So, I’ve been using an Apple Watch for a while to track my running, but there’s a part of me that’s interested in a running smartwatch that’s more “real” — meaning, a watch that’s designed for running specifically.
First, am I silly to even worry about this? Is an Apple Watch just fine for most of what I need it for? And if not, what running watch do you use, and would you recommend it? What do you like best about it? Why did you pick it?
I’m always interested to hear what kinds of gear people are using, what they like and what they don’t, because sometimes the tiniest features or aspects of them can make one perfect and another not worth the money you paid for it (even if it’s fine for most everything else).
I use a forerunner 735xt. It’s been 6 years. It broke last year and I sent to Garmin that replaced it with a refurbished one for $99 bucks. I use it 24 hours for 6.5 days (0.5 is for recharging). I love it!
I used to love the Apple Watch, for more reasons than I could give my youngest my phone before she caught me trying to sneak out for a run in the wee hours of the morning and I’d still be safe with just the watch.
I, then, converted to the Garmin Forerunner 625, or something like that. I can’t find it only anymore but you can control the music from your watch with it. My only issue is the battery life as it would t last with my ultra races
Since then, I’ve converted to the Coros and I absolutely LOVE this thing! The battery is amazing, you can download running plans and maps and it reroutes you if you go the wrong way, which I’m notorious for doing. It costs a tiny bit less than I paid for my Garmin (back then, $625). I want to say I paid $499 for this, and it gives you very stat out there. Super impressed!
Great topic Terrell! I just bought my first running watch, a Garmin Forerunner 965. I never tracked pace or any of the other stats these watches have. I just started up Strava on my phone and went 😊. I had to go with a watch that had a screen big enough for me to see without my readers. It’s been interesting to learn more about what the watch is capturing about my HR, Power, VO2, + Many More. I’m still only looking at it after each mile and not sure it’s directing me one way or another just yet, maybe because I’m still learning. I find other non-running stats more interesting like my sleep pattern. Yes, it can track your sleep patterns. It’s more important to me now at my age 😊! I think you should go for it and get a smart running watch but maybe put limits on it for what you want to get out of it, it seems to be working for me so far. Let us know what you decide!
I’m in it for the camaraderie... being a jogger, I occasionally take home a medal because there are only 1 or 2 of us in our age group! All that being said, I still love my Garmin Forerunner 10 ... for its simplicity. When it goes, I have my eyes on a 55 ... simple is cool!
Great issue, thanks Terrell for raising it. I used this ancient Tomtom for years, the watch version of a flip-phone. Then a half a year ago I got a Fitbit Charge 5. The bottom line for me is that tracking pace and distance is really important - not only to go fast and far, but sometimes just as importantly to make sure I'm going slow enough and not burning myself out! Fitbit also tracks heart rate, which is valuable both during running and also for resting heart rate which is a pretty legit indicator of my current general health.
I haven't found anything really helpful from the more advanced features. They always seem to lack context. I might be sick with a fever for a week but my readiness score will be a hundred because (duh!) I haven't been running.
After a Garmin, then a bunch of Fitbits, I've gone back to Garmin because I'm doing more cross-training and like how the Garmins that are meant for swimming can handle pool and open water (my SIL's Apple watch just died after the first time she wore it in the water this week, even though it says it's ok for swimming, and I've had that problem with Fitbits, too), along with kayaking, SUP, and surfing. Plus indoor rowing.
I bought a pair of Beats X wireless earbuds ... they are connected to each other and prove beneficial when my wife wants to know where I am when I do virtual halves. They connect to my iPhone.
I used to use an Apple Watch, but got rid of it (terrible battery life, terrible ability to use the touch screen when running, so many notifications when not running, etc). I have instead used a Garmin Fenix 6 for a few years and appreciate its battery and functions (I’m not just a runner). I also wear a Whoop which is easier to sleep with.
