Garmin Forerunner 405CX
Real-time measurement of pace and distance; heart-rate monitoring
Garmin was the first company to produce a GPS monitor that resembles a watch rather than a wrist-mounted mobile phone – the Forerunner 405. The new 405CX looks identical but boasts a souped-up GPS receiver (less chance of losing the signal) and HotFix function, which enables it to get reception double-quick on routes you run regularly. Calorie expenditure is now cruelly accurate (did I really burn just 268 calories in 30 minutes?), thanks to new technology using heart-rate physiology to calculate energy output – rather than weight, height and distance covered. The 405CX employs a touch-sensitive bezel, which you tap, hold or slide your finger across to navigate the many menus, settings and options. Sensitive is the word: more than once, I inadvertently ended up flicking to a completely different screen, mid-run, and couldn’t find my way back. You can display up to three parameters at a time: from calorie expenditure per mile to time per km, gradient climbed – even what time the sun is going to set. It’s all programmable and downloadable to your computer via the USB stick supplied with it, for analysis and progress monitoring.
Details
£329.99 including heart rate monitor; www.garmin.co.uk
Budget alternative
GPS and heart-rate monitoring come cheaper with the Polar RS300X G1 (£175; www.polarelectro.co.uk), but the GPS pod is a separate unit that you can either carry or wear on your arm.
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Timex Expedition WS4
A hardy widescreen watch that monitors outdoor conditions for extreme activities
Action Man would like one of these. Designed for outdoor adventurers, the WS4 monitors altitude, temperature, barometric pressure and direction, and its giant screen (the “dashboard”) enables you to display them all at once. Tested on an expedition to the Himalayas, this is a robust, water-resistant watch that can be used in the dark by switching to NightMode. In the absence of a local mountain range, the best I could do was a hilly off-road run in Epping Forest – I climbed 213m over the course of a 48-minute run in 27.2 degrees. Interesting data, but I couldn’t help thinking I’d also have liked to know how far I’d run and what my heart rate was. Still, the altimeter, which features an altitude alarm (it sounds when you reach a predetermined height), tracks current, maximum and accumulated altitude and displays total ascent and descent graphically, would be a great asset on the mountains, as would the built-in compass on any journey into the wild. It’s heavy though, and dwarves female wrists.
Details
£139.99; www.timex.co.uk
Budget alternative
Timex Adventure Altimeter Barometer Watch £75. This more compact, traditionally shaped watch is a cheaper option. You’ll have to do without the compass, though.
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Suunto T6C
A top-of-the-range heart-rate monitor
I didn’t fall in love with the Suunto T6c straight away – it’s not the simplest of gadgets to get to grips with and for a heart-rate monitor without integrated GPS, it comes at a hefty price. But after a few goes, I was won over. Dubbed the “sports laboratory on your wrist”, the T6C goes beyond the usual readings of heart rate and calorie expenditure to give information on training effect (the aerobic benefit of a given session on a scale of one to five) and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC – the amount of oxygen used post-exercise to help restore the body to a resting state – which enables the monitor to recommend how to adapt your training). While 21 different parameters are measurable, many of them rely on you purchasing sport-specific add-ons. For example, you need the Foot POD if you want to monitor cadence or pace, or the Bike POD if you want the monitor to double up as a cycle computer. One of my favourite features was the interval training function. Set up a warm-up period and programme how long you want each effort and recovery period to last. The watch will then beep to indicate the start and end of each interval. But to make it worth the extra money, you really need to make use of the data analysis software that comes with the T6C.
Details
£359.99; www.suuntowatches.com
Budget alternative
Sigma Onyx Pro £99.99. Easy to use with all the standard functions and a few extras (such as marathon training mode), a great entry-level option; www.sigmasport.co.uk
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Nike SportBand
A low-cost, minimalist speed and distance monitor
The SportBand is a minimal, lightweight wrist strap that measures pace, distance, time and calories burned during running or walking, receiving data from the accompanying sensor housed in your trainer. Officially, you need a Nike shoe, which has a designated slot for the sensor beneath the insole, but lace-mounted holders are widely available, enabling you to use it with any shoe brand. I applaud the simplicity of the SportBand, but it’s a shame that you can only display one parameter at a time (not much use if you want to do timed efforts, as you can’t keep tabs on time and distance simultaneously). While the SportBand unit itself can store 16 hours’ worth of runs, it comes into its own when you detach the display unit from the strap and plug it into your computer, gaining access to the NikePlus website, where you can store and analyse data, chat to other runners and issue or undertake challenges. If you simply want to know how far you ran, or what your average pace is, this is a reasonably accurate, straightforward tool.
Details
£40; http://nikerunning.nike.com
Budget alternative
www.mapmyrun.com. Not a product, but a freely accessible online tool that tells you how far you went (or intend to go) and, if you enter your time, your average pace.
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Polar CS600X
A dedicated cycling performance tool
This is a gadget for committed cyclists – the handlebar-mounted design means you don’t actually get a watch, just the face of a watch, which slots on to your handlebars. The downside of this is that despite having a heart-rate strap, you can’t use the device to monitor performance in other sports. But when it comes to cyclist stats, the CS600X is impressive. Mercifully easy to set up and attach to your bike, it records everything you could possibly want to know, from heart-rate data to average and maximum speed to calories per km or mile, angle of incline/decline, total ascent/descent and ambient temperature. While speed and distance are recorded via the spoke-mounted speed sensor (included) you’ll need to fork out extra for the crank-mounted cadence sensor (an additional £38) or for the GPS sensor, which gives you the option of tracking your routes using Google Earth for an extra £120. But Polar’s ProTrainer software is included, opening up a world of data-gazing online and turning the monitor into a feedback device. Another useful function is that it can be set up to be used on up to three different bikes – particularly useful if you have a mountain bike and road bike with different wheel sizes.
Details
£278.45; www.polarelectro.co.uk
Budget alternative
The CicloSport CM628 Cycle Computer/Heart-Rate Monitor (£119.99; www.heartratemonitor.co.uk) is a good option – discontinued but still widely available.
