Acquiring Satellites

Way back in 2006, when GPS watches were starting to appear on the wrists of runners, I made the statement “I’ll get one those when someone wearing one beats me.”  That happened on June 11^th of that year at the Rocky Mountain ½ Marathon when Jay beat me while wearing a Forerunner 201.  I bought a Garmin Forerunner 205 the next day.  It served me very well for six years. 

A month ago it started acting up.  It would turn off if I pressed the mode button or twisted the unit.  Then the battery drained faster than usual.  Then it would stop after about an hour and a half of use.  Then it just stopped working altogether.  At that time I contemplated life without a GPS and decided I needed to get another unit.

What did we do before GPS units?  Remember how you had to wait for the next mile marker to know how fast you ran the last mile?  And what happened?  You went out too fast, but got the news at one mile intervals.  With a GPS you can watch yourself blow up in real time.  What would Frank Shorter have done if he had the benefits of a GPS watch?   

There are more GPS watch options now than in 2006.  Garmin is a pioneer in GPS devices and has about a dozen units in the Forerunner line.  The Forerunner 610 is the most advanced GPS running watch on the market.  It has a full functional touch screen interface that allows for quick navigation of its many features.  Made partially out of metal the watch is both durable, comfortable and professional looking as well as being one of the most advanced GPS watches on the market.

But Garmin has competition. 

Motorola has the MOTOACTV which is a next generation touch screen GPS fitness tracker and smart MP3 Player.  Not only can you track your daily activity, you can also track over 30 metrics on your run, cycle, walk, elliptical trainer, or step machine.  The MOTOACTV can be worn on the wrist, mounded on a bike or worn with an arm band or belt clip.  The MOTOACTV can sync with your iTunes or music library.  The MOTOACTV then works out which music you train best to and collates a playlist for your future sessions.

Nike has created a GPS that is perfect for recreational runners who need something stylish and simple to use.  A great feature of the Nike GPS watch is that you can download 5k, 10k, Half or Full Marathon training plans from Nike straight to the watch.  It will then prompt you to run the required distance that the schedule dictates on the correct days in order to train you up for your desired race distance.

Timex has designed one of the most advanced GPS watch on the market to date.  Not only does it offer a wide range of training metrics but it is also waterproof to 50m and has a large display.  It also offers a powerful on-line training portal for recording and tracking aspects of your fitness such as health and diet as well as your running, cycling and swimming.

Suunto Oy, based in Finland, produces and markets sports precision instruments for Diving, Training and Outdoor sports.  The Suunto Quest is an advanced heart rate monitor that you can hook up to either a GPS pod or a Footpod in order to keep track of your distance.  The best thing about the Suunto Quest is that it tells you exactly how intense your training is and how much recovery time you need after each run.  You can also download training plans to the watch and it will tell you exactly how close to your daily mileage or intensity goal you are during your run.  

I was overwhelmed by all of the choices.  So, I decided to spend the $69 to get my Forerunner refurbished.  I mailed the unit back to Olathe, KS on Friday and the replacement unit should arrive in a couple of weeks, just in time for the final run up to the Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.  Today I ran 21 miles at about 8:00 per mile and felt like I couldn't take another step.