Written by Lynne Meyer
Serious athletes are always interested in pushing the envelope to perform better. Whether its enhanced equipment, clothing, vitamins or energy drinks, they’re eager to jump on the next new thing that will help them improve their performance. The newest thing they’ve latched onto is global positioning system (GPS) units. GPS is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system comprising 24 to 32 satellites in medium earth orbit. These satellites circle the earth twice a day in a precise orbit and transmit information to earth. GPS provides reliable positioning, navigation and timing services on a continuous basis to users anywhere on earth.
GPS units for athletes can perform a host of services beyond just providing speed, distance and elevation changes. Some state-of-the-art models offer turn-by-turn directions, and an athlete can even download his or her workout data to a computer.
GPS units exist for different levels of athletes and types of sports, with prices that match their features. The units sell at a broad range of price points. Garmin has the Forerunner 205 for $150, the 305 for $200, the 405 for $300 and the 310XT for $350. Timex’s Ironman Bodylink costs $300. For only $700 you can be the proud owner of Suunto’s X 10M model.
GARMIN LEADS THE WAY
According to Matt Sidel, manager of Second Sole in Canton, the Garmin Forerunner 205 is a good place for a beginner to start. “The 205 doesn’t have a lot of high-tech stuff on it, so it’s not complicated to use,” Sidel said. “It lets the runners, hikers, walkers or bikers know how far they’ve gone and also gives them their location and pace.”
Pace information is a particularly attractive feature because it tells athletes how fast they have run a succession of miles. If the pace information reports progressively slower times, users know they have fatigued with each mile and should have started slower to sustain an even pace.
For the more advanced athlete, Sidel recommended Garmin’s Forerunner 405 model aimed at runners. The 405 automatically downloads training data into a computer.
It also compartmentalizes an athlete’s workouts. If a runner jogs a five-mile loop and then an eight-mile loop, the 405 stores the information from each loop in a separate part of its memory. It can compare the time of the five-mile loop to other five-mile loops the runner has done.
The newest version of Garmin’s 405 model enables athletes to scroll down on a touch screen to the features they want. Competitive marathoner Jennifer Grisez uses the 405.
“It’s great for what I do,” she said. “At the level I run, my pace, distance and overall time are important information for me, and I get it instantly.”
Mel Liebling, manager at Vertical Runner in Hudson, is enthusiastic about her Garmin, as well. “It’s easy to operate, and I don’t have to pre-measure courses. Even though it looks somewhat bulky, it’s lightweight and has a big screen.”
Garmin’s Edge series is intended for cyclists. The Edge 305 costs $350. According to Chris Martino, business manager for Bike Authority in Broadview Heights, “With the Edge 305, you get the number of calories you burned, the total ascent or descent of a route, your average and maximum speed, and the distance you covered.”
Martino said the Edge 705, at $650, has all the features of the Edge 305, but also offers a color map on its monitor, plus turn-by-turn directions.
Garmin just introduced its 310xt model for $350. “It’s similar to the 305 model, but it’s waterproof, so triathletes can monitor all three legs of their workout,” Martino said.
In the opinion of Ed Hoffmeier, manager of Fleet Feet in Northfield, Garmin makes the best GPS units on the market. “Their GPS units are built to be very reliable. They don’t lose a signal. Also, if there’s a problem with any of their units, they’ll replace it,” Hoffmeier said.
Fleet Feet, Second Sole and Vertical Runner carry Garmin GPS units.
Garmin also has four GPS units that are larger in size and are geared for hiking and navigating. The eTrex model costs $100, eTrex Vista is $300, map60csx is $400 and Oregon 550T is $600.
TRY TIMEX, SUUNTO
Timex and Suunto are two other GPS unit manufacturers for runners, walkers and hikers to consider.
The Timex Ironman Bodylink ($300), like the Garmin 405, can download data to a computer and be programmed with up to four timers for various stages in an athlete’s workout. It also will store up to 100 laps in its memory, serve as a stop watch and measure heart rate. Timex also offers its Ironman Triathlon Bodylink Trail Runner for $350.
Suunto’s t6c, at $600, measures the amount of oxygen inhaled and carbon dioxide exhaled to determine how rigorous a workout was. There’s also coaching software to determine how much athletes are benefiting from their exercise regimen.
Suunto’s X10 GPS unit costs $700. The company’s Web site claims that the model offers faster GPS fixes, even under heavy foliage, and longer lasting battery power. It can navigate up to 500 waypoints throughout a journey. Once you reach your destination, its Track Back mode will guide you back the way you came. Suunto’s X10 was named National Geographic Adventure’s 2009 Best of Adventure Gear.
Timex and Suunto also give you the option of purchasing components separately. Buy the individual GPS pod and select a wrist watch to go with it. Add in a heart rate monitor if desired.
Now that athletes can get real-time information from satellites through their GPS units while running or cycling, who knows what the next new performance gadget will be? Whatever that is, it’s guaranteed they’ll want it.
For more details on GPS units for exercising, visit www.garmin.com, www.timex.com and www.suunto.com.
Lynne Meyer heads a public relations and marketing communications firm, A Way With Words, is an avid freelance writer and also a casual cyclist.
Written by Andrea Thomas
Running is the purest of sports, enthusiasts boast. They can do it anywhere; all they need is a pair of shoes. So why do so many runners get in long-run ruts?
Peek at a marathoner’s log. Chances are the long run, a key training stimulus for building endurance, starts and finishes at the same spot week after week.
Tried and true terrain is convenient, but part of distance running’s appeal is feeling the freedom and wonder of roaming along in the world. It’s hard to get that sense of exploration on a route where each bump in the road is as familiar as your reflection in the mirror.
Varying long-run routes also improves training. Runners can mastermind excursions that simulate race courses, offer challenging hills, provide mile markers for the Garmin-less to plot their paces or showcase different sights to boost motivation.
Next time your legs long for a different long and winding road to run, consider making strides on one of several favorite routes of Northeast Ohio runners:
