This is the second post in the series about recommended equipment for a runner. In the first part I discussed what kind of clothing a runner should have, and which issues one should take into account when buying running gear.
GPS tracking with a wearable device
When the first GPS enabled devices hit the market years ago I didn’t buy myself one immediately, because at that time I didn’t have a steady income yet, the devices were fairly expensive etc. Moreover, I didn’t take running as seriously as I do today. My first GPS enabled device was a Nokia N70 smartphone with SportsTracker and Endomondo as main apps. At the beginning I relied on SportsTracker only, but after some issues I switched to Endomondo where I still upload my workouts. Later I have used Nokia N90 and various iPhone variants for tracking my runs, but finally I figured out I don’t want to carry an extra device on me and made the next step – bought a GPS sports watch.
Compared to the sports watches of today Garmin Forerunner 305 looks a bit clumsy, but it did its job remarkably: the GPS is accurate, the battery provided enough juice for a short ultra run and the device itself was simple to operate. Garmin was my reliable training buddy for years, but in the end fresher models became too tempting. Next I moved on to TomTom Spark Cardio & Music with a built-in music player and optical heart rate measurement. Due to the unreliability mentioned in the previous posts I gave up the device (it now belongs to my wife), and bought again a device made by Garmin, Vívoactive HR. It is an all-round performer with optical heart rate measurement. Even though I mostly do only running, it is of benefit that the watch supports multiple types of sports. Now I finally have the feeling that I have a device that I want to train with during the next years to come; however, one never knows which fine gadgets will be released next…
When buying a GPS enabled device, one has to figure out the target of the use carefully. If you are merely doing running, a basic GPS watch / or maybe even a smartphone with a suitable app will do. Many manufacturers have special watches designed for running with customisable training programs etc. A sportsman-/woman doing triathlon needs a gadget with multisports support or alternatively multiple devices which isn’t always a comfortable option. A serious type of a training requires a heart rate measurement capabilities: I’m an absolute fan of optical heart rate measurement and I can live with the minor inaccuracy it has compared to the traditional measurement methods with a heart rate strap. There may still be great differences in the battery duration, so if this an important issue for you, it is worth making comparisons between the different models.
Web apps supporting the upload of workouts
The wearable equipment has also given rise to the market of web applications. Most device manufacturers either provide an own platform (e.g. Garmin Connect, TomTom MySports etc.) or/and support multiple further platforms (Runkeeper, Strava, Endomondo). Whichever platform one chooses it should be evident that the data should be exportable out of the platform somehow. In my opinion the data belongs to the user and there shouldn’t be any doubt about it. No-one should lock himself to a proprietary platform that bears the risk that also the user’s data are lost if the company goes bankrupt etc. After having been a user of Endomondo for years, I have enabled uploading of workouts to multiple further platforms (Garmin, Strava) in order not to be dependent on a single platform, but can switch to another without any big hassle.
Personally I think it is one of the greatest pleasures to analyse a workout after the shower, get analysis on the heart rate and whether the workouts have been too tough lately. By paying a premium fee, the user often gets access to additional features such as training programs, and this is something everyone should think about carefully – whether the basic set of features will do or if the additional content is worth paying for it.
This is enough for today – I think I’ll continue with this theme still, but let’s see.