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Average user rating:  | |
 No complaints from me | |
| I have had my Speed & Distance system for almost a year now and you won't hear any complaints from me. I train 3 to 4 days a week using various runs (Long, Tempo & Speed) and my system has helped me keep track of all of them. I find it to be accurate and easy to program. My only wish would be to have the faceplate angeled so I could read it a little easier, especially while doing my speed work.
I live in New Mexico so I haven't had any problems with reception like other people have had. Even when I was vacationing in the Midwest during the Summer I never experienced any reception problems. When I wear it during a race I just make sure to look around to see if anyone else has one and I make sure I stay away from them. The reason I especially like my system is that I don't have to limit myself to where I run. I can run anywhere and still know how far I have gone and at what pace. It really keeps the boredom out of my runs, especially the long runs. During races it has kept me on my goal pace and has helped me improve my "personal best" times. I also wear my watch when I bicycle and rollerblade with my kids. If you do plan on buying one and using it alot then buy rechargeable batteries, it will save you money. | |
 Temper your expectations: | |
| I am a 3,000+ mile per year competitive marathon runner who received this watch as a Christmas present. I have now logged a half dozen runs with the watch and have a pretty good feel for its operation. RECEPTION: My first run was in a mild snow blizzard. I had virtually no reception during the 8 mile run. I figured that either I was using it incorrectly or it was broken. My next five runs or so were in clear conditions and the reception has been much better. The watch will lose a signal or (worse) become inaccurate when dropping into deeper valleys or when running amongst thicker tree cover. But the watch recovers with an accurate distance once you emerge back out in the clear. The receiver does not work well on the belt; you'll have to put it on your arm which for me is a less desirable location. ACCURACY: The distance is rather good. The "current pace" is often ok and sometimes poor. In very clear conditions it gives a reasonably solid reading. But in even mild tree cover the pace varies wildly. I ran the last three miles of my long run at exactly 5:52 pace (over flat course with measured 1/4 miles) and the watch reading varied from 7:03 pace to 5:22 pace. This is a bit more extreme than normal operation, but you will likely also find the pace to vary. ERGONOMICS: I am a skinny runner and I don't know how big Arnold's bicep or wrist is, but the straps on these things are ridiculously large. There is a strap for the receiver unit (around the arm) and a strap for the watch. I have double and triple wrapped the straps and still have annoying yards of extra straps flapping about. At the very least, Timex should have included smaller straps to fit the "average" runner. The receiver unit is a bit bulky and heavy but I guess it is up to Garmin/Timex to try to make it smaller. The watch strap has some new "snap" latching mechanism that doesn't work for smaller wrists so the watch keeps falling off. I dropped the watch in a snowy mud puddle on my first outing (so much for having the option to return it) and it has fallen off frequently since. I am a bit annoyed that I now need to go out to purchase a $3 velcro strap to replace the one it came with. Overall -- a decent unit for measuring overall distance and sometimes for reasonable current pace readings. The straps and latching mechanism are obvious areas for improvement. You might wait a year or two to see if Garmin/Timex can improve the reception quality, the current pace accuracy, and make the unit smaller; who knows, maybe the price will drop too? | |
| A Great Runner's Gadget | |
| I've been a distance runner for 20 years and have always been fascinated with how far each run took me, how far for the year, how far for career, etc. Until now, I've had to estimate the distances for which I couldn't drive a car or ride a bike. With experience, one can do this pretty accurately by time if the same course is run several times. This new Timex product makes it easy to do every time. I've never worn any sort of radio or tape player on my arm, but had no trouble at all with the GPS tranceiver. I was able to adjust the band so it was secure and after a half mile or so forgot about it. The watch is bulkier than a normal Timex Ironman; women with slender wrists may have trouble wearing it. Being larger, however, means a larger display (which is also very crisp) that is easy to read while running. In addition to the normal Timex Ironman functions, this unit gives distance, an odometer, and all kinds of time/distance data such as average speed, max speed, current speed, etc. The speed information isn't very interesting to me. I have a hard time relating MPH to pace per mile. Also, I can calculate average speed on my own. But that ability to track distance... I enjoy being able to head out on an unknown course (and frequently have to when on business travel) and know just how far I've gone when I return. This watch is especially useful this week when the Northern Virginia area is covered with two feet of snow and I'm forced to improvise with parking lots, cleared residential loops and other unfamiliar areas. Will I wear this watch every day? No, only when running unfamiliar routes (I have a perfectly good Timex Ironman that I'll use). Will I miss it if I'm forced to alter a course for some reason? You bet! Would I wear it in a race? No, of course not. 1) Race courses are already measured; 2) I know what my mile splits should be; 3) It is kinda bulky--not something I'd combine with my racing flats. Overall: awesome technology for running geeks! It won't help you run faster, but for those of us who must know "how far," it's liberating. I gave it a 4 versus 5 only because I haven't had it long enough to evaluate things like battery life (advertised 12 hours for transceiver, probably 3-5 years for watch). If you're a serious runner who never wears a watch, don't get this. If you're a serious runner who always wears a watch, who's always trying to work out distances, this is the watch for you. |
