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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 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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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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Relax and run “NAKED”!

Posted January 11th, 2007 at 4:00 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Running & Training, Motivation

I have an odd habit. I try to run naked once a week. By “naked”, I actually mean “without a watch”.

We runners love our gadgets, and the sports watch is the grandaddy of all running accessories. Many of us literally feel naked without one. Take my iPod, GPS, HR monitor, and hydration pack - but leave me my watch!
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