Garmin Forerunner 50 (Read 648 times)

Garmin has a new training watch, which might be a good training aid. This is a new footpod-based training watch/system. It measures speed, distance, pace, and heart rate, from a footpod. I have been using the footpod-based Polar RS800 and find it very accurate, within about 2%, good enough for training. Unfortunately the Polar has some problems: it is overpriced, not Mac-compatible, and hard to read, but avoids some drawbacks of a GPS system: short battery life/recharging, waiting for GPS satellite acquisition, size, and cost. This Garmin solves some of these problems--it's Mac-compatible, less expensive, and avoids the other GPS-unique problems. I like the idea of the footpod (accelerometer) system that avoids the drawbacks of the Polar and GPS units. Of course, it won't map your run or help you when you get lost, as a GPS unit will (I have personal experience with getting lost on a run). If you're looking for a training aid that displays speed/distance and heart rate, but don't want a GPS-based system, it might be worth a look.