Before leaving for the adventure of marathon training, I have not thought too much into watches for runners. It is a world of possibilities exist, and whether you are for a show performance for interval training, which keep track of your laps and splits, and take your progress – or when you are just a way to your short time – it’s a show for you .
Here is an overview of sports watches that vary in price, features and performance. To assist us in my tests, I dug the hits to my colleagues, well-run company, which also training for the marathon in New York.
Polar FT 60, $ 240 (including heart rate monitor)
FT60The Polar Polar FT60 is designed for recreational athletes, but it’s also good for the drivers who follow their development over time.
In addition to tracking your speed, distance, calories and time, you can maximize the clock on a target on which specific training: improving fitness to your fitness or lose weight. You can also set weekly goals (such as the total time of exercise and the calories you want to burn), and the level of intensity.
The clock has an assessment after the training, for example, if you hit your training zones, or what your average and maximum heart rate. At the end of the week you will receive a notification received on the clock that tells you when you achieve your weekly goals, if you have more or less in a specific area of the train, or if you are not trained enough.
The clock is in purple or black women, or square design in black men available. The group is comfortable, durable, and the clock is water resistant to 30 meters. As I mentioned in my post on the performance of a cardiac monitor is flexible belt Polar WearLink comfortable even over long distances.
Tools
GPS: For an additional $ 140, you can use the G1 GPS sensor for tracking your distance and speed. You can include a strap join, or it can be to your shorts and be attached to a belt of water. It is also waterproof.
In my tests, I had a GPS signal in the city, near buildings and in Central Park, but when I blipped under the cover of dense trees, it occasionally or not receive a signal from it all. Overall, it was pretty accurate. But the best measure is the mile markers on a path that runs your card online or compared to verify the accuracy of GPS. Polar said the precision is the distance + / -2 per cent, with an accuracy of + / -2 km / hour.
Polar S1 Foot Pod PodFoot: The accelerometer S1, a $ 130 device that you tie your shoelace, is an alternative to the GPS receiver speed and distance. Calibrating the accelerometer was not easy. It took me three attempts to make and several trips to the manual to it right. But out of the box should be about 95 percent of the S1 is correct.
Flowlink: For an additional $ 55 for the USB device you can transfer your workout data to the Polar Personal Trainer web site. Here you can create customized training programs, monitor your progress, find strength exercises and a series of computers to monitor the progress. You do not need the FlowLink enjoy what the site has to offer.
Strengths: If you work in the gym, the WearLink synchronized with the machines monitoring the polar areas, and automatically sends information to your equipment. The monitor is flexible and very comfortable.
Disadvantages: Like all watches of this performance, it takes time to implement FT60. You can not set up training or monitor interval towers. Transfer requires your data in Web Flow link.
This clock is for you if … Are you looking for a virtual personal trainer.
But if you want the interval training and timer to here is an alternative: The SD-RS300X Polar.
Polar RS300X SDFor $ 250, comes the RS300X with heart rate monitor and accelerometer WearLink in S1. You can even attach it to a bicycle. The clock also features up to 99 rounds, and collects the average heart rate per lap. In contrast to the FT60 can also schedule interval training workout. It also has a stopwatch.
Strengths: It has the features for elite riders that the lack of FT60.
Cons: The lineup for this show was complicated and not intuitive. Be prepared to be patient and spend some time with the manual.
Garmin 405CX, $ 370 (including heart rate monitor)
By Karen Barrow
Garmin 405CXFor novice riders is the precursor 405CX certainly a luxury watch with all the bells and whistles one could possibly need. See which is quite large, especially on the wrist of a woman. You can remove the plastic strips attached with Velcro. I found the Velcro is not breathing very well, especially after long runs.
Without looking at one of the books I could adjust your clock on my preferences, speed and training with only a small learning curve. The clock records your time, distance, speed, calories burned and heart rate. One of my favorite feature is the ability to perform interval training. In addition, a beep is at the end of each mile that gives you direct feedback on the speed and pace.
The telescope has a round face with iPod-like touch controls, the intuitive, sensitive, however. If I forget to “lock” touch features before I occasionally experienced a race, I want to flip the menu screens, if I do not want.
The GPS is in the clock (it is manufactured by Garmin,) for all integrated. It communicates with satellites to measure the distance, you need this outside work. You can, however, buying a car to use on a treadmill.
Garmin Heart Rate Monitor comes with a heart rate, even if the front of the belt is made of plastic, it is relatively easy and tight fit around the chest. For short runs, it was very comfortable, but longer, sweaty short, he began to slide, and a little boring.
