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Garmin watch options - need advice


Chingy182

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That I why I have the Edge520 on my bike. I paid for the combo less than the price of the Fenix.

I know, it may be easier to have just one device but, I have seen guys smash their watches when wiping out. So I opted to rather take the edge plus the instinct. Train with Instinct. Ride with Edge. :-)

 

I guess it all comes down to choice.

Something I actually looked into... getting a cheaper Garmin watch for fun runs, hikes, swim, etc and the Edge520 for my bike for less than a Fenix.

 

Worst fear is wiping out on a trail and smashing my watch

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Something I actually looked into... getting a cheaper Garmin watch for fun runs, hikes, swim, etc and the Edge520 for my bike for less than a Fenix.

 

Worst fear is wiping out on a trail and smashing my watch

A crash on the trail can also result in a smashed Edge device - it all depends how one crashes.

 

If you’re worried, go the insurance route.

 

I’ve had a wrist device break and it was replaced by Garmin (when they were in Laser Park), with the R1600 payment.

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See my response below to others regarding the Vivo. Sending it back to them.

Thanks.

 

I’ll send mine back.

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If you get a Fenix with the saphire face I can almost guarantee you that you wont break it. By the time it breaks, your body will be so badly broken you will have no use for the watch anyway!  :whistling:

 

Something I actually looked into... getting a cheaper Garmin watch for fun runs, hikes, swim, etc and the Edge520 for my bike for less than a Fenix.

 

Worst fear is wiping out on a trail and smashing my watch

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Interesting, you don't say that yours is the Plus, but my 5x Plus without a chest strap gives me pretty much exactly the same HR readings as I see on my Edge 520 with a strap - It only varies by about 1 beat per minute during a ride.

 

Generally, I love my 5x Plus, and the battery life is amazing.

The wife has a 5s Plus which she also loves, but the battery life isn't as good as her previous Forerunner.

 

I got her the Garmin HRM Run for a chest strap that should arrive today, so let's see how that works.

The wife ran with her HRM Run today and she says she got a whole bunch more data fields collected and shown. Interested to see how far this kind of tech goes.

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The wife ran with her HRM Run today and she says she got a whole bunch more data fields collected and shown. Interested to see how far this kind of tech goes.

 

I've always wondered how useful the extra information is. Like knowing my "vertical oscillation" or "ground contact time" is interesting and all but does it actually serve a practical purpose?

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I guess it depends on if you learn about what they mean and then actually modify your gait etc to improve. I'm looking at this cadence thing and there may be something to it.

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I've always wondered how useful the extra information is. Like knowing my "vertical oscillation" or "ground contact time" is interesting and all but does it actually serve a practical purpose?

Steps per minute is one of the metrics I have kept an eye on in the past. Typically a higher(170+) step rate translates to a faster running time. So if you struggle to break the 25min mark for that 5km it is something to work on to actively train your body to turn those feet over quicker.

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Steps per minute is one of the metrics I have kept an eye on in the past. Typically a higher(170+) step rate translates to a faster running time. So if you struggle to break the 25min mark for that 5km it is something to work on to actively train your body to turn those feet over quicker.

 

I was under the impression that you got cadence with just the watch? if that is not the case then yes, cadence is very useful to have. I was asking more about the others (like the ones I mentioned).

 

I've only ever run with the HRM-Tri which gives you all the same metrics as the HRM-Run so I have no idea what you get with a "normal" chest strap.

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I was under the impression that you got cadence with just the watch? if that is not the case then yes, cadence is very useful to have. I was asking more about the others (like the ones I mentioned).

 

I've only ever run with the HRM-Tri which gives you all the same metrics as the HRM-Run so I have no idea what you get with a "normal" chest strap.

Sorry, I didn't intend to say cadence comes from the HRM or the watch, just wanted to point out that Cadence is the one metric I actually actively use during training. Even Heart rate I typically ignore on a run, I rather push pace.

 

Ground contact time etc is just fun to see afterwards for me.

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I actively upped my cadence a while back which seemed counter intuitive at the stage. Had a look at my best 15km on my Garmin app. Average cadence of 192. Wish I could compare my 5km pb but at that stage I was using a TomTom which didn’t pick it up. Now if only I could up it and still look as graceful and effortless like the really quick guys instead of looking as if I’m about to pass out [emoji30]

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What I’ve noticed with my running is that a shorter ground contact time and running faster go hand in hand.

 

There’s a documentary on Usain Bolt, who averages 39 steps in the 100m, compared the average Joe doing 50. The guy doing the analysis says their goal is to spend more time off the ground.

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