Thursday, April 22, 2010

Sports Watch

Do I need a new sports watch? No. Am I currently using a sports watch that is not fully functional? Yes. My Timex Ironman performs one function. I start it when I begin swimming and stop in when I stop swimming. I can no longer adjust the time on the watch. This is a very minor inconvenience as it still keeps good time, and I just need to remember if it is daylight savings time. For running and cycling I use a Garmin 305 which I am very pleased with.

The question now is whether to replace the Timex with a new one for $25? I could also invest in a Swimovate for $100 (but that would again be a pool only device)? The upper end of the spectrum would be $150-$200 for a Timex or Polar device that would act as a watch but also include a heart rate monitor feature.

The debate comes up for me quite often as I always see Timex watches on sale and like to use them when I travel, instead of wearing a dress watch. The Swimovate I will probably get at some point down the road anyway as I have been having a heck of time tracking stroke count and I feel it is an important metric. The heart rate enabled watch is probably overkill. My enthusiasm for such a purchase is that I could wear it while racing as the Garmin device is a little bulky. It would also be convenient on the treadmill and would be a fully functional wrist watch the rest of the time.

In all likelihood, I will just wait for the battery to die and then pick up the latest version of the Timex Ironman at my local retailer.

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