Gear - Garmin Forerunner 50
by Nick Smith 24th April 2008
I've resisted the urge to splash out on a fancy GPS-tracking/heart rate monitor/watch for several years now (most unlike me 
) but I've finally given in and bought a Garmin Forerunner 50, with the foot pod & heart rate monitor.
I decided against the GPS-enabled versions because they are quite bulky (and expensive) - my main requirement was a speed readout, as my running guru has just given me a demanding 10 week programme to get me into shape 
Most of the runs will be outside, and I've never been able to tell how fast I was running before - I used to just run at my 'race pace', all the time!
So far I'm really impressed. I've used the watch on the roads and on the trail, and it has been great getting a read-out of my speed, as well as being able to see all the stats about heart rate, cadence, etc. on the computer afterwards. I like the way the data download to the computer is wireless and happens automatically when you are close enough. One minor complaint is that the warning beeps when you stray outside of a training zone (speed or heart rate) are too quiet and hard to hear over the sound of light traffic or a burbling stream.
I bought the watch from Up and Running which is an excellent shop in the centre of Sheffield that I hadn't even noticed before.
Read more: UKClimbing discussion
Permalink | Quiklnk | Email
![[RSS]](/images/feed.gif){kind=small}