It’s an HR/HRV monitor. It measures strain, recovery and sleep. Helps me determine whether I need a rest day or whether I can push it more. And also, what impacts my recovery. For example, I completely cut out alcohol when I looked at a month without it and haven’t drank in almost four years as a result.
I used to use Apple Watch, but I switched to garmin about a year ago. Two things annoyed me with Apple: very poor battery life and touch screen that was useless for sweaty hands.
I have been running with Garmin watches since my Ironman watch band broke many years ago and really like what they deliver. My Fenix 5pluss gives me more information then I really need. The map trail function kept me from fettin lost in a snow storm in Rocky Mountain National Park 3 yeaes back. Garmin also has amazing support based up by Kansas City.
I really liked garmin fenix pro. Yes. After 2 years now I di need to charge it more but not every night like an Apple Watch. It’s also much more durable.
I don’t use all the functions but like the sleep tracking, run suggestions, temperature, map, etc etc. I hope yo get an updated one but in the meantime if you see me share a photo here or on IG most likely, I’m always wearing it!
When I first bought my Garmin FR245 I had 2 things in mind:
- Battery life: I didn't want to charge my watch every night.
- Notifications: I DID NOT my watch to be smart to show me all the notifications and whatnot. I'm distracted as is without a new device fighting me for attention & focus.
4 years late: my Garmin watch is still doing a good job (although the improvements on FR265 are making me itch), and I'm definitely happy that my watch can only buzz when someone is calling me. The most important thing.
As I mentioned above ... my beats are tied to my phone so I can listen to my running playlist during races. My Garmin Forerunner 10 still performs well ... when the battery goes, I will move to the 55.
I've been wearing an Apple watch almost since they came out. It gives me everything I need and stores my data so I can compare runs, weekly goals and with my bluetooth in my ears, I can listen to anthing I want to down load to audio books to music and anything else you can put on your phone. I'd feel lost without it.
Until I started running longer distances like the marathon, my Apple Watch was fine, but as it got older, the battery life got even worse, and I felt like I was constantly having to charge it. During a marathon in 2022, it died on me with only 2 miles to go! That's when I had enough and switched to Garmin Forerunner 255. It took a bit of adjustment to adapt to no longer having a touch screen, but once I got over that mild hurdle I now love it. Easy to read, much longer battery life, reliable as an alarm clock, more reliable GPS and tracking. I haven't yet used a training program through Garmin--I feel like I would need to run ten days a week for it to say I'm "progressing" and not just "maintaining" lol. It's a tough cookie and expects a lot from you in terms of adding base and speed work.
I’ve been using an Apple Watch forever but decided to buy a Garmin. I got the Garmin 245 music watch and what I can say is that Garmin doesn’t like treadmill runs. It has it as an option but when I use the Garmin and Apple Watch they both read different distances when I’m done and Garmin doesn’t give you heart rate like apple does. Overall I do like the Garmin but if you don’t have a Spotify account then you gotta bring your iPhone on the run to listen to your music and connect your headphones to Bluetooth. The Garmin has a lot of great features like apple I think it’s all a preference but Garmin does well outside and apple is great for those workouts and treadmill workout just my 2 cents hope it helps
You’re welcome. If I had to say one negative that’s it the treadmill function. I live in NC so it’s really hot here so treadmill running is a necessity lol but overall I do like the watch and I love the workout features and that’s free. You can download a workout to the phone and follow it. Apple requires a subscription for that so something to think about. I got mine from the market place someone let it go for dirt cheap.
My Apple SE does the job. It's generally consistent with mileage, as I check with another source the distances I'm running. Of course running with music while tracking a run does drain about half the batter life if you're on, say, a 2 hour run. Not a deal breaker, as most folks return home from a run and can quickly recharge before leaving again. However, keep an extra charger with you at work if you put in a long run that morning and then are going directly to work after showering at the gym.