Tools
Foot Pod: For $ 99 you can add the foot pod, so you can keep your distance and pace when training in the hall.
USB: you can wirelessly download workout data to the Garmin Connect site via a USB key, they call the ANT stick. On this page you can run your property, check your data, you can monitor your progress and the development of training on your specific goals. The ANT Stick comes with the Forerunner 405th
Garmin also offers a series of training videos on their website. You can send a demo to advanced capabilities, including the use of the car’s lap or to the operation mode “bicycle” to use (see, which requires the purchase of a component to attach to your bike), the connection to Garmin Training Center and the use of clock in the gym with a foot pod.
Advantages: It is a GPS-based mileage tracker. To set the clock and head out the door, get exact mileage for prints. It gives me the freedom to move in the direction I want to.
Cons: The buttons are located on the right side of the clock is located, making it incredibly embarrassing (for a left handed like me) should be used.
Although Garmin claims eight hours of battery life, rechargeable batteries need frequent recharging. In one of my last 15 miles race if the clock had a load of 80 percent, he conked out 12 miles.
This clock is for you if … You want to buy a clock works with all the functions but not on the air supply.
Timex Ironman Official ING New York City Marathon Watch $ 90
By Toby Bilanow
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Timex ING NYC Marathon IronmanThis is a basic digital watch sports. It’s easy and very comfortable. There is also strong: He has withstood week of racing, sweat, shower and everyday knocks and bumps. I soon forget that it was over.
It was as if a clock and Him known and fits my wrist comfortably, even if it already too big for a colleague with tiny wrists. The blue strips of black plastic and has a number of perforations, to allow the skin, not breathing or wrist discomfort and irritation of the skin.
Features of shows, which are adapted from Timex Ironman watches, including the date and time, countdown 24 hours, three alarms, a chronograph, which allows you to store up to 150 lap times, and an Indiglo night light. You can also apart up to nine meters. It is water resistant to 100 meters. However, there is no heart monitor, and it is not compatible GPS.
The large time and date display is easy on the thumb (or obscurity “) is read as the early front button / Split. The tab control smaller, that run along the outside of the face -” Set recall /, “must receive Indiglo”, “fashion” and “Stop / Reset” – anything but simple, it in small print, press, if you are carrying out their tasks before leaving note of your training.
How easy was it entails? Not so easy – with the caveat that I do not have a digital kind of person, because, as any digital watch I tried in the past, it is not always easy to find how to use it.
The guidelines are clear – you can record and store turns and splits and training, use it as a stopwatch or a group of three different time zones. But I needed to go through the steps several times and the sequence of pressing buttons to remember to use each feature.
Strengths: It is very easy and comfortable. It takes well under the sweat and training.
Cons: You can not measure the distance and track your calories, heart rate monitor or connect to your computer. It is difficult to program. Also setting the initial time and date took some careful reading of the plate, and I could never tell if it is possible to set it to beep every five to six minutes for me to plan to watch the race at Galloway / route (five minutes run), one minutes walk away.
This clock is for you if … Are you looking for an easy monitoring of speed and endurance, and if you are willing to spend $ 90 for a souvenir of the New York marathon.
But if you’re a Timex clock with a heart rate monitor, the Timex Ironman coach is an alternative.
Timex Ironman Trainer (Women) for $ 220 you can watch the Ironman Trainer Kit that will find a heart rate monitor and USB to your workout to Training Peaks, a site where you can transfer your recording sessions include training and nutrition you information on how you train . You can also use the clock, without the monitor for $ 150.
The clock can save Ironman last 10 training sessions, calories burned and monitor your heart rate monitor. You can have up to five meters apart, time shares and towers, and save up to 50 rounds shows the average heart rate per lap.
Our tester, Liz Robbins, were too complicated to program the clock. Comme beaucoup de ces montres, il faut de la patience et de temps pour mettre en place. In a test of the heart monitor, she said, it seemed a little out of sync. “I do not run fast enough to go around 220 beats per minute! Something was wrong.”
Other features, such as the review of interval training, with the average and maximum heart rate, worked very well. It typically uses a simplified version of the Timex Triathlon grasp rounds. According to experience some frustration, “I’m back again, that I knew relatively better,” she said.
You can also use the clock, without the monitor for $ 150.
Knowing strengths: If you know how to program the clock, you can set the interval and lap timer.
Disadvantages: No GPS. Too complicated to configure.
This clock is … the most serious riders who want to sync their heart rate, a timer, and for those who have more experience with this kind of watches.
Before your views on any of these sports watches, there is one important limitation: the implementation of any training can for themselves. The manuals are a must-read and can read some additional online be necessary
