I’ve gone through quite a journey with this question.
When I first started running at 11 years old, I tracked nothing, just went out and ran. After a few years of on and off training I wasn’t a big advocate of running watches. Once I got one though, I saw the light.
The benefits of a running watch
You can pick up a decent running watch for around £70 such as a refurbished TomTom runner, my first ever running watch, so you don’t have to break the bank. Garmins such as the Forerunner 35 and 235 are also low-cost second hand these days.
The biggest benefit for me has been seeing my pace during the run. The first few times I used it, my pace was all over the place. This insight helped me learn how much I needed to back off at the start in order to stay consistent throughout the rest of the distance.
Watches have a huge amount of data available and most allow you to choose what you see during the run too. Overall it means you see how you’re progressing and what you need to work on.
It’s not the only way
There are of course other methods. Apps like Runkeeper, Strava and MapMyRun are free to download on your phone, and using GPS can also give you some of the data that running watches do.
In my experience, it’s a big distraction having to take my phone with me, and takes away one of the things I like most about running. Distance from contact.
Smart watches
Apple and Samsung smart watches fall somewhere in between apps and a full-on sports/running watch. They offer easily viewable data however, the displays are often limited to distance, current or average pace and calories for instance, meaning they don’t offer the various features that running watches which are useful for the multitude of potential running session plans.
You don’t have to buy a running watch, but having seen the benefits for my own running, it’s definitely something I’d recommend.
Written by Kyle Brooks, Running Coach based in Norwich, Norfolk.