GPS Running

Suunto t6c

Reaching your goals can be tough. It takes the right tools, knowledge, and guidance to improve with each training session. Enter the running gps Watch Suunto t6c heart rate monitor and fitness trainer watch, a professional-grade training tool for monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing your workouts. The t6c is equipped with a bundle of valuable features, but none is more valuable than its correspondence with the included Suunto Training Manager PC software, which provides a detailed analysis of seven physiological parameters with an accuracy previously available only in sports laboratories. This analysis breaks down nearly every aspect of your training, so you can make adjustments and train more efficiently in the future.

The t6c also tracks your real-time Training Effect, a quick and accurate measurement of how hard your body is working at any given moment. By knowing your Training Effect, you’ll enjoy a more intimate understanding of your body’s workout “sweet spot,” an essential tidbit if you want to achieve your targets without setting yourself back by under- or over-training. The Training Effect works intuitively: The watch first notes the info from your personal fitness profile, and then analyzes your physiological progress and translates the data into a simple one-to-five scale. For example, if you want to improve your aerobic fitness at a moderate tempo, you should exercise until your TE meter reads between 3.0 and 3.9, two to four times per week. To improve your aerobic condition more rapidly–but without the risk of over-training–you should push yourself harder once or twice per week, so your TE meter reads 4.0 to 4.9, with a few recovery sessions in the TE 1.0 to 2.0 range. The Training Effect is relative to each individual. While a novice runner might achieve a TE of 4.0 on a four-mile jog, a professional runner might have to complete an uphill marathon to get the same reading. In other words, both runners will have to exercise hard to achieve a TE of 4.0.

Suunto Training Manager PC software,

The running GPS watch Suunto t6c includes a couple of additional features that put it above and beyond traditional heart rate monitor watches. For example, the t6c gives you a readout of your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption level (EPOC), letting you measure and adjust your training loads to ensure that your body is safely getting the most from each workout. And users will love the built-in altimeter, which lets you monitor your climbing or hill performance to know how your body will react when training at various altitudes.

Finally, the running GPS Suunto t6c offers interference-free digital ANT transmission, making it easy to pair your heart rate monitor with the included Suunto comfort belt. You can also use this secure connection to monitor your speed, distance, or cadence by pairing your Suunto t6c with an optional Suunto training pod. Training pods are small units that attach to such items as a running shoe or a bike to calculate your speed, distance, and even pedal revolutions per minute while you exercise. Pods are ideal for athletes who aren’t satisfied with half-hearted training efforts, but really want to monitor their training routines down to the last detail.

What I Say

Running GPS watch Suunto t6 heart rate monitor has been designed for everyone who exercises with the goal of improving their fitness and who wants to know how effective their exercise is. Whatever your current fitness level, by using Suunto t6 and its training software you can plan a program that maximizes the effectiveness of your training and enables you to meet your goals.

Suunto t6 provides sports laboratory accurate information on seven key body parameters including EPOC. By understanding how your body responds to exercise, you can better plan your own personal training program and, most importantly, monitor its effectiveness. The technical features of the wristop computer, combined with the PC interface developed for more graphical representation of your performance, and our Internet Community, where you can share information with other like-minded athletes from around the world, make Suunto t6 the device of choice for every true athlete and fitness enthusiast. Foot POD, attached to the shoe, measures speed and distance while running.

Combined with the heart rate data, it gives you all the info you need from your run Bike POD combines speed and distance functions with the detailed heart rate analysis of the Suunto t6, making it one of the most advanced training tools ever developed for biking GPS POD employs the Global Positioning System to track speed and distance PC POD is a wireless USB link for PC. It enables real time heart rate detection with PC directly from the heart rate belt. (Downloading from Suunto t6 still works with cable only.) PC interface software + cable Water resistant to 30 m (100 ft)

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Technorati Tags: GPS running watch, runners gps, running gps, Suunto, Suunto t6c

Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS Enabled Personal Trainer

Garmin Forerunner 205

The running gps watch Garmin Forerunner 205 includes a high sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS receiver and a new courses feature for optimal performance. What does this mean? It means that the 205′s ability to both track, and maintain a lock on, your position is better than anything before it. After an initial battery charge, our product tester had the 205 on his wrist and was tracking speed and distance with GPS satellites within 3 minutes. The next time we used the 205, satellite acquisition was nearly instantaneous. A run through dense trees didn’t faze the unit either; tracking remained true and steady. Performance on a bike was equally impressive. Whatever witchcraft has been cooked up by the designers of the SiRF technology, we like it!

While the Forerunner 205 isn’t billed as a GPS navigation device, it does have some rudimentary mapping, waypoint marking, and routing capabilities. In addition to marking locations along your journey, you can zoom in or out of a simple map that displays your current direction and path. There’s also a “go to location” feature that routes you back to your starting location, or to any location you have defined. Once you have defined several locations, you can save this information as a route, allowing you to travel the same path in the future. As you’ll see below, the 205′s new “Courses” feature gives you new levels of control over how you define your favorite runs and rides.

The heart and soul of the running gps watch Garmin Forerunner 205 can be found on the data screens, which give you real-time information about all aspects of your workout. In fact, the 305 can display a dizzying array of data, such as calories burned, distance, elevation, grade, and heading, as well as multiple lap and pace modes.

Main Features:

• High-Sensitivity, Watch-Like GPS Receiver That Provides Exceptional Signal Reception
• 1 Piece Training Assistant That Provides Athletes With Precise Speed, Distance & Pace Data
• Includes Training Center Software, Which Allows Users To Download Workout Data For A Detailed Analysis
• Used For Multiple Sports Such As Cycling, Cross- Country Skiing & Windsurfing

What I Say:

The release of this device is a major achievement from a design and technology perspective. This isn’t just marketing-speak; the Forerunner 205 is the most accurate, most reliable wrist-mounted performance and GPS tracking tool we’ve ever tested. Yes, it’s that good. While no device this compact can do everything (yet), the 205 pushes the boundaries of what is possible from something strapped around your wrist. While the 205 doesn’t offer heart rate monitoring, or connectivity with Garmin’s wireless speed and cadence sensor — for that, you’ll need to step up to the Garmin Forerunner 305 — but it’s a great way to get basic GPS location and performance data.

If you’re looking for an complicated workout with a variety of intervals and intensity levels, or just a quick three-mile jog against your best time last week, the Running GPS 205 has you covered. Navigating to the Workouts menu on the device yields three options: Quick Workouts, Interval, and Advanced Workout. A quick workout is just that; set the distance and time, distance and pace, or time and pace of your planned workout and off you go. Interval workouts are just the same, but they allow you to add repetitions and rest between them. When you really want to get fancy with your exercise, you can step up to advanced workouts, which include goals for each workout step, as well as varied distances, times, and rest periods. You can use the Garmin Training Center software to set up these workouts and then upload them to the device.

Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS Receiver

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Suunto X10

Suunto is a top manufacturer of GPS watches, Suunto delivers critical data using twenty-seven satellites and a wide network of powerful computers. It’s easy to keep track of your location and route with a Suunto GPS watch on your wrist. The Suunto X10 allows you to plan your trek at home and upload the route to your watch. Transform your Suunto training watch into a GPS wristop computer with the Suunto GPS POD or Suunto Multisport Pack.

The running gps Watch Suunto X10 and X10 Military watch provides full GPS functionality as well as outdoor essentials like an altimeter, barometer, and compass.

Suunto commemorates 10 years with the Suunto X10. When you’re trekking through a new frontier, adventure racing, biking, fishing, or conducting field operations, the Suunto X10 provides critical decision-making data. With full GPS functionality, including route planning and uploading, as well as outdoor essentials like an altimeter, barometer, and compass, the Suunto X10 wristop computer shows nature who’s boss.

Main Features:

• Faster GPS performance than any other Suunto Watch
• Top notch GPS tracking in difficult conditions, such as when you’re in a storm or thick jungle
• Long battery life and universal USB chargeability
• Plan routes on your PC and upload them to your watch
• Calculate speed, distance, direction, and time to your next waypoint
• Find home
• Includes altimeter, barometer, and compass
• 100 m water resistant
• Complete watch functions: calendar, alarm, dual time, and stop watch

National Geographic TOPO! Maps

Running GPS Watch: Go beyond north and south with a GPS watch that knows where you are going and knows how to get you back to base camp. Plan your trek at home and upload the route to the X10. The X10 GPS watch is compatible with National Geographic TOPO! Maps, Google Earth, and Fugawi.

