Features to Look for in Running Watches
Written by Nuno Costa
In a previous blog post, I covered how to calculate your pace zones. Now, I will cover which watches I recommend for helping you with following your pace zones while running.
You first need to determine what features are important to have since there are so many different watches out there. If you are a CrossFit athlete, you will most likely be fine with the simplest watch that covers your time, pace and distance. However, you will want a GPS watch that does all those things.
Unless you have an endurance background, it will most likely surprise you when using a pacing watch how much it will slow you down at the start of your workouts. It will also allow you to see big improvements, not just in your running, but your overall conditioning if you stay consistent. The benefits of having a watch to help you be consistent in your pace will be wildly beneficial.
There are additional features of GPS watches that may interest you. Some additional features are pace zones, alerts, heart rate data, interval training, route exploration, cadence, auto laps, music and more. All these features can be helpful, but aren’t necessarily needed with the type of training we do as CrossFit athletes.
Here are some of the top GPS running watches and in depth reviews for each:
Tom Tom watches seem to be a more cost effective solution. They are newer in the market of running watches but seem to be catching up to the big players (Garmin and Polar) in terms of functionality and market share. If your plan is to compete in triathlons, adventure based events or other activities then the additional features on watches might be worth investing in. However, for the CrossFit athlete I’d say stick to the basics, especially for the beginning runner or someone that may not need all the bells and whistles.
A couple of other things that you might run into that will affect your decision buying process are:
1 – Cost
2 – Battery life
At the cheaper end you will find some GPS watches for under $100 but a majority will cost more than that and upwards to $500. Battery life doesn’t seem to be a problem unless you are doing ultra based events like an IronMan where you will be on the course for over 10 hours. You also want to note that your GPS is most accurate when outside, so depending on where you live and what your weather conditions are like, take that into consideration.
What about running with my phone? There are apps I can use to get all the data I need for my running workouts.
Yes, ultimately this can be used as a short term solution but I wouldn’t recommend it in the long term. If you are running with your phone then more than likely you are holding it in your hand, which is less than ideal for your running technique. You want your hands to be free while you run. You could get a strap for your arm to put the phone on while you run, but the drawback here is that you won’t be able to see the time/pace, real time data while you are performing the workouts. Another issue that people run into is the accuracy of data for apps. There is no way the technology is up to par with what GPS running watches have created so I would stick to the watch.
For the CrossFit athlete who wants to improve their running/pacing, you’ll want a GPS watch that tells you your time, pace and distance – those are the basics. After that, you can determine how serious you want to be and upgrade your device, although this is not something that wears out or that you will need to replace. These watches can last for a long time.
If you haven’t checked out our online endurance program, be sure to do so as soon as possible – we offer pacing for running specific workouts. Our newest cycle will launch January 2nd with the focus of improving your 1 mile time leading up to the Open. Give it a try for a few months and watch your running/aerobic capacity improve! You can register for it here.
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