I have both an Apple Watch SE and a Garmin Fenix 6S Pro Solar (yes, I wear both...I may have a problem, lol!). I love both watches for different things. I track all of my runs and workouts with my Garmin. It is the "source record" for all of my physical activity data, which I share with my Apple Watch. I find the Garmin is much more accurate with distance and pace than the Apple Watch (used both for a while to compare) and it is just simpler to use one as the primary source for data. Garmin gives me all of the stats I could ask for on my runs and I feel the application is more informative for activities than the Apple application. I initially started wearing the Apple Watch for a study that I was participating in. I have since completed the study and have continued to wear the watch as I love the challenges, and trying to close my rings every day. In that respect, I feel it keeps me a bit more active outside of my scheduled training. I can also pay for my Starbucks order with it, which is a bonus, lol! So, I do love both watches for different reasons. However, I feel the Garmin is far superior for tracking activities, and runs in particular, than the Apple Watch.
Really, really interesting, Stacy -- especially about the accuracy of the Garmin vs. the Apple Watch, and yet you do find a place for the AW in your life away from your actual runs. Really interesting! What was the study, if you don't mind me asking?
It was a study on the effects of exercise on brain health. Once I earned 100K points I got to keep the watch. Torwards the end of my participation they were asking for more and more personal data which I felt had nothing to do with brain health (types of web sites visited, etc.,) or the original purpose of the study so I bailed. I was in it for more than a year though. I would have stayed in it had it not appeared that they were straying from the original purpose.
Another difference is that the Garmin gives me great data on my training, where the Apple Watch gives me great data on my overall health. Both views of how I am doing are important to me.
I’m a COROS fan. I used a Garmin briefly but liked the much longer battery life of the COROS and other features that work really well with trail running. I also like that they keep improving the watch, and also that the prices are generally lower than Garmin for whoever model you use. I have the Apex 42mm which is a bit old now but I still like it.
That's interesting -- I can definitely see the need for longer, more reliable battery life especially with trail running, when you might be out there for a really long time. Thanks, Henriette!
The only bummer about it is that you have to charge the watch so rarely that I sometimes forget all about that and end up far from a charger and with no juice. That’s what Strava on the phone is for, I guess :-)
I had a Fitbit Charge 5 but had to get rid of it. The GPS was very spotty and my mileage was way off. I thought it might be a flaw with my device but they wouldn’t replace or repair it. I’m using a Garmin Vivoactive 4 now and it connects to GPS and holds it well. It’s also nice looking enough that I wear it out to dinner etc.
Depends on how far you're running, and how much you care about tracking every detail. I've gone from a Forerunner 50, traded it in for a 235, didn't like the plasticky case so sold it and got a Fenix 5 which had the added advantage of tracking everything you could possibly need and more, and was built like a tank. Traded up recently to an Epix 2 for the better screen/maps/multi-band GPS. Massively massively overspecced for my parkrun/trail runs, but useful when out hiking all day and the battery life is incredible. Can easily get a couple of weeks out of it.
oh the Epix 2 is definitely too much for what I use it for. Probably use about 10% of the features. But I hit upon it on sale at a great deal and thought heck, you only live once. I love it, but it is a chunky watch.
That's a frustration I have with my Apple Watch too -- I've run the same trail near me dozens of times, and often get different readings for the exact same distance (unless I carry my phone with me, as I assume its GPS is more accurate). It kinda makes me question whatever you've run when I wear it.
I use a forerunner 735xt. It’s been 6 years. It broke last year and I sent to Garmin that replaced it with a refurbished one for $99 bucks. I use it 24 hours for 6.5 days (0.5 is for recharging). I love it!
I used to love the Apple Watch, for more reasons than I could give my youngest my phone before she caught me trying to sneak out for a run in the wee hours of the morning and I’d still be safe with just the watch.
I, then, converted to the Garmin Forerunner 625, or something like that. I can’t find it only anymore but you can control the music from your watch with it. My only issue is the battery life as it would t last with my ultra races
Since then, I’ve converted to the Coros and I absolutely LOVE this thing! The battery is amazing, you can download running plans and maps and it reroutes you if you go the wrong way, which I’m notorious for doing. It costs a tiny bit less than I paid for my Garmin (back then, $625). I want to say I paid $499 for this, and it gives you very stat out there. Super impressed!
