Garmin tells us its new Forerunner 15 is easy to use, and here at Men’s Running towers, we would certainly agree with them.
The watch comes with a heart rate monitor and built-in activity tracker that can count your steps and calories 24 hours a day; it will even tell you to ‘Move!’ when you have been inactive for too long! We liked that this comes with the standard GPS facility as it offers those new to running, and exercise, the chance to track their progress in covering the distance they need to every day. It’s a clever watch in that it can then be used, simply, for the runner as they progress from walking to jogging and running. It is also compatible with a foot pod, allowing for recording distance indoors.
There is a split screen – and this is where we weren’t quite so sure on Garmin’s choice of presenting your information to you when you are on the move. Basically, only two pieces of your activity are ever shown on one screen. So for those of us who have been used to other GPS watches that display time, distance covered plus pace on the one screen, it feels like a small step backwards. On the Forerunner 15 you can choose which two forms of data you want to be on your screen (there are several options) and then it is easy to scroll to the next screen to view two more. So, you can see your time plus distance on one screen, but if you want your pace and calories you need to scroll.
Once you get used to this difference you are flying. You don’t have to worry about charging this watch every night; there is eight hours of battery life with GPS or five weeks in watch mode. What we liked the most was being given a summary of how we did, including total time, distance, average pace and calories burnt at the end of each run (plus new records such as longest run and fastest mile). What’s even better – you can keep it on as you cross-train as it’s water resistant up to 50 metres. We’ve also tried it out on a bike-swim-bike and it was great to not have to worry about remembering to take it off at the pool.
The standard features you would expect on a GPS are there, including a light, with the added benefit of seeing calories burnt, and the style allows you to wear this watch casually – all positives to choosing this watch.
