Just a general thread about running. How’s your running going? What are you training for? Did you get new shoes? Sporting an injury etc.
Bucketing down with rain here this morning so couldn’t drag myself out. Tomorrow hopefully
Still got a few out to the local parkrun. It got heavier as the run went on, it was actually quite refreshing by the end.
I’m really struggling with motivation as we get closer to Christmas. Will probably bump my weekly mileage down about 10km coming into the ny.
It’s so weird living in the tropics, because it’s never really cold and by right one should be fine running at any time. But it’s still so easy to catch a cold because the humidity just amplifies any temperature difference. So yeah, totally feel you!
I have a hard time running when it rains too…I solved it by throwing money at it and bought a treadmill. My running consistency and milage increased considerably, it does take up a lot of space though.
It’s pretty fun when you actually force yourself. Only problem is my shoes take ages to dry.
Those Merrells I was so excited about a couple months ago ended up not working out, but I found some more traditional shoes that are working well. I got a PR at the turkey trot and am planning on a half marathon in December. Overall I’m having a lot of fun!
Had a nasty inflammation in my left Achilles for about 2 months, now things are better but I still get the occasional sting and stiffness in the morning.
In other news, I finally got into Lavaredo.
I had to skip a morning run today. That’s 15 years in a row. Exercise induced asthma is a removed.
I’m considering getting a gps watch that does heart rate monitoring. I’m looking to transition away from treadmills to outdoors.
Does anyone have recommendations on what to get or what to avoid?
I currently have a chest strap heart rate monitor that connects to the treadmills (but, annoyingly, not my fruit phone). I’ve never used a wrist-based heart rate monitor so I have no idea how accurate they are.
If a gps watch is bluetooth enabled, presumably it could also talk to my computer, not just my phone.
I’ve been happy with Garmin, most people I’ve run with over the years also choose Garmin. There’s 100 models though. I wear a Fenix 8. I wear it 24/7 so it tracks my life :) there are much more affordable forerunner models out there that have wrist HRM.
I had a Garmin back around 15 years ago. I liked it a lot up until depression & whatnot deceived me into giving up running.
I’ve been looking at a ForeRunner 165. Amazon has them for $200. Is that a good buy for someone like me who is getting back into running? Looks like the Fenix models are all a good bit more than I’m comfortable spending at the moment.
I have a Forerunner 245 that’s been kicking it for years. Love it and highly recommend the line. I actually like the lower tech nature of it than many of the other smart watches out there - it just does what it does best, and then has great battery life for avoiding all those extra features.
Ya, the Fenix is absurdly expensive. I had a well used Fenix 6 that I’d been really wanting to upgrade to an amoled screen (epix) but waiting because I heard the Fenix would get it.
Ya any of the 1, or 2 series Garmin’s will be fine for sure. I bought my son a Garmin 45 which also has GPS and supports running activities would work
The more expensive ones you’re paying for more features and more battery life.
Garmin has fantastic customer support too if you have any issues! (At least in my experience)
They also have vivofit line that has more smart watch features (kind of a crossover) if you need a watch and wanna get something you can wear all the time. I have a friend that runs with one of them.
I use a Garmin Fenix 6 X Pro. Before that I had a Forerunner 935.
Wrist based hr is always less reliable than a chest strap. It’s also worth noting that sweat, rain and e.g. small wrists make it harder to get even a somewhat reliable result and if you run in a colder climate, you need to wear your watch under your jacket which makes it impossible to look at unless you’re willing to expose your wrist.
Generally watches connect to the computer with a proprietary usb cable, not bluetooth. Many watches however have wifi and mobile data connectivity too which can be used to automatically sync data.
What other considerations do you have?
If on a budget a good chest strap and a cheap watch could be a good combo. Maybe even your current strap if you know it to be reliable. I’d wager it uses ANT+ for connectivity which many (maybe even most) sports watches support.
If you need longer battery life (for marathons or some such) then a dedicated sports watch might be a good idea. Otherwise I might go with an Apple watch beacause you mentioned using an iPhone. I don’t know whether Apple watches support ANT+ but most current chest straps do have bluetooth and aren’t all that expensive.
I’m in a pretty warm and humid climate. We rarely get below freezing in the winter, perhaps once every other winter. So odds are I won’t have to wear long sleeve attire much.
My current chest strap is a Polar H9 model. I’d like to connect it to whichever gps watch I buy while I’m exercising. It connects flawlessly to the treadmills in the gym at work, but won’t connect to my phone, which makes me wonder if it’s ANT+ only and not bluetooth.
I don’t need a super long battery life. No marathons for me. I’m at the level of 45 minutes of alternating brisk walk and jog.
Budget wise, I’d like to keep it under $250. If I get a $200 watch (whether Garmin or some other brand) and use it consistently for a year, then I could justify spending up to $500 or $600.
Apple Watch is an option, but they’re a bit more than what I’m willing to spend at the moment, especially since my current chest strap won’t connect to my iPhone at all.
If you need stay on budget, you could look into the coros pace 2/3 or polar pacer for MIPS, for amloled display you have garmin forerunner 165 or amazfit cheetah.
I’d be intereseted to hear your opinion on Coros vs Garmin if you have one!
Does Coros offer something similar to Garmin’s Daily Suggested Workout?
I wear a suunto but if I had to choose between these two, probably I’d pick up a coros for running.
What do you like/dislike about your Suunto or about Coros? I’ve never really tried other watches than Garmin…
Well I have an old suunto 5 peak, I like the battery, the construction style, navigation routes (for hiking, trail running), I miss something like garmin pay. But now suunto doesn’t have an entry level watch, for this I said coros, polar or garmin. And between these 3, coros because it is focused on runners this brand and I think have better support than polar.
Curious! I have the Polar H10 and can connect it to my iPhone.