Ahhh, that’s good to know! Thanks, Jennie!
Great topic Terrell! I just bought my first running watch, a Garmin Forerunner 965. I never tracked pace or any of the other stats these watches have. I just started up Strava on my phone and went 😊. I had to go with a watch that had a screen big enough for me to see without my readers. It’s been interesting to learn more about what the watch is capturing about my HR, Power, VO2, + Many More. I’m still only looking at it after each mile and not sure it’s directing me one way or another just yet, maybe because I’m still learning. I find other non-running stats more interesting like my sleep pattern. Yes, it can track your sleep patterns. It’s more important to me now at my age 😊! I think you should go for it and get a smart running watch but maybe put limits on it for what you want to get out of it, it seems to be working for me so far. Let us know what you decide!
I’m in it for the camaraderie... being a jogger, I occasionally take home a medal because there are only 1 or 2 of us in our age group! All that being said, I still love my Garmin Forerunner 10 ... for its simplicity. When it goes, I have my eyes on a 55 ... simple is cool!
Great issue, thanks Terrell for raising it. I used this ancient Tomtom for years, the watch version of a flip-phone. Then a half a year ago I got a Fitbit Charge 5. The bottom line for me is that tracking pace and distance is really important - not only to go fast and far, but sometimes just as importantly to make sure I'm going slow enough and not burning myself out! Fitbit also tracks heart rate, which is valuable both during running and also for resting heart rate which is a pretty legit indicator of my current general health.
I haven't found anything really helpful from the more advanced features. They always seem to lack context. I might be sick with a fever for a week but my readiness score will be a hundred because (duh!) I haven't been running.
Anything specific that really can be important?
After a Garmin, then a bunch of Fitbits, I've gone back to Garmin because I'm doing more cross-training and like how the Garmins that are meant for swimming can handle pool and open water (my SIL's Apple watch just died after the first time she wore it in the water this week, even though it says it's ok for swimming, and I've had that problem with Fitbits, too), along with kayaking, SUP, and surfing. Plus indoor rowing.
I also don't care about getting alerts or calls from my phone to my watch. I love my iphone, but just don't need it to be *that* synced with my watch.
I bought a pair of Beats X wireless earbuds ... they are connected to each other and prove beneficial when my wife wants to know where I am when I do virtual halves. They connect to my iPhone.
Excellent point! What seems like a convenience can turn out to be a hindrance, in a lot of ways.
I used to use an Apple Watch, but got rid of it (terrible battery life, terrible ability to use the touch screen when running, so many notifications when not running, etc). I have instead used a Garmin Fenix 6 for a few years and appreciate its battery and functions (I’m not just a runner). I also wear a Whoop which is easier to sleep with.
Interesting! What’s a Whoop? I’m k not familiar with that.
I wrote about it a few years ago. https://open.substack.com/pub/kathekon/p/the-data-drove-me-not-to-drink?r=7j6pb&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
It’s an HR/HRV monitor. It measures strain, recovery and sleep. Helps me determine whether I need a rest day or whether I can push it more. And also, what impacts my recovery. For example, I completely cut out alcohol when I looked at a month without it and haven’t drank in almost four years as a result.
I used to use Apple Watch, but I switched to garmin about a year ago. Two things annoyed me with Apple: very poor battery life and touch screen that was useless for sweaty hands.
I've used a FitBit Charge ____ for several years. Right now the current model is Charge 5, and I find it to be very useful.
I have been running with Garmin watches since my Ironman watch band broke many years ago and really like what they deliver. My Fenix 5pluss gives me more information then I really need. The map trail function kept me from fettin lost in a snow storm in Rocky Mountain National Park 3 yeaes back. Garmin also has amazing support based up by Kansas City.
