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years,
                then will power is no longer a problem. It's raining? That doesn't matter.
                I am tired? That's besides the point. It's simply that I just have to."

                Emil Zatopek

                Scout7


                  If having data to "analyze" before, during, or after you run is important and provides a source of interest and enjoyment, then get the watch.

                   

                  If you find that having anything that displays information to you is a distraction, takes away from the enjoyment, or causes your training to suffer, then don't get it.

                   

                  I have a Garmin.  I wear it when I run.  I have it configured to only show elapsed time, and I only look at the main screen anymore.  I don't wear the heart rate strap, I don't upload anything to anywhere.  I enter time and effort level for the run, occasional notes, and that's it.  The only time I go back and look at my training is to answer questions for someone else.

                   

                  I tried the heart rate stuff; it was distracting.  I tried showing distance and time and average pace, and discovered that my training suffered rather than improved; I ended up trying to race too many workouts.

                   

                  A watch is a tool; but like any tool, it can become a crutch.  If you find something becoming a crutch, then it is time to consider letting it go.


                  Black-Toe-Nailed

                    If having data to "analyze" before, during, or after you run is important and provides a source of interest and enjoyment, then get the watch.   

                     

                    I am this kind of control freak, surely because I am true-blood hacker who has just switched from hacking his computers to hacking his own body.

                     

                    Anyway: There are days when I just leave the HRM at home, and others when I just take my Nike+ which only shows distance and time and is pretty small (I mean the small one with the food pod not the GPS watch).

                     

                    After the two races I am preparing for I have decided to go completely old fashioned: I will run to a place who's distance I know by heart  or searching for it on Google Maps, writing down the time I leave, run at the pace I feel happy with, run back and note the time of arrival.

                     

                    I will have a very rough estimate, but I don't care. These will be just runs for runnings sake, no training, no target, no nothing, just me, the road and trails and the wind... 

                     

                    I am really looking forward to it !

                    --

                    "If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years,
                    then will power is no longer a problem. It's raining? That doesn't matter.
                    I am tired? That's besides the point. It's simply that I just have to."

                    Emil Zatopek

                      I'd really like to get a GPS watch now because the paths I run in forests are not displayed on the satellite pictures here.  And I really wonder how many miles I'm covering on them too?

                      luken


                      RA's cranky old teenager

                        I don't actually have a GPS watch, but I think I'm about to pull the trigger on one. For someone TRAINING, it's a very useful tool. If you need to know your pace and distance, rather than simply listening to your body, then that's where GPS watches come into play. But if you are someone who runs recreationally, then there is really no purpose for having a GPS watch. 

                         

                        There was a point when I lost my only watch and I was forced to run with just my shoes and a pair of shorts on me. It did feel good to not have to worry about time, but it was out of season for me. I wasn't doing tempos or workouts, so having that sort of information available wasn't necessary. 

                         

                        It just depends on personal philosophy, I guess. If you need to stay on a particular training plan that focuses on paced runs then it would be good to have. Otherwise, it doesn't really matter. 

                        That's probably maybe mostly true.


                        Feeling the growl again

                          I'd really like to get a GPS watch now because the paths I run in forests are not displayed on the satellite pictures here.  And I really wonder how many miles I'm covering on them too?

                           

                          Depending how thick the forest canopy is, a GPS may not be much use to you.  If they can't maintain satellite lock...

                          "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                           

                          I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                           

                          AmoresPerros


                          Options,Account, Forums

                            A GPS watch has a lot of benefits.

                             

                            1. You can use it to search for geocaches
                            2. If you get lost, and *IF* you can navigate its menus, you may be able to use it to find your way back
                            3. You can make nifty maps:
                              • There was a thread somewhere, where some people posted maps, in which they'd run in such a way as to spell out words or something
                              • Fun maps if you run (or walk) on a moving vehicle, such as a ship
                            4. You can make it beep at frequent autolaps, to annoy any competitors who run next to you
                            5. Try to intimidate competitors with your super-spy-secret-training-watch-technology
                            6. You can tie it to the end of your belt, or running belt, to make a bolo
                            7. You can count it as a piece of clothing in strip poker
                            8. A very weak light in the darkness
                            9. If a dog, or large rat, or mountain lion, or bear charges you, you can throw your watch at it, thereby saving your useful cell phone from the same sacrifice
                            10. If you find yourself holding the jaws of the aforementioned raving beast, you can try shoving the watch down its throat, to make it choke
                            11. If you have a GPS watch, and a Lamborghini, you can drive really fast, and see how fast you're going, even if the speedometer isn't reliable
                            12. If you have run a long way, out in an area of few inhabitants, and you find a store, you can try to barter with the natives, and perhaps trade your shiny watch for something useful to drink
                            13. If you or a running compatriot lose an eye, then you may be able to pull a drawstring out of running shorts, and use that plus the main portion of the watch to fashion a makeshift eyepatch

                             

                            I'm sure that is not a complete list.  There are surely some other uses, no matter how obscure.

                            It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.

                              "Locating Satellites"

                               

                              Nothing like standing around waiting for GPS lock, when you (and your buddies) are ready to start running.

                                Kidding aside, I don't think having a GPS watch and a regular chronograph are mutually exclusive. There are days where I wear one or the other.

                                 

                                For intervals on the track (or on a measured road or path) I prefer the chronograph. Seems more accurate to use a measured course than to rely on the GPS for interval/distance. (There is a signal delay of up to 4 seconds when using the GPS for measurement, which might be significant if using for precision.)