Have you tried connecting the H9 strap with the Polar Flow app? IIRC it needs the app to connect.
The fenix and forerunner series are arguably the best for running. As I’ve only used Garmin, I can’t speak to other manufacturers’ products.
All watches from these series should work with your strap.
Other things that might influence your choice are watch size and weight, spotify integration, amoled vs MIP screen and whether you do any swimming, hiking or other activities.
Upon receipt I tried connecting the H9 through Polar Flow but my phone can’t see it at all through bluetooth in the device settings. Might be a phone issue? Idk.
I’d eventually like to get into lap swimming, but realistically that won’t be for another year or two, have to find a place that’s convenient, has good hours, and isn’t extortionately priced.
I don’t have a Spotify account, I do have a Pandora subscription. If a ForeRunner can work with Pandora that potentially means I don’t have to carry my phone while running.
I’m not picky about a screen, but whichever kind I go with I’ll probably buy a screen protector of some kind.
I’m a big guy so a large watch probably won’t be an issue.
I noticed the app I’m using is actually called Polar Beat not Flow.
Maybe using Beat is required for the pairing - I don’t know much about Polar’s software as I only use the app to check the battery level. (It also allows you to turn visibility on or off among other things)
For me the connection goes as follows:
- Attach both connectors of the H10 to the strap
- Put the strap on. (Wearing it is required for some reason)
- Turn bluetooth on your phone (if not already)
- Open Polar Beat
- Simply press “Continue” if you don’t want to sign in (I haven’t)
- Tap “Settings” from the bottom right
- Tap “HR Sensor (not paired)”
- You should see your H9 listed with an ID code matching the one printed on the top side of the unit
- Tap Pair, skip the pop-up if you don’t want to read it
- And now you should see the settings for your strap
- A “Bluetooth Pairing Request” should also appear
- Tap Pair and you should be all done
I hope this helps!
About the other stuff you mentioned.
A quick duckduckgo revealed that Pandora doesn’t support Garmin devices I’m afraid. Supported music providers are Amazon, Youtube, Spotify and Deezer. This depends on your locale and device though.
When it comes to swimming, most devices struggle a bit with data. Accurately measuring distance for instance. IIRC Apple does quite a good job followed by higher end Garmins. Swimming does require a chest strap in order to get reliable HR, even more so, than running. Although I haven’t read reviews of the newest generation on watches, maybe it’s getting better. I only do a little swimming every now and then so I can’t go into details.
A feature I didn’t know I was going to like as much as I did, is Daily Suggested Workouts. During off-season it gives me incentive to go running every day without having to think about what to do and when.
About health data in general, it’s good to remember it’s quite inaccurate and even when it’s accurate it’s not necessarily simple to draw any useful conclusions from it. Sleep tracking for instance is very very inaccurate, especially when it come to sleep phases. HRV, PulseOx etc. is mostly pretty useless too but there are differing opinions too.
You could go with a newer, lower end Garmin model, say a Forerunner 255 or the newer 265 or then look into buying a used forerunner 965 or 955 or a fenix 6. Whatever fits your budget.
When reading up on the specs and features, make sure to watch some videos on the specific implementations of the features you’re interested in. My Fenix 6 for instance is limited to only giving me my Daily Suggested Workout while newer models can display suggested workouts for the whole week ahead, something I’m a bit salty about. These small differences are rarely highlighted which can be annoying.
I tend to over reasearch stuff even when I only need something basic to be happy with. That being said I found this guys videos quite helpful:
ive got a somewhat defective ankle joint for 2-3 years now… however i managed it to reach 10k again with some painbreaks not a smart move tho considering how the days after a run feel, and also trying to figure things out with doctors but i am seriously missing running. perhaps it could also help not to run in barefoot shoes in this condition, i am not sure… that by itself does not really feel wrong.
regarding the op image here, i have long hair and when it rains, i do not use a jacket - instead i enjoy getting wet and open up my hair on purpose :P
I started out with barefoot shoes (Merrell vapor glove) and recently switched to more traditional shoes due to foot and ankle issues. They always felt great during runs, but I was down to only one short run a week due to the issues they were causing.
I did my second run with the local city run club, Monday I opted for my furthest run this year up to that point, at 6.5 miles. I did a 5k Thursday, and then my second run with the group today. I didn’t know anyone, of course, so I just hung with the first 6 people that looked like they knew what they were doing. I asked about pace and distance groups and they said they’d figure that out after the warm-up. Well, there was one distance in this group that I’d latched myself to… and it was 10 miles. But, I did it. Couldn’t feel my hands, it was 29 degrees out, but otherwise stayed at the front of the group and didn’t struggle at all.
Twice in a week I’d gone from 3-4 miles regularly, to 6.5 and then 10. Dropping my pace, from 8:00 to 8:30 and then 9:20 helped, but I’m super excited to see what I can do. I only just picked hobby running back up in August after 6 years of focusing on working out in the gym instead. I was thinking about moving from 5Ks, I’ve ran about 6 or so races since starting back, to 10Ks next year (new years resolution and all), but I might throw in quarterly half marathons too.
Congrats! But be careful ramping up the distance that fast. Shin splints are a real pain in the legs!
Got out with the doggo this morning. Nice 7.5k, almost completely in my threshold range. Suggested workout pace is too slow for my height and speed requirements with the doggo…
Still rising the high of my PR marathon from last weekend! But it’s back to work on Monday.
I bought three pairs of shoes!
I would’ve bought some already during summer but didn’t come across any good deals. I feel like pricing has been really weird this year.
Almost recovered from severe strain of calfs - stupid me tried out a new running gait, landing on front of my soles, and doing this with a quite high pace for me. Also got some gastro issues over the week.
I hope to do a baby run today, though, taking it easy.
