Enhance Your Workout With a GPS Running Watch

GPS running watches offer many features for the serious athlete. Find out what features are available so that you can choose the best watch for you.


One of the prime reasons to get one of these devices is to track your workouts. You can actually store data from various workouts to reference later. You can measure your laps, distance and pace along with calories burned. Some have a heart rate monitor incorporated into the device while others will require you to purchase this separately. Some of these timepieces include longitude and latitude as well as altitude.

Workouts can be tracked. Depending on the model, you may be able to set up interval workouts or training sessions based on heart rate minimums and maximums. You can set goals for your training, and then challenge yourself to meet them.

The navigation features help you find your way. You can mark way points to be able to return to a prior location. Some will allow you to create courses on your PC for download to your watch. Then, you can see where you are at on the course you made. The navigation capabilities vary between the devices. Some can keep their signal even in the presence of tall trees or buildings.

Some of the Garmin models are ANT-enabled which gives you the capability to use separate foot pods or cadence sensors. Others may not offer wireless abilities.

For the triathlon enthusiast, you can find some that are designed to be quickly removed from the wrist and then mounted to a bicycle. Also, these units offer a degree of water resistance so they can be worn on the swimming part of the competition.

A GPS running watch can be an excellent addition to your workout equipment, especially if you are training for a triathlon.