Running watches, GPS watches, Heart rate monitor and more

Timex, Garmin and Silva Tech watches.  Training tips and articles for the novice to the elite runner.

Running watches, GPS watches, Heart rate monitor and more.

Running watches, GPS watches, Heart rate monitor and more

Running watches, GPS watches, Heart rate monitor and more.

If you want to train smarter try using a heart rate monitor or a GPS running watch.    Most people have a GPS for the car why not for your runs.  This site has articles to help you train smarter like how to use heart rate monitors and GPS running watches to get the most out of your training. Check it out it will help any runner from the novice to the elite level.

Top Three Features For Your Running Watch

If you are shopping around for a good running watch, there are a few criteria that should be considered as essential.

Before you buy any running watch, you should stop to think about yourself as a runner.  Are you a casual runner who just likes to get outside in the fresh air every once in a while and run a few laps around the park?  Or are you a serious, advanced runner who runs every day, rain or shine, possibly even training to run in a marathon?

The type of runner you are should determine the type of running watch you need.   A basic running watch will suffice for the casual runner, while a serious runner needs a running watch with more advanced features.

Whichever type of runner you may be, here are the top 3 things to consider when you are buying a running watch:

1. Does the watch have a countdown timer?

Even if you are just a casual, occasional runner now, you might eventually kick it up a notch and start taking your running more seriously.  In that event, you will want to know your time.   A countdown timer on a running watch will count down from a certain value until it reaches zero.  You might want to keep up with your time as a casual runner, as well, to see if you can beat your own time after a set period.   For example, you might want to record your times every time you run a particular route for a month, to see if your speed has improved at the end of that period.

2. Does the watch have a clear display?

The last thing you want when you are out running is a watch with an inferior display!  You need to be sure and buy a watch with large enough numbers that you can easily see them at arm’s length while running.   Also, make sure that the stop watch display is adequate.  You want something easy to see and read while you are running, so that you can keep up with your time.

3. Does the watch have lap storage capabilities?

You want to be able to store each record of your sessions, so that you can track your progress as time goes on.  So, look for a running watch that will store the data of each session: speed, distance, time.

Before buying a running watch, make sure it comes with those three features! Then explore the roads with your new watch.

For The Special Runner in Your Life On Valentines Day

Need a unique gift for the runner in your life on Valentines Day visit http://www.webwarezwatches.com  and click the unique running gifts to order a mug with this saying on it.

TIMEX Ironman Global Trainer with GPS Technology with Heart Rate Monitor- Product Review

Dave Erickson is a TV anchor and two time Ironman Triathlete. Below is his review of the new Timex Global Trainer with GPS technology.

It’s December and my triathlon season wrapped up in mid-September and I’m feeling fairly good about how things went. I earned my first ever podium spot at a Sprint triathlon in Rathdrum, Idaho in June. That was pretty exciting for me.

This season consisted of 3 Sprints, 3 Olympics and two 70.3′s which included my first ever Ironman Boise 70.3, in June. It was soon after that race that I picked up a new training device, the TIMEX Ironman Global Trainer with GPS technology with Heart Rate Monitor. It went Global in September.

This is the first GPS device to go head to head with the Garmin line of sports watches and for my money TIMEX is far and above the better value. I’ll tell you why in a moment.

My previous watch was a Garmin 310xt, a solid watch but a bit more spendy. Over the years I’ve had a number of different sport watches, some name brands, some generic, then as I got more series, I started using HRM watches, Polar, Garmins and most recently, TIMEX.

Here’s what I like with this Global Trainer. It was designed with the multisport athlete in mind and with a 15 hour rechargable battery life even an Ironman athlete can utilize all of it’s great features without the worry of it dieing or going blank mid-way through your race.

I’ve used the Global Trainer now in all three disciplines during training as well as full races and I love it! It works great in the water in part because the large display face makes it easy to read. It’s water resistant to 50 meters which is more than enough but like the Garmin it does lose it’s GPS below the surface; in the pool and in open water. It’s still works fine underwater, keeping track of my overall time, number of laps (up to a thousand if your that ambitious), split times, everything TIMEX watches already do, it’s the same system. And when I’m done I can review my workout. It takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours for a full charge. It comes with a USB port adapter for the wall too.

