The best equipment can help make hard physical training a little easier. While good training shoes and fabrics that breath can make exerting physical effort more comfortable, the best technology can handle much of the hard work in tracking and comparing results. For runners, cyclists and any sport that involves moving from point A to point B in quick time, a GPS watch can be a beneficial tool, providing you with valuable feedback on how you are performing and storing performance statistics for later comparison. As there are a various models of GPS watches on the market, lets take a look at a few of the popular ones.
At the cheap end of the price scale, you'll discover the Timex Speed and Distance watch. Timex GPS watches require an external GPS device be mounted on the wearer's body, which transmits data wirelessly to the wrist watch via a digital FM signal. The Timex Speed and Distance model measures horizontal speed and distance, but unlike the more expensive Timex Bodylink GPS system, cannot measure altitude. That aside, it has many nice features that runners need such as lap and target speed sessions, 100 Laps of memory and the famous Timex INDIGLO illumination lighting system for night time running. The GPS system also features auto-pause which stops the timers when you stop running and starts when you resume.
Another GPS watch system for runners is the Suunto Training series watches. The Training series watches is a series of three GPS enabled watches, the T3C, T4C and T6C. These watches also utilize an external, wireless GPS device and unlike the Timex watches feature "Training Effect", an accurate indicator of the actual fitness benefit of a workout. The pricier T6C can also measure EPOC and is packed with bunch of other analytical features, although these are mostly overkill to all but the most specialist runners and coaches. Only the T6C measures altitude, and utilizes a barometric altimeter which is more accurate than GPS.
The Suunto Training Series watches offer a different set of features to the Timex GPS system and any one of these might be considered one of the "best GPS running watches", but there is a more popular brand of GPS watch that is a clear favorite amongst athletes and runners everywhere. This watch would be the Garmin Forerunner line of GPS watches.
The Forerunner 305 is an older GPS system, yet is still amongst the most popular GPS system in existence. It was superceded by the Forerunner 405, which is sleeker and looks more like a watch, but stripped out were the navigation features that the Forerunner 305 could accommodate with its larger screen size. The 405 was then superceded by the 405CX which was essentially a minor upgrade. The 405 and 405CX are high tech watches that feature a touch-sensitive bezel and a wireless ANT+ transfer mechanism for transferring data to PC. Data can even be wirelessly transmitted between 405 watches. While the 405CX is probably the most popular running GPS watch, the 405 and 305, being older watches can be picked up slightly cheaper and still deliver a lot of bang for your buck!
These three watch brands all offer their advantages, but the best GPS running watch for you will depend on which features you need individually and what price you are prepared to pay. A GPS running watch is a tool highly worthy of investment. It will keep you on track and on time.
| Price : $99.00
