If you’re a gadget person like myself and my husband, then the idea of having a GPS monitor on your wrist makes you want to buy all. the. things. It’s not all that different then the technology that we already have on our phones, but for some reason, it’s entirely enticing. That being said, it would probably be way more useful for me than it would be for my husband. He would like it to be able to use it and play with it as a toy. I actually run and train, and the extra information on my wrist could keep me safe.
You’ll Pay Up, But It’s Worth It For Runners
Fitness trackers with built in GPS monitors are significantly more expensive then the more run of the mill variety. First, they have to have a color screen to support the super fancy maps. Second, they have to have a display big enough that you can actually read the information. Maps don’t help if you need to look at them under a microscope to make out the information.
My husband doesn’t run outside. If he does any running, it’s indoors on a treadmill. If he could get lost in there, I would be really concerned. He doesn’t like running outside, so there isn’t any value to this kind of product for him. Don’t get me wrong– He got major stars in his eyes when he first heard about it because OHHHH SHINY!
He knows that he doesn’t need it for exercise, though, and he talked himself out of it.
I, on the other hand, hit the pavement whenever I have time. My biggest problem with running outside was always being alone. I was worried about getting lost by myself or no one knowing where I was. One of these fears is quelled with the GPS options, and that is more than enough to make me feel confident enough to hit the pavement.
When I’m in training mode for running, I want to know every detail about my run. I want to know when I moved fastest, when I struggled and what kind of terrain I was having trouble with.
When you combine the GPS with the fitness tracker, that’s all information that you can have. You can map how long it took you to get through certain areas as opposed to just how long the whole run took you. The added technological element of the GPS just makes it seem so much more legitimate. It’s almost like a psychological acknowledgment that you take this seriously because you have the best tools to make sure you do.
Make Sure You Need It
GPS is great, but only if you really need it. If you walk the same trail every day, then a GPS monitor isn’t going to do all that much for you. If you’re like my husband and hit the gym primarily, then the results will be entirely uninteresting.
If you’re like me and really train as hard as you can when you do decide to train, then it can be really valuable. There is no way I’m going to be able to run 10 miles on the treadmill. That’s about as boring as it gets. I might, however, do that outside if I have the added benefit of the data capturing device that also works as a security blanket.
If you’re going to use it, then it’s probably worth every penny. If you’re just going to play with it, then there are better toys to buy that might actually have a purpose for other people. If you’ve been holding back on really training because you feel like you’re missing the correct tools, this might be the ticket to getting you out on the pavement. You can definitely train without it, but training with it seems like a whole heck of a lot of fun.