Here’s one of the features that is exclusive to TIMEX and the Global Trainer, after your workout you can download your performance to the TIMEX Ironman Online Training log software which is powered by Training Peaks. My favorite mode on this watch is the MULTISPORT. This is perfect for the triathlete. Not only does it have a screen for and calculate your swim, bike and run time, it’s also set up to track your T1 and T2 times, just by pushing one button. It takes the guess work out of racing so you can focus on the task at hand.

I’ve had this watch going on 6 months now and it’s the only watch I use when training; its an “all-in-one” training device. It’s worth every dollar I spent.

Once you use it, I’m positive you’ll be happy with your investment.

What To Do With Race Medal?

When you start running races one thinks it would be nice to win a medal.    After you’ve run a few races, and won a few medals you will be asking yourself what do I do with the medals now?  Our household has two adults that have competed in 10-20 races a year or over 24 years, and two children that have run a few races themselves.  So you can imagine the amount of medals we have in our house. Rather than stuff it in a drawer here are a few ideas.

Medal Hangers

Hang it up. If you have a collection of medals, show them off on one of these cool MedalART Wall Hangers. These metal, hand-sculpted hangers come in six different designs and can hold up to 24 medals. It’s a perfect running gift for a runner on your list (or for your own wish list).  Check out MedalArt’s website at http://www.goneforarun.com

Create a shadow box display. If you don’t want to pay a lot of money to get your medal,   race photo and bib, professionally mounted and framed, try doing it yourself. Just buy an inexpensive shadow box at a local craft store,  fill it with your race memorabilia, hang it on your wall and you’ll have a nice-looking reminder of your achievement.  The shadow boxes some in a variety of sizes and are made out of wood.

Pin them on cork board (about 4 feet x 3 feet found in Walmart/Target stores).    This is perfect for children to hang in their rooms.  My daughters are 9 and 7 years old.  They started running 1 mile fun runs at the age of 3 and both have run a few 5K races after they turned 7 years old. They enjoy hanging the medals up and every once in a while they rearranging  them, using push pins makes this fun and easy.

Donate it.  Medals4Mettle (M4M) is a non-profit organization that collects marathon, half-marathon, and triathlon medals from runners around the world and distributes them to children and adults who have demonstrated courage by dealing with disease, handicaps or any similar challenge. The Indianapolis-based organization has a nationwide network of doctors and others who award the medals to deserving, courageous people who are running their own race. Check out Medals4Mettle’s website if you’re interested in donating a medal.  http://www.medal4mettle.org

Running watches, GPS watches, Heart rate monitor and more

Running watches, GPS watches, Heart rate monitor and more.

Record Your Progress- It Will Help Your Future Training And Racing

How do you know if you’re improving if you can’t remember what you did?   By accurately recording what you run you can see patterns develop in your training and racing. This will enable you to train smarter.

When I first started running in the summer of 1985 I recorded all my running in a spiral notebook.  I would make a calendar grid  for the month and make each day writing area about 2 inches.  I usually wrote how many minutes I ran and the loop.  I would total the weekly mileage up as well as the monthly  and the yearly mileage.     As the years went on the  I wrote things like how I felt during the workout, suggestions for future workouts and my goals.  Be specific when you write in your log because you will want to know details if you look back to see how different workouts went several months later.  I often would write down the names of the runners who finished  in front of me and behind me.  The names of the runners ahead of me would help motivate me to train harder to beat them.  The names of the runners who finished behind  me where also important after all you don’t want them to catch you.

Now that you are writing down your daily training it is also a good idea to write down your race results.  How do you know if you’re improving if you can’t remember what time you ran in a race?  Again try to write lots of details.  You should at least include you time and place you finished.  I tried to also write what the weather was like.  After all your time is often affected by the weather.  I have run a 1/2 marathon in the pouring rain one year resulting in a slow time and the next year it was perfect resulting in a personal best time.  If you don’t write down that it was pouring your will forget why you ran slow.

Today there are training logs for everything  running, walking, triathlon, and ultra marathons.  A variety of training logs can be found at Web Warez Watches.com The logs have all kinds of other information in them as well.  Some logs have pace charts to help you figure out what pace you should be doing you track workouts, resources, and tips from elite runners.

