In the market for a GPS watch - recommendations?

I have a Garmin VivoActive I got used.. works great..accurate, can get one cheap. AND its small which is my favorite thing about it

runrincerepeat wrote:

I have a Garmin VivoActive I got used.. works great..accurate, can get one cheap. AND its small which is my favorite thing about it

Can you go back and look at each mile split?

(This might seem basic.)

I have the Garmin Forerunner25 that you are talking about. I've had it for a little over a year now and really like it. The only negative (if it even matters) is that you can only display two lines of information without having to push a button. In a perfect world I'd have running time, pace, and distance displayed. With the 25, I have to pick only two and then I can have two more accessible through the push of a button.

If that isn't a deal breaker for you, then I would definitely recommend. It's small, super light and comfortable. The battery lasts a long time and you can sync it through bluetooth to your phone. It can also receive text messages and emails if you want but I don't use that feature as it's annoying to constantly get notifications and it does hurt battery life.

G 25 guy wrote:

I have the Garmin Forerunner25 that you are talking about. I've had it for a little over a year now and really like it. The only negative (if it even matters) is that you can only display two lines of information without having to push a button. In a perfect world I'd have running time, pace, and distance displayed. With the 25, I have to pick only two and then I can have two more accessible through the push of a button.

If that isn't a deal breaker for you, then I would definitely recommend. It's small, super light and comfortable. The battery lasts a long time and you can sync it through bluetooth to your phone. It can also receive text messages and emails if you want but I don't use that feature as it's annoying to constantly get notifications and it does hurt battery life.

Does it display overall pace or current split pace?

Me and most of my teammates use the Garmin Forerunner 15. It's very basic and easy to use. The forerunner 25 is similar but newer and fancier. The forerunner 15 can't be used with any heart rate monitors so if you're interested in that then this might not be for you. It's running pretty cheap on Amazon. If you're looking for something a little bit higher end, the forerunner 235 seems pretty good. It has a hr monitor built in and has a lot of features. Quite a bit more expensive though.

False, 15 works with HR monitors.

How much do you want to spend?

Running with a phone sucks! I did that for a little while and then I got a running(multi-sport) watch. I ended up getting the Vivoactive.

Garmin Forerunner 25 and the Vivoactive are both good options, but I would lean towards the Vivoactive (1st gen w/o HRM) Both have been replaced by newer models and because of this you can find them discounted by quite a bit. Looking at Amazon shows that they are priced within a few dollars of each other. Due to this I would lean towards the Vivoactive.

Both can display 'lap pace'

Vivoactive is thinner and supports other sports like cycling. There are three configurable screens that you can swipe through. It also displays 3 data fields per screen and each screen can be configured for what data fields to display. There are three configurable screens that you can swipe through. There is more customization possible with the Vivoactive. I have the three screens configured for three different purposes. During easy runs I have screen with HR, distance and I think lap time . Workouts it is set with current/instant pace, elapsed time, and HR. For races I use lap pace, elapsed time, and distance.

Device reviews worth reading.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2015/08/garmin-forerunner-25.html

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2015/04/garmin-vivoactive-in-depth-review.html

TomTom Runner Cardio. Accurate GPS, displays time, pace, avg pace, everything you need. Also an accurate wrist based HR monitor - you don't have to wear the annoying strap. Sync with your phone and the TomTom app gives you tons of data regarding HR zones, pace, etc

You can find them for around $100.

https://www.amazon.com/TomTom-Runner-Cardio-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00JD4TFD2

Not sure why that link shows the Spark with music - click on it and it goes to the Runner Cardio. They do have a fancier watch that you can sync music too, etc. but for a simple GPS running watch the Runner Cardio is solid.

Although fair warning the TomTom GPS makes you work a little harder - on a 10 mile run all my Garmin friends will have 10.0 miles and I'll only have like 9.88 so I have to continue another .12 to get the full 10 haha

All right, got the Garmin Forerunner 35 at Dick's for $199.99.

Looking forward to taking it for a spin tomorrow morning.

This is very good to see. Runners can buy all the cute accessories like aerodynamic water bottles and ergonomic fuel belts and gidgets for wrists to count your splits and calories burned in last 3 seconds: if that gets your out the door and puffing along - buy it all!

Bonus: I saw a smartphone pouch on a runner the other day, it was glowing translucent pink. Hawt!

IndyJ wrote:

runrincerepeat wrote:

I have a Garmin VivoActive I got used.. works great..accurate, can get one cheap. AND its small which is my favorite thing about it

Can you go back and look at each mile split?

(This might seem basic.)

That depends. Not while you are running, but you can view saved activities and view the stats including mile splits.

I just checked my Vivoactive and the pace data field options are: Pace(current/semi-instant), Average Pace, Lap Pace, Last Lap Pace.

According the the DCRainmaker review, the TomTom has Pace and Avg Pace.

Still Improving wrote:

IndyJ wrote:

Can you go back and look at each mile split?

(This might seem basic.)

That depends. Not while you are running, but you can view saved activities and view the stats including mile splits.

I just checked my Vivoactive and the pace data field options are: Pace(current/semi-instant), Average Pace, Lap Pace, Last Lap Pace.

According the the DCRainmaker review, the TomTom has Pace and Avg Pace.

Are you using the Vivo3? I wanted to bite but heard it didn't have sound for new mile/interval and the vibrate was weak.

SayWhat2 wrote:

Are you using the Vivo3? I wanted to bite but heard it didn't have sound for new mile/interval and the vibrate was weak.

No, it is the 1st gen Vivoactive (no built in HRM)

Hoppy Jogger wrote:

This is very good to see. Runners can buy all the cute accessories like aerodynamic water bottles and ergonomic fuel belts and gidgets for wrists to count your splits and calories burned in last 3 seconds: if that gets your out the door and puffing along - buy it all!

It seems very reasonable to want a time-and-distance device that works in the cold.

Does it really seem superfluous to you?

Still Improving wrote:

IndyJ wrote:

Can you go back and look at each mile split?

(This might seem basic.)

That depends. Not while you are running, but you can view saved activities and view the stats including mile splits.

Thanks. Yes, that's what I was wondering.

It displays current pace but at each mile or kilometer (your choice in settings) it will beep and display that last split for a few seconds.

Really? I want aware of that. Send kinda odd that it's so much cheaper than the Forerunner 10