Continuing with my running related posts, I've decided to do a review on my fairly recently bought Garmin Forerunner 10. I'm not doing this post because I'm getting a bit obsessed with running (though I may well be becoming a bit obsessed......) I'm doing this review because I really do love my Garmin, I wouldn't think of going out for a run without it, and I'd love to convince you to get one as it will do nothing but good!
What does it do?
Well, those of you familiar with Garmin as a brand will know that they deal with GPS devices, so basically this is a substitute for using your phone to track your results, but it differs in function and how it is used to give you a different end result.
I've mentioned many times before that I love to break my runs down into stats, so I knew that I'd enjoy this product as soon as I knew what it could do. It works in the same way as the GPS on your phone, it tracks your movement giving you a distance covered in your preferred unit (km or mile) and records your time for that run, and then uses this to work out average pace. This is where things get a bit different though, unlike with your phone, the information can be easily accessed during your run, so all you need to do is glance down at your wrist to see your pace / time / distance and also calories burned.
On top of these stats you can also use some of the additional features such as the auto pause that will automatically stop your timer when your movement stops, or alternatively you can pause with just the click of a button. There is also a virtual pace mode which you can set up for when you run a route that you have done before, which allows you to race against yourself, so to speak. The ease of being able to look at your current pace while on the go is great as it lets you know if you are over or under exerting yourself on your run, which is especially useful when you are training with a certain pace in mind!
All of the information from your run can then be uploaded onto your computer and viewed through Garmin Connect where you can really scrutinise the details of your activity!
How well does it Integrate with related things?
From the information you are given with the watch it seems to be designed to be used with Garmin Connect, which is the program / website that gives you all of the information about your runs. I find that the program itself contains some really great information from your runs but isn't the most user friendly, though it does give you some cool little options like being able to manually set personal records (If you have ever recorded 99m of a 100m and hit your best 100m then you will appreciate why I like this) as well recording PRs for set distances.
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| Various bits of Info from Garmin Connect |
What is great though is that the lovely people at Strava have made their website Garmin friendly. Instead of using the Strava app on your phone, you can just upload the information from your Garmin straight onto the Strava website, giving you all of the information you can get off the Garmin Connect page in a much more user friendly format. All of the benefits from Strava are transferred to your Garmin as a result so when you run through a segment, you can still compete against other runners with your times!
A couple of days ago Garmin released the app version of Garmin connect which is great for following your friends activities and also looking at your stats!
How much does it cost?
Garmins don't come cheap, and as far as I can tell this is probably the cheapest, I managed to pick mine up for £89.00 from Amazon, and I think this was the cheapest price you can get for it. Some of the other running Garmins can range up to about £300.00 with the cycling versions being even more expensive!
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| Data cable and charger! |
It may sound a bit expensive considering it is really just a way of avoiding bringing your phone out on a run with you and having quicker access to your stats, but I'm still glad I shelled out for it. If anything I'm a bit gutted I didn't go for a more expensive one and get a few more features!
Is it worth getting?
Yes.
I really really love my Garmin and it really does make me want to go out an run more, and anyone who looks at the feed about my runs will notice that the amount of runs I have done recently has shot up (except for the last week due to a sore knee and other commitments!).
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| Loading times can vary! |
I'm not going to just tell you about all the things I like about this watch, It is worth pointing out some of the flaws. The GPS is not as good as you will find on your phone, you may have to wait for a minute outside to catch signal (many people will leave their watch outside before a run just to get signal) which can be a problem when you are going on a group run and can't stop to get a signal! The battery life also isn't terrific but is more then enough for a couple of long runs, so it isn't really a watch to wear every day! The only other real downside is the inability to attach a heart rate monitor so you can get some more in depth stats!
I'd consider this watch a beginners Garmin so anyone who wants to get serious with their running and has £90 spare should really consider investing in one of these!
