I am a bit of a techy person. While I’ve gotten better over the years (interpret that to say more under control) I do like to get something that is as close to perfect as I can.
A year and a half ago I bought myself a running GPS watch, the Garmin Forerunner 210. While it served it’s purpose I did not ‘love’ it. It was a bit retro looking and at times was slow to pick up satellites for the GPS.
Fast forward to almost a year later and I am browsing the internet. I learn that the Garmin Forerunner 220 (another running GPS watch) had been released. Let’s call it love at first sight.
First of all, it had a version of the watch in purple, my favorite color, so instantly I am drawn to it. Next the display is more modern than the 210. Beyond that they had finally figured out how to take the ‘bulk’ out of the GPS watches.
So, I bought it. I’ve owned it for probably 8+ months now and I have nothing but love for this watch. Let’s discuss why if you are a runner you should look at this watch ..
- As I said before they have finally made the GPS watches a bit smaller. Read that to say that it does not swallow my wrist like the Forerunner 210 did. No, it’s not tiny but I actually like the size.
- It has GPS caching. So long as you sync your watch often enough it will cache satellite information. When you go for a run and start the GPS you get a signal in no time. Oh it is SO nice!
- If you run with your phone you can use live tracking. I ran the marathon again last spring and before the race I sent my father the link to my live tracking. He said that it was almost in real time as they would update it while they chased me around the city.
- The battery lasts long enough to get you through a full marathon and then some. I actually owned the Forerunner 10 before the 210 and while I loved the 10 I was leery that I could not run a full race with the GPS. The 220 lasted the race and I had plenty of battery left afterwards.
- When you use it in everyday life mode the battery lasts soooo long. Actually, when you use it in heart rate monitor only mode the battery lasts soooo long! I have been off running while recovering from an injury and have only been using the 220 lately for heart rate tracking at the gym. In 2 – 3 months I think I’ve used it 7-11+ hours a week
for heart rate tracking and maybe charged it 2 or 3 times. It’s pretty amazing how long the battery lasts!
- Water Resistant! No more of this ‘it costs a ton and will only tolerate rain’ .. you can shower with this and swim with it. Granted I don’t swim and it’s not meant to be a swim watch, but it’s nice that the technology is available on the watch now!
- Bluetooth syncing .. no need to hook it up to your computer if you have a compatible phone. I upload all my workouts through the Garmin Connect app and it happens automagically if the bluetooth is active on both devices (watch and phone).
I could go on and on and on about my LOVE for this watch. I strongly recommend this watch to anyone looking at GPS options. It’s an amazing runner’s watch and has also done a fantastic job of being a heart rate monitor only watch.
If you have questions about it, let me know! Thanks for reading!
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