Garmin has been the leader in GPS watches but now they have taken it up a notch with the Garmin Fenix. Built in GPS with Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass. It will connect to Tempe, Hear Rate, Smartphone, and Bike Speed/Cadence sensors. It’s being marketed as an outdoor adventure watch that you can throw yourself into the wilderness and walk back out by marking waypoints. Yes for the triathletes there is the run pace, distance, hr, and bike feature but what is nice about this watch is it is waterproof up to 50 meters. The battery life is suppose to be great compared to previous Garmin watches with up to 50 hours of battery life in GPS mode or 6 weeks in watch mode. This watch has me really excited and looking forward to when it goes on sale in the fall. You have to admit it’s also a great looking watch.
Say hello to a sleeker GPS and heart rate monitor watch, the Polar RCX3. Its low profile makes for a better fit on wrists while keeping track of your heart rate, pace, distance and more. GPS should last up to 20 hours and after training, upload your data via DataLink USB transfer to Polar’s online site to analyze your workouts. Also compatible with optional cycling and running sensors.
There will be many times a triathlete will be out on the road cycling or running where there’s no signal or simply a loved one that wants to track your progress to see that you are ok. SPOT Connect is now bridging the gap between your cellphone when you go off the grid, need help, check-in, track progress, send messeges, even connect to twitter and facebook! Most athletes would rarely purchase this for themselves as we don’t ever think anything can go wrong. The love ones on the other hand would find comfort in being able to track you on those winding back roads that you are cycling on. Safety is always on high alert and this is a perfect gift for any athlete. The unit sells for $135.00 and simply download the app to your phone and it connects via bluetooth. There is though a subcription fee of $99.99 a year.
Suunto’s Quest Running Pack has all the equipment you need to track your training sessions. Create custom displays, training programs, settings and then upload the data to Movescount.com. It features dual time settings, alarm functions, stopwatch, interval and lap counter, heart rate monitoring, running cadence tracker, real time speed and distance tracking and nine language display options. Water resistant up to 100ft/30m and the pack includes the Suunto Quest watch, Movestick Mini, Dual Comfort Belt and Suunto Foot POD Mini.
Run, ride, track your workouts and listen to your favorite tunes at the same time, that’s what Motorola’s MOTOACTV™ was built for. This lightweight portable device can hold up to 4,000 songs and can be heard through the SF5700 or SF500 headphones that deliver high sound quality with real time readouts of your heart rate, eliminating the need for a chest strap. Performance data, such as pace, distance, calories burned, map out route covered and heart rate, is shown on its 1.6″ sweat proof, scratch resistant, color touchscreen and is automatically transferred wirelessly to MOTOACTV.com. Lasts up to five hours with GPS on, two weeks standby, supports Bluetooth 4.0 and can sync with the latest Android-powered smartphone to receive incoming calls and texts.
Bulky, GPS watches give you sticker shock? We’ve found this one, the Timex Marathon GPS watch, to be reasonable with basics needed to track your walk/runs. The GPS is powered by the fast and accurate SSiRFstarIV™ to monitor pace, speed and distance. The eight hour battery life will last long enough to tell you how many calories were burned. Other features include hands-free auto-split based on distance, five alarms, 100-lap memory chronograph and rechargeable battery with cable. Tracking workouts doesn’t have to deplete your wallet.
Here’s something to put your fingers on. Garmin’s Forerunner 610 features a sleek glass surface touchscreen that you can tap, touch or swipe to navigate through settings and data. The watch is GPS-enabled, water-resistant, and allows for customizable screens, training plans, vibration alerts, and virtual race partners. It is also the first available with a run/walk alert, which keeps Auto Lap and other features active even when it detects you’re walking and Firstbeat’s Training Effect…
Yes, you guessed it. A GPS unit that straps to the back of your head using the goggle straps. The Finis Hydro Tracker GPS is a great way for swimmers/triathletes to brag about Escaping from Alcatraz or having proof they swam from one island to another. The days of taking a GPS and stuffing it under the swim cap are over.
Is your watch not providing enough data for you data junkies? Garmin has updated their 310XT model, the Garmin Forerunner 910XT. Twenty-five percent slimmer than it’s orange and grey predecessor, its new features include tracking your laps in the pool, stroke count, Swolf score, a barometric altimeter for more accurate elevation, ascent, decent and grade data, and a power meter support. Compatible with ANT+™ sensors and also the Tanita BC-1000 body composition scales, you’ll sure spend just as much time on the computer analyzing your latest stats with this gadget as you are on your bike trainer.