I really liked garmin fenix pro. Yes. After 2 years now I di need to charge it more but not every night like an Apple Watch. It’s also much more durable.
I don’t use all the functions but like the sleep tracking, run suggestions, temperature, map, etc etc. I hope yo get an updated one but in the meantime if you see me share a photo here or on IG most likely, I’m always wearing it!
I use an Apple Watch. I always have but I’m interested in what people have to say. Great question. Thanks
When I first bought my Garmin FR245 I had 2 things in mind:
- Battery life: I didn't want to charge my watch every night.
- Notifications: I DID NOT my watch to be smart to show me all the notifications and whatnot. I'm distracted as is without a new device fighting me for attention & focus.
4 years late: my Garmin watch is still doing a good job (although the improvements on FR265 are making me itch), and I'm definitely happy that my watch can only buzz when someone is calling me. The most important thing.
As I mentioned above ... my beats are tied to my phone so I can listen to my running playlist during races. My Garmin Forerunner 10 still performs well ... when the battery goes, I will move to the 55.
I've been wearing an Apple watch almost since they came out. It gives me everything I need and stores my data so I can compare runs, weekly goals and with my bluetooth in my ears, I can listen to anthing I want to down load to audio books to music and anything else you can put on your phone. I'd feel lost without it.
I like my Garmin forerunner for its battery life
Me, too.
Until I started running longer distances like the marathon, my Apple Watch was fine, but as it got older, the battery life got even worse, and I felt like I was constantly having to charge it. During a marathon in 2022, it died on me with only 2 miles to go! That's when I had enough and switched to Garmin Forerunner 255. It took a bit of adjustment to adapt to no longer having a touch screen, but once I got over that mild hurdle I now love it. Easy to read, much longer battery life, reliable as an alarm clock, more reliable GPS and tracking. I haven't yet used a training program through Garmin--I feel like I would need to run ten days a week for it to say I'm "progressing" and not just "maintaining" lol. It's a tough cookie and expects a lot from you in terms of adding base and speed work.
second this, my old apple watch couldnt last for a full day now :( I got it several years ago
I charge my Apple watch every night and you're right, it doesn't have the battary life of others out there.
I use a phone app. with arm band holder. Find it to be very accurate. Other benefit is getting data via voice in real time.
I’ve been using an Apple Watch forever but decided to buy a Garmin. I got the Garmin 245 music watch and what I can say is that Garmin doesn’t like treadmill runs. It has it as an option but when I use the Garmin and Apple Watch they both read different distances when I’m done and Garmin doesn’t give you heart rate like apple does. Overall I do like the Garmin but if you don’t have a Spotify account then you gotta bring your iPhone on the run to listen to your music and connect your headphones to Bluetooth. The Garmin has a lot of great features like apple I think it’s all a preference but Garmin does well outside and apple is great for those workouts and treadmill workout just my 2 cents hope it helps
This is really good to know! I do an awful lot of treadmill runs -- especially now, in the summertime -- so this is helpful. Thank you so much!!!
You’re welcome. If I had to say one negative that’s it the treadmill function. I live in NC so it’s really hot here so treadmill running is a necessity lol but overall I do like the watch and I love the workout features and that’s free. You can download a workout to the phone and follow it. Apple requires a subscription for that so something to think about. I got mine from the market place someone let it go for dirt cheap.
My Apple SE does the job. It's generally consistent with mileage, as I check with another source the distances I'm running. Of course running with music while tracking a run does drain about half the batter life if you're on, say, a 2 hour run. Not a deal breaker, as most folks return home from a run and can quickly recharge before leaving again. However, keep an extra charger with you at work if you put in a long run that morning and then are going directly to work after showering at the gym.
