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Lead Stories: Friday, July 18, 2008

TFS Review: Garmin Forerunner 50

Posted January 22nd, 2008 at 12:30 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Gadgets & Acces., Product Reviews, TFS Reviews

Product: Garmin Forerunner 50
Prices: $200 (watch + HR monitor + food pod + USB ANT stick), $90-$100 (for other combinations without food pod OR without HR monitor)
Rating: Good 7.4/10.0
Pros: Easy-to-use watch interface. Less expensive than most of its competitors. Can purchase components “piecemeal”. Reliable HR monitor. Fairly accurate foot pod. PC upload with USB ANT Stick is VERY fast and easy. Work with free desktop software (Garmin Training Center) and/or free online community (Garmin Connect).
Cons: Fewer features than its competitors. Watch displays only two measurements at a time. Can find more advanced Garmin 305 units at comparable prices.
Overall: Compared to its peers (Suunto Running Pack, Polar RS800sd), the Garmin Forerunner 50 is a less expensive, relatively “no-frills” fitness device. The fact that it has fewer features than its competitors makes it a bit easier to use and also less expensive. All-around performance was solid.

garmin forerunner 50 When I think “Garmin“, I automatically think “GPS“. For this reason, I was a little surprised to find about Garmin’s latest fitness monitor, the Forerunner 50. It measures speed and distance NOT by GPS, but rather by a foot pod, similar to the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, Suunto Running Pack, and Polar RS800sd. This is a deviation in how most people perceive Garmin, but they are well-respected in general for all of their products. Would the Forerunner 50 follow suit?

Design - 7 - Out of the box, the Forerunner 50 consists of a sports monitoring watch, a USB ANT stick, a heart rate monitor (optional), and a foot pod (optional).
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Polar launches multisport training system

Posted August 10th, 2007 at 7:15 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Gadgets & Acces.

Polar, the leader in heart rate monitoring and fitness assessment technology, today announced at the Outdoor Retailer Show the nation-wide availability of the RS800G3 multisport training system, the most comprehensive planning and analysis tool for athletes who train across multiple disciplines.

The RS800G3 multisport training system’s integrated view helps athletes plan their training, measure their body’s response, and then analyze their performance against personal goals. By providing the data that helps athletes avoid over- and under-training, the system helps users train in the most efficient manner possible to achieve peak performance and fitness.

Polar’s RS800 training system was initially launched with the s3 stride sensor for runners in the fall of 2006. With the introduction of the G3 GPS (global positioning system) Sensor to the system, the new RS800G3 multisport training system enables athletes to measure speed and distance for a variety of outdoor sports including running, cycling, kayaking, hiking, canyoneering, in-line skating, cross-country and downhill skiing.
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TFS Review: Polar RS800sd (Polar/adidas Project Fusion)

Posted May 18th, 2007 at 1:48 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Gadgets & Acces., Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Product: Polar RS800sd Running Computer
Prices: $469.95 (watch + HR monitor + speed sensor), $50-$70 (adiStar Fusion top), $120 (adiStar Fusion shoe)
Rating: Very Good 7.6/10.0
Pros: Very intuitive, easy-to-use watch interface. High amount of functionality and features. Very reliable, accurate heart rate monitor. Low-profile, easy-to-use speed sensor. Comes with Polar ProTrainer software. Can be used with or without Adidas adiStar products (versatile).
Cons: Very expensive. Stride sensor yields inaccurate values when your stride changes. Different calibrations needed for different types of running.
Overall: This is an expensive, high-end personal training system. In general, you get what you pay for. I loved how easy the watch was to use, especially considering its vast array of features. The heart rate monitor was superb, and reported very reliable values. The only weakness of the system involves the Stride Sensor. Although it is accurate and reliable when running at the speed it was calibrated at, it becomes less and less accurate as you increase or decrease your speed (which changes your stride), up to 10 seconds/mile. For many, this relatively small “drift” is either not applicable (if you generally run the same speed every day) or unimportant (if you are not concerned with 10 seconds/mile). But runners who regularly vary their stride through speed work, or are concerned about obtaining their precise pace, may want to look instead at other GPS units.

Fusion-Adidas-polar Garmin, Suunto, Timex, Adeo, Polar… and the list goes on and one. In today’s saturated market of fitness toys there is a plethora of gadgets available that can measure running stats such as pace, distance, heart rate, and more. The gadget companies respond by releasing increasingly innovative products that offer features of increasing quality and quantity.