Also included with the X10 and free for download from Suunto.com is the Suunto Track Exporter PC software, which makes route planning and waypoint programming, fast, accurate and simple.

Going where you’ve never gone before? The X10 records your tracks, which you can save or use to find your way home. Found the perfect swimming whole? Mark the coordinates on your watch.

Altimeter Watch: Measure your altitude from the lowest points of Death Valley to the highest peak of Mount Everest. Suunto altimeters measure elevation using air-pressure. An altimeter is useful for a load of outdoor activities, including running, biking, hiking, skiing, or snowboarding.

Barometer Watch: Know when to take shelter from a storm and when to carry on. A barometer measures atmospheric pressure in order to forecast weather.

Compass Watch: Know your direction at all times. The standard version of the X10 uses degrees while the military version uses Mils. Mils spaces the compass to 6400 units, with the value being that one mil delimits one meter at the distance of one kilometer.

What I Say:

Anyone with an adventurous spirit will love the Running GPS Suunto X10. Professionals such as mountain guides, explorers, outdoor professionals, members of the military, and law enforcement officers make critical decisions based on the X10′s information. Avid trekkers, adventure racers, bikers, hunters, and fishermen will find a lot to love in the X10′s GPS, altimeter, barometer, and compass capabilities.

The Suunto X10 Military Watch adds to the already full-featured X10 a red back light and a compass that measures in mils or degrees.

Personal Review:

1. GPS – after setting it up correctly, it only took about 3 minutes to lock in. (I was also riding in a car)
2. Barometer/Altimeter – tested against what the weather.com had for my location and the X10 was spot on. (haven’t tried the weather alarm yet)
3. Compass – works great. Even has degrees in order to be more precise.
4. Navigation – haven’t used it much, but worked like a charm getting me back to my car.
5. Activity – This gives you a review of how far you have gone, how fast, how long it has been, etc. I mostly use the distance traveled.
6. Thermometer – Hmmm… well this thing works great, BUT only if it is off your wrist. It seems your body temperature affects it. I just take it off for a few minutes then it works fine.
7. This thing has some great little features that I didn’t even think about when I bought it. It has sunrise and sunset time for your last known GPS coordinates. It allows you to track back to the start or end of a route. It records your max altitude. It records your average speed. It has many more features that I haven’t used yet. I am going to buy a solio solar charger to take with me on long trips.
8. The one thing that I have a problem with is that the map software that comes with the watch is not compatible with a Mac.

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Technorati Tags: GPS running watch, runners gps, running gps, Suunto, Suunto X10

This Running GPS Watch is not afraid to the water.

Garmin Forerunner 310XT

The running gps Watch Garmin Forerunner 310XT is one more triathlete’s training tool — a GPS-enabled, swim-proof trainer that tracks bike and run data and sends it wirelessly to your computer. This multi-sport device has up to 20 hours of battery life, tracks distance, pace and heart rate, and goes from wrist to bike in seconds.

The swim-proof Forerunner 310XT is waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, so you can wear it in the pool or the lake to time your swim. And its slim design and flexible wristband mean Forerunner is easy to wear in any conditions.

Transition Swim-Bike-Run Effortlessly

When you’re ready to jump out of the water and onto the bike, Forerunner 310XT moves easily from wrist to bike with the optional quick release and bike mounts, making the transition between sports effortless. Forerunner 310XT categorizes multisport activities in one workout and can also log transition time in the process, so you can analyze your performance from start to finish.

Collect Workout Data, Sync, Store and Share

Forerunner 310XT tracks your position precisely with GPS satellite data and records distance, pace, heart rate (optional), power data (from ANT+™-enabled third-party power meters) and more. High-sensitivity GPS and HotFix™ satellite prediction mean Forerunner acquires satellites quickly and tracks your movement even near tall buildings or under tree cover. And using innovative ANT+™ wireless technology, Forerunner 310XT connects seamlessly to an optional heart rate monitor, foot pod and cadence sensor.

When paired with the optional wireless heart rate monitor, Forerunner 310XT continuously tracks beats per minute and uses heart rate data in advanced calorie computation. Train in a certain heart rate zone to improve fitness and monitor your level of exertion.

