I chuckled as I glanced at the Garmin on my wrist, its brightly coloured screens flashing metrics at me. I had just listened to a podcast about the rise of real-time performance data, and how easy it is for smartwatch data obsessions to go awry.
I have nothing to worry about. I had just updated my smartwatch to the Garmin 970 after a 10-year relationship with Garmin 935.
In all that time, I barely looked at anything beyond distance, pace and vert.
My old Garmin served me well but it was time to move on. Charging took forever, and it froze more and more every time I tried to upload a course.
Time for something shiny and new. I researched smartwatches for a few days, chatted with a friend and after reluctantly throwing down my credit card. I went with the Garmin 970.
Admittedly, I briefly considered switching to a flashy new brand but the crazy high prices shut that down real fast.
I stuck with Garmin because the learning curve would be small, and I love supporting a Canadian company that is essentially headquartered down the road in Cochrane.
Stop yelling at me
There’s a lot of bells and whistles that come with the Garmin 970 – 10 years of new technology in my case. I charged it up, headed to Nose Hill, and hoped for the best.
What I didn’t expect was the immediate feedback (or abuse) from the Garmin.
“Too slow”
“Too slow”
“What are you even doing?”
The abuse was relentless. I had inadvertently started a programmed run that predetermined pace and distance.
Isn’t technology amazing?
There’s so many metrics that it is easy to get overwhelmed. After fighting with the buttons on the watch, I did the most sensible thing and customized my screens through the app.
First impressions? I absolutely love the bright amoled touchscreen. What a difference than my dull and lifeless 935. There’s a flashlight, voice calling and so much more. The battery life is a stand out, which promises up GPS-only 26 hours. (I won’t really know until I try this.)
Do I really need to know my fitness age?
I need a week alone with my 970 to uncover all the cool features and metrics hiding in its menus. There’s advanced tracking, health monitoring including sleep scores and recovery insights. Basically it’s a coach, doctor and therapist strapped to my wrist.
For now, I’m just enjoying the upgrade.
So far, I love it. Even if it yells at me from time to time. (Note: One of the first things I did was turn off the voice.)
Do you wear a watch when you run? What metrics do you pay attention to? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.