The Polar RS800sd (speed+distance) may have just trumped them all. Using a foot pod to measure speed and distance, and an ECG-accurate transmitter to measure heart rate, the RS800sd running computer offers enough features, analyses, and bells-and-whistles to make your head spin. I recently had the pleasure of taking this unit for a “spin”.
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TFS Review: Suunto Running Pack (T3, HRM, and Foot POD)

Posted May 4th, 2007 at 9:23 AM by Paul Petersen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Gadgets & Acces., Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Product: Suunto Running Pack (T3, HRM, and Foot POD)
Price: $269.99
Rating: Good 6.7/10.0
Pros: Accurate, stable HR monitor; POD is non-obtrusive and lightweight; POD works indoors and outdoors in any terrain or tree cover; 15-day training log built into T3 watch; Training Effect is great concept.
Cons: T3 watch is difficult to use with a steep learning curve; Need to continually recalibrate food POD; Foot POD accuracy can be variable, especially if position on shoe has shifted.
Overall: This is a nice concept, as the accelerometer (POD) will work indoor/outdoor and with any sky visibility, unlike GPS units. The heart-rate monitor is among the best I’ve ever used, and is in itself a great product. However, the T3 watch is not user-friendly. In addition, although sometimes the speed/distance readings are extremely accurate, too often they become systematically erroneous. The Suunto Running Pack would be a good buy for those who do a lot of indoor or trail running and/or want a training log within the watch itself. Others may want to consider adding Suunto’s GPS POD and/or just opt for a completely GPS-based training device.

In the growing world of athletic speed/distance monitoring, runners are presented with two primary choices: GPS units (ie - Garmin 305, Timex Bodylink, MotionLingo Adeo) or accelerometers (ie - Suunto Foot POD, Polar Foot Pod, Nike+iPod). I have trained with several different fitness GPS units and had variable success, and “foot pods” provide an intriguing alternative because they can be used indoors, under any sky condition, and boast of potentially high accuracy. I had the opportunity to try out the Suunto Running Pack (T3, HRM, and Foot POD), and put it to the test over three rigorous weeks of training.
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ASK FLASH:
You Gotta Have Heart … Rate

Posted April 15th, 2007 at 4:45 PM by Joshua Flash Gordon

Section: Running & Training, Columns, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Ask Flash

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK FLASH!
ASK FLASH is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK FLASH — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Heart Rate Training is an invaluable tool to ensure that you are doing the right effort for the purpose of any given run. It provides a great mechanism for making sure your easy days are sufficiently easy and your hard days are sufficiently hard.

Before getting to the questions, let’s take a quick peak at some of the formulas used to calculate maximum heart rate.
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TFS Review: Timex IRONMAN Bodylink GPS System

Posted February 15th, 2007 at 12:30 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Gadgets & Acces., Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Product: Timex IRONMAN Bodylink System
Price: $275.00
Rating: Very Good 8.3/10.0
Pros: Accurate; stable GPS; good battery life; intuitive and easy to use; great watch features; good value
Cons: Data-logger & PC upload functionality not included; GPS external from watch; HR monitor unstable at times
Overall: This device is effective because it is easy and it works. GPS initialization is fast and reliable; GPS connection and accuracy is very stable. It’s best for runners who want to hit the road quickly and view results immediately. Analysis and mapping junkies may want to defer to a GPS unit that automatically comes with computer linkage - but otherwise, when it comes to reliability, value and simplicity, the Timex Bodylink is hard to beat.

Out of the box, the Bodylink comes with a beefy manual, the performance watch, the heart rate sensor, the speed + distance sensor (GPS), and an adjustable strap for the mounting the GPS on your arm. Despite neglecting to read any of the ample instruction manual, I had the watch and GPS figured out within minutes and was out the door. Before I even hit the road, the primary strength of the Bodylink System was evident: it’s ease of use.
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Determining the range of your “base” training pace

Posted February 8th, 2007 at 4:10 PM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.

There are three ways to determine and measure your “base” training pace range, which should be used for all training, except for speed work.

1. Base it on a recent race pace. Your training pace should be 1-2 minutes per mile slower than 10k race pace. That should be well within your aerobic zone.

It can vary depending on a several factors, such as weather and how tired/stressed you might be. However, the 1 - 2 minute range allows for a lot of variation.
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Heart Rate Training

Posted January 21st, 2007 at 2:00 PM by Emily Hoskins

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Exercise

Monitoring your heart rate during exercise is an excellent way to improve performance, avoid overtraining, and track your progress. Heart rate training is popular because it is easy to monitor and for most athletes if offers a practical way to measure exercise intensity. Heart rate training relies on the fact that as your exercise intensity increases so does your body’s demand for oxygen.

It is important to monitor your exercise intensity because (1) there are different physiological adaptations associated with training that depends on the intensity being implicated, and (2) you can manipulate your entire training program to reach your own personal goals based upon your specific sport or event.
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Suunto’s Marathon Pack: The complete gadget set for the distance runner in your family

Posted November 25th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Afton Cohen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Gadgets & Acces.

suunto marathon pack training assistant running GPS t4 t6 heart-rate distance time Stumped as to what to buy the runner and tech enthusiast in your family this Christmas? Look no further. Suunto has now added a complete companion bundle for endurance athletes, the Suunto Marathon Pack, to their product line-up. Everything your runner needs to train, maintain, and improve; while also fulfilling his love for gadgets - the marathon pack has a lot of potential. The pack includes the stylish Suunto t4 running computer / watch with ANT belt, the Suunto foot POD and the Suunto PC POD.