Once you’ve logged the miles, innovative ANT+™ wireless technology automatically transfers data to your computer when Forerunner is in range. No cables, no hookups. The data’s just there, ready for you to analyze, categorize and share through our online community, Garmin Connect or the optional Garmin Training Center™ software. You can even plan workouts on your computer and then send them to your Forerunner.

Main Features:

• The swim-proof Forerunner 310XT is waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, so you can wear it in the pool or the lake to time your swim.
• When you’re ready to jump out of the water and onto the bike, Forerunner 310XT moves easily from wrist to bike with the optional quick release
• When paired with the wireless heart rate monitor, Forerunner 310XT continuously tracks beats per minute and uses heart rate data

What I Say:

Running GPS Watch Garmin Forerunner 310XT is simply Ok, onto the feature set. Large, clear buttons. Large screen. Ability to track multiple sports. Quick upload of data. Lots of customizable options and screens.

I consider it:

• Easy to set up and use. Pairing with the ANT USB stick is simple and can quickly get you started without the manual.
• Online tools are pretty good (much better than previous iterations). Also, works with the MapMy list of sites (fitness, run, walk, hike, bike, swim, tri).
• Customizable display allows for up to 4 tracking items per screen. So, you can track pace, HR, time and distance covered on one screen then scroll to another and get a map of your HR, your calories burned and a bunch of other potential options, all determined by you.
• You can create routes on your watch and when you run it, it will record whenever you are on that route path. Great for comparing against previous training routes and for quickly setting the route and having it track you properly. Once you are on the route, it tracks you.
• Auto-multisport option allows you to set that and when you click lap, it will dump you to the next “sport” whether it be a transition or another sport such as biking/running.
• Tracks you the individual after you enter your height, weight, level of fitness. Provides caloric burn and other related info based on your input.
• Virtual training partner. You can actually have it show how you’re doing on a saved route versus your virtual training partner. This partner is a previous version of you doing the same route and tells your pace and how far you’re up/behind. Pretty cool.
• Multitude of things you can configure and display/adjust/fine tune.

Problems?

• Swim? As I quoted from the Garmin site above, this watch bills itself as the triathlete’s indispensable training tool. Umm.. triathlete means 3 sports, typically involving SWIMMING, biking and running. Swim is not an option. In fact, when I clicked other one time, it had what appeared to be an icon of a downhill skier. I’m not sure how that showed up since that option isn’t there. HUGE mistake in my book for a watch billed to be for triathletes.
• Elevation Accuracy? This one is WAAAAAY off. On a 3.3 mile run, it had me ascending 853 feet. Unless I’m climbing the Washington Monument, I’m not getting that type of elevation in 3.3 miles. I’d have to say it is off by, 600 feet or so. On a 60 mile bike ride, it had me at 1500 feet and that one at least took me up some legitimate hills.
• Switching events: There is no way to switch events mid-stream on the watch if you didn’t set it properly to begin. Let’s say you ran one day and then biked the following day. If you left it on run then switched when you realized the mistake, it clears the data and you start with a new workout. The original workout is kept but you can’t append the “new” workout on either on the watch or with any of their software (both installed SW and online site). So, when workouts are categorized, it shows a multisport recording on the installable software and whatever you mistakenly set in the online site. You then have 2 workouts you can’t consolidate or run reports against without manual intervention.
• Swim accuracy leaves a bit to be desired. While I haven’t put it through its paces and will hopefully edit this review in the future, for a 1/2 mile swim, this thing was way off. Beach, opposite direction, gaps. All were part of that swim result.

While there are a lot of pros, the cons are extremely negative. I’m highly disappointed in the overall performance considering it is billed as the triathlete’s dream. It really does track mileage well and with enough fudging (using the elevation in MapMyRide instead of from the watch) and by manually adjusting routes in my various tracking sites, I can get close what I want. The HRM is good and the coupled effect of it all makes it as worthwhile as having a set of watches out there. But, I will not be ultimately promoting this to other athletes. I wouldn’t recommend it to a hardcore triathlete.

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Technorati Tags: Garmin, Garmin forerunner 310XT, GPS running watch, runners gps, running gps