I have both an Apple Watch SE and a Garmin Fenix 6S Pro Solar (yes, I wear both...I may have a problem, lol!). I love both watches for different things. I track all of my runs and workouts with my Garmin. It is the "source record" for all of my physical activity data, which I share with my Apple Watch. I find the Garmin is much more accurate with distance and pace than the Apple Watch (used both for a while to compare) and it is just simpler to use one as the primary source for data. Garmin gives me all of the stats I could ask for on my runs and I feel the application is more informative for activities than the Apple application. I initially started wearing the Apple Watch for a study that I was participating in. I have since completed the study and have continued to wear the watch as I love the challenges, and trying to close my rings every day. In that respect, I feel it keeps me a bit more active outside of my scheduled training. I can also pay for my Starbucks order with it, which is a bonus, lol! So, I do love both watches for different reasons. However, I feel the Garmin is far superior for tracking activities, and runs in particular, than the Apple Watch.
Really, really interesting, Stacy -- especially about the accuracy of the Garmin vs. the Apple Watch, and yet you do find a place for the AW in your life away from your actual runs. Really interesting! What was the study, if you don't mind me asking?
It was a study on the effects of exercise on brain health. Once I earned 100K points I got to keep the watch. Torwards the end of my participation they were asking for more and more personal data which I felt had nothing to do with brain health (types of web sites visited, etc.,) or the original purpose of the study so I bailed. I was in it for more than a year though. I would have stayed in it had it not appeared that they were straying from the original purpose.
Another difference is that the Garmin gives me great data on my training, where the Apple Watch gives me great data on my overall health. Both views of how I am doing are important to me.
I’m a COROS fan. I used a Garmin briefly but liked the much longer battery life of the COROS and other features that work really well with trail running. I also like that they keep improving the watch, and also that the prices are generally lower than Garmin for whoever model you use. I have the Apex 42mm which is a bit old now but I still like it.
That's interesting -- I can definitely see the need for longer, more reliable battery life especially with trail running, when you might be out there for a really long time. Thanks, Henriette!
The only bummer about it is that you have to charge the watch so rarely that I sometimes forget all about that and end up far from a charger and with no juice. That’s what Strava on the phone is for, I guess :-)
Ahhh, I see -- it's almost *too* reliable!
I use a Garmin 255, I really like it. It connect to my iPhone. Gives heart, sleep, VO, etc. Data.
Good for hiking, walking, treadmill.
It’s a great training aid.
People seem to like their Garmins! Good to know, thanks Matt! 👍
Just an amateur here but I have worn an Apple iWatch for years. It works for me.
Can you imagine not wearing ?
It's hard to now!
I had a Fitbit Charge 5 but had to get rid of it. The GPS was very spotty and my mileage was way off. I thought it might be a flaw with my device but they wouldn’t replace or repair it. I’m using a Garmin Vivoactive 4 now and it connects to GPS and holds it well. It’s also nice looking enough that I wear it out to dinner etc.
Nice! That's good to know -- I'll have to check it out 👍
I consider myself an intermediate runner and my budget Garmin Forerunner 45 does the job. A longer battery would be nice though.
Interesting... how long does the Forerunner 45 battery last?
Depends on how far you're running, and how much you care about tracking every detail. I've gone from a Forerunner 50, traded it in for a 235, didn't like the plasticky case so sold it and got a Fenix 5 which had the added advantage of tracking everything you could possibly need and more, and was built like a tank. Traded up recently to an Epix 2 for the better screen/maps/multi-band GPS. Massively massively overspecced for my parkrun/trail runs, but useful when out hiking all day and the battery life is incredible. Can easily get a couple of weeks out of it.
That's really good to know, too -- I wonder "how much is too much" with a lot of the watches I see on the market.
oh the Epix 2 is definitely too much for what I use it for. Probably use about 10% of the features. But I hit upon it on sale at a great deal and thought heck, you only live once. I love it, but it is a chunky watch.
That's a frustration I have with my Apple Watch too -- I've run the same trail near me dozens of times, and often get different readings for the exact same distance (unless I carry my phone with me, as I assume its GPS is more accurate). It kinda makes me question whatever you've run when I wear it.