Newbie 101: How to Choose the Right Running Watch

Posted byjambalayamuzikaPosted inRunningTags:,
From being a neophyte in the running world to being more serious about the craft…Getting more serious about running, eh? If you find yourself signing up for races, running them, involving yourself in fun runs, road races, trail races, does regular training, does LSD every week, and maintains a running diary, then, my friend, you are a serious runner. Or, you are what we jokingly call, a running addict.

As serious runners, we do have our own needs and requirements. But if you go out and look for a particular watch that will probably suit your need, it\’s like looking for the right pair of running shoes for your feet.

Sigh … another search for the Holy Grail. With an array of sports watches and brands before you, it’s no wonder you get confuse on what to choose. Don’t worry, you\’re not alone. And just like you, I was confused, too.

I am no expert on this but I did my own sleuthing by asking fellow runners and checking some literatures about sports watches. In my readings, I’ve found out that there are three basic features that we need to look for in a running watch and those features are (1) a stopwatch chronograph; (2) lap storage and recall for distance based interval training and long runs; and (3) a countdown timer or interval timer feature for time based interval training.

What are those? Sorry, I can’t explain it to you in plain words. So, I suggest you visit How to Buy a Running Watch site for an in depth discussion about those alien features.

Now, if you want your life to be more complicated, you may want to add these features to your basic requirements–heart rate monitor features, speed and distance tracking capability, computer interfacing and software, session history recording capacity and value for money.

Again, I’m no expert and I don’t want to discuss the nitty-gritty of each feature. It’s your turn to do the sleuthing. The best thing to do is visit Best Running Watches site and discover more about those stuff.

Bottom line is (hoping you’ll agree with me), you are the expert. Decide what you want and whatever you choose, enjoy it.

11 thoughts on “Newbie 101: How to Choose the Right Running Watch”

  2. most of these watches (garmin/sunto/polar) are quite pricey. so if need something temporary and have a nokia GPS-capable phone, try out the nokia sports tracker. I've been using it for sometime now and it's been good so far.Roelledaytripped-running.blogspot.com

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  7. Thank you Neil, Timmy, Marvin Rae, and Mykol. 😀 Now that I have the unit, I find myself wanting to run more. It's nice to know how many calories burned, distance of the race, pace/km and average pace, and of course, the time. Wheew! 😀

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