GPS Jobbies

[El Gordo]

Hi SP

Oh god, I feel terrible now. Slightly terrible, anyway.

There are various gadgets that will tell you how far you've run. I like the GPS ones, and there are two sorts that I know of: the TImex and the Garmin Forerunner.

I am/was happy with both. The Timex I had was the original one. THe new 'Bodylink' system includes heart rate monitor and is generally a higher spec than the old one. This is the one that Ian Painter uses, and as far as I know he and others I've read about on the Runners World forum are pretty happy with it.

The main negative is that you wear a separate arm transceiver, but there are a lot of features. I'm not sure what they are these days, to be honest, but I'm sure a trip to the Timex website will tell you all.

The Forerunner is great too, with everything contained in one wrist unit. Main negative compared with the Timex is that it doesn't contain a HRM, but it has some other nice features that I like, eg the 'virtual partner' that allows you to run against yourself. Also, can integrate with maps so that you come home, connect it to your PC and see your route on an OS map. (You have to buy the maps separately but they're not expensive.)

Best thing to do is to read the RW Gear forum where there's a lot of correspondence about all these gadgets. My personal view is that I prefer the Forerunner, but only because I'm not too bothered about having a HRM (perhaps I should be), and I prefer not to have the extra arm unit.

On the other hand, if you don't have a HRM the Timex looks like a good value package. It just depends on your needs. Before you check the RW forum you may want to see the respective websites which will give you the lowdown on latest features.

Last time I looked, the Garmin was cheaper but best thing is to check Ebay for any 'Buy Now' offers ie new equipment but imported. Or generally scout around. Avoid just buying one from a running shop. You can probably save 50%-ish by doing some research.