Garmin Runners Watch

Garmin FR60 with foot pod

Heart Rate Monitor/Running Watch, Chest Strap and Foot Pod. The Garmin FR60 connects to the foot pod through the ANT+ seamless wireless link which tracks your distance and speed, both indoors and out. Using advanced accelerometer technology, the foot pod collects and sends precise data about your movements, gathering distance and speed data.

Choosing a runner's watch was serious business. Reliability and ease of use were important to me. For a long time I struggled with deciding between GPS tracking capabilities versus wireless foot pods. Although I liked the idea of GPS, I was aware that sometimes GPS signals drop or are poor depending on the location. My gut told me to go with the foot pod instead. After reading and re-reading reviews, I was almost set on buying a Polar watch. Although people said the foot pod was extremely light, I didn't like the idea of wearing something the size of a beetle on my shoe. Adding to the fact that the price tag was over $200, I began looking at other brands. I'm sure it's a top of the line watch, but it was a bit out of my price range.

The Garmin FR60 seemed like a sensible purchase. The foot pod is incredibly tiny. It's about the size of an almond in its shell. It's so small that I already lost it and, luckily, found it in my drawer. I haven't calibrated it, but it seems to be accurate with regards to distance. I have yet to link data from my watch to the computer, but I have been able to log in a few workouts. I'm happy with the features so far but still have lots to learn.

What I like about the Garmin FR60 the most is how comfortable the chest strap is. I actually fell asleep with it on for a short nap. It is thin, smooth and flexible. Just like the foot pod, you really don't know it's there. The watch itself is not very bulky either and is relatively low key.

As I continue to use the watch, I'll update my review. So far, so good.