Running Shoes

There is no such thing as the perfect shoe, or a shoe that is perfect for everyone.  What you can find is the perfect shoe for you and your running style.  While running your feet will  strike the ground about 1,700 times per mile with up to 4 times your body weight. Footwear that is improperly sized or unsuited to your biomechanical and training needs can cause injury.

Finding the right shoe is more difficult than just seeing what looks best.  The best way to find that perfect shoe is to go to a running specialty store and get your feet evaluated and fitted with a pair of shoes.  The people who own the running specialty stores are runners themselves and will usually hire people with a running background.  They will look at your feet, see how you walk/ run.   They will be looking to see if you have a normal arch, high or flat arch.  They will ask questions about your running habits and history.  They will also look at your old shoes to see your wear pattern.  Shoe wear indicates how the running foot bears weight.  Wear varies from person to person depending on weight, running gait, frequency of use, and the running surface.  Depending on these factors, the average would be 400-500 miles per pair of shoes.  Personally I have my shoe last longer.  This drives my husband crazy because he has to get a new pair every 400- 500 miles.

Wear Pattern

Finding the right shoe for you will depend on two things your foot type and arch.    As you run you naturally land on the outside of your foot and roll inward. This inward rolling is called pronation.  There are three different types of arches normal, high or low (flat).  The height of your arch determines the way your foot will roll or pronate.     If you have a normal arch your foot will roll to a healthy spot.  If you have a high arch your foot will roll slightly as is impacts the ground or underpronate.   If you have a low arch your foot will roll excessively inward or overpronate.  By looking at your old running shoes you can determine if you underpronate or overpronate.  The quickest  way to determine your foot type is perform the “wet test”.  Get your feet wet , step on a brown shopping bag and look at your foot print.  If you see about half of your arch, you have the most common foot type and are considered a normal pronator. Pronation is a good thing. When the arch collapses inward, this “pronation” absorbs shock. As a normal pronator, you can wear just about any shoe.  If you see almost your entire footprint, you have a flat foot, which means you’re probably a overpronator.  Your arch collapses inward too much, resulting in excessive foot motion and increasing your risk of injuries. You need to buy a motion control shoe.  If you see just your heel, the ball of your foot, and a thin line on the outside of your foot, you have a high arch this is  the least common foot type. This means you’re likely a underpronator, or supinator.  A high arch can result in too much shock traveling up your legs because the  arch doesn’t collapse enough to absorb it.  You will need to buy a neutral cushioned shoe.

Most runners find a shoe that feels good and will stick with the brand.  If the company discontinued a shoe they will usually make something similar to the shoe.  By going to a running specialty store they will be able to figure out the shoe for you and help find a comparable shoe is your has been discontinued.

After you get your shoes do not wash your shoes in the washing machine or dry them in the dryer.  If they get wet it is best to dry them naturally or by stuffing them with newspaper.

GPS Running Watches- What Are They and Why A Runner Needs One

Today everyone talks about having a GPS for traveling purposes.  They help you find where you need to go without having a map all over the seat of the car or needing your passenger to read a map to find your destination.  But did you know they make GPS running watches?  These specialized watches are equipped with GPS making it seem like you have a computerized personal coach on your wrist.

GPS stands for global positioning system. The watch uses a series of satellites for navigation purposes.  The GPS tracks where you are and can help you find your way back.  This can be very helpful if you are running in an unfamiliar area.  In the past your watch only timed how long you where running/exercising.  GPS watches help runners monitor speed, distance, pace, and calories burned while they are training on the roads.  In years past you had to finish your run and calculate everything.

They are a great product for everyone from the novice runner to the elite Olympic runners.  More and more runners are getting GPS watches because they literally are like running with a personal coach on your wrist. They give you instant feed back allowing you to instantly adjust your training resulting in training smarter.  In the past your watch only timed how long you where running/exercising.  Some GPS running watches even track your altitudes.  They have a rechargeable battery that often last 12-14 hours before needing recharging.  The GPS running watches store your workouts (data) by the date.  This gives you the chance to review workout data through out the year.