Info on the Garmin Forerunner 50

get it

xcsr wrote:

I've done a little research, but I'm still confused. First off, I heard that it doesn't have a GPS, what does that mean?

Will it still show me my pace while I'm running. As in, will it say "6:10" if I'm running at a 6:10 pace?

Also, what exactly is the "foot pod"?

Lastly, how often do you have to change batteries, and is it expensive to do so?

Wow, you really are new at this aren't you?

-It doesn't have GPS. That means it doesn't have GPS.

-It will still show you an approximate pace, just like a GPS would. See next bullet for an explanation on how.

-The Foot Pod is a little plastic pod that clips onto your shoelaces. This is how the Garmin 50 tracks your distance/pace. If measures the motion of your foot while you're running and with a little calibration its pretty accurate.

The Garmin 50 will give you a better real time pace for most of your running (GPS is terrible at measuring your pace while you are running it). The Garmin 50 is not as accurate at very high paces (not good for interval work) and isn't so good at measuring distance on rough terrain.

A foot pod is a small device that measures change in acceleration. Aka accelerometer(sp) This gives you speed and distance as well as cadence.

If I were you I'd forget about using the foot pod and buy a Garmin 405. The GPS is by far better than the foot pod especially if you want to run in different pairs of shoes.

The 50 is the cheaper option so you get what you pay for.

After using the 405 for nearly a year I would never want anything else.

Thanks for the replies, but can anyone tell me if the foot pod just counts the number of times my foot hits the ground, or is it much more sophisticated than that? Because I've heard of devices you clip on your shoe, and program it to know how long your stride will be, and it will then approximate your pace. I want to make sure that the foot pod will very accurately give me my pace while running, even over grassy/rocky hills and valleys. On average, will it give me my pace within 2 or 3 seconds?

Also, are there any other brands with quality watches that aren't as expensive?

i bet the 50 would do good enough

the 405 would probably be too much money

I don't use any Garmins; they're for the weak

Thanks for the replies, but can anyone tell me if the foot pod just counts the number of times my foot hits the ground, or is it much more sophisticated than that? Because I've heard of devices you clip on your shoe, and program it to know how long your stride will be, and it will then approximate your pace. I want to make sure that the foot pod will very accurately give me my pace while running, even over grassy/rocky hills and valleys. On average, will it give me my pace within 2 or 3 seconds?

Also, are there any other brands with quality watches that aren't as expensive?

If you took the time to read my whole post...

It isn't a step counter, it measures the motion of your foot. You calibrate it a little and it gives you reasonably accurate pacing for slow to moderately fast runs. Its not 100% accurate, but neither is GPS, and the footpod will give you a much more accurate real-time pace.

It will not work well on rough terrain. Anything that causes your stride to become erratic will decrease the accuracy of the measurement.

the footpod on the garmin is astonishingly accurate. right around 98-99% actually (assuming you're not one of those d-bags that likes to run in place at stoplights). comparing it to nike + is like night and day in terms of accuracy, you really do get what you pay for. Definitely recommended, and get it with the heart rate monitor if possible.

buy the 201, it's worth it

thanks for the replies, does anybody else have any opinions?

get the 405, the 201 doesn't look as cool

get the 50

get the Garmin 83. Extremely accurate. You won't be disappointed.

xcsr wrote:

thanks for the replies, does anybody else have any opinions?

My only problem is the battery. From Googling this, I'm not the only one who's had problems with this. You can self-change it (difficult the first time, need the right tools). The original battery lasted from Feb.-May. Then, I had to change it out 4 times between May-July. The battery would drain very quickly, within 2-3 weeks. I don't know if it's a defect with the watch or the need to use a better quality battery (Sony or Energizer, I was using Rayovac). Considering others have had the same problem I'm guessing it's the watch. I finally sent the watch back to Garmin, and then they promptly sent me a new watch (within a week, customer service is excellent).

Otherwise, great watch.

Hi, I have the Garmin Forerunner 50. I really love it. It gives me my speed, my heart rate, and the distance is just awesome. What really makes it a phenomenal tool is the way it just automatically uploads once you're close to your computer (antenna USB stick must be in the slot). You can then see stats on your heart rate, average speed, distance, cadence (foot strikes). You may have to calibrate to get the correct distance. For instance, I ran on a track today to try to figure out how far mine was off, and a .25 mile was showing as .29 with the automatic factory setting, so I have to adjust a bit. But for the money, it really is worthwhile. I got my from Costco.com, delivered it's cheaper than anywhere else and if you don't like it, their return policy is very generous.

I coulda sworn this thread was called German Fernandez 50!!

Garmin Forerunner 50 = Running w/ Weights

does anybody have any other experiences with the Garmin Forerunner 50? How accurate was it for you?

Would the Forerunner 201 be a lot better at calculating my pace?