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I'm after a watch for my girlfriend who's getting more serious about running. This is something I know nothing about so would appreciate your advice and recommendations. She doesn't currently use a watch at all.
I guess the key things are:
Simplicity - she won't use it if it's a pain to use, and the less features the better probably. Heart rate monitoring is probably unnecessary - particularly with a chest strap, I can't see her using one of those.
In lieu of "features", stuff like ruggedness and long battery life would be nice.
Not looking like something from Men In Black.
If the technology exists to stop her losing it or forgetting it, I'm all ears! 😀
Edit: I should have made clear that I think GPS probably is a must have.
From my brief research, I found this Timex Ironman http://www.timex.com/gps-watches/ (from this article: https://www.runnersworld.com/gps-watches/timex-ironman-gps-watch-simple-good) which seems to tick the boxes. But it seems to be the US version, and the UK versions look very different (and quite MiB). I'm sure I could get hold of one, but would like to buy from a reputable retailer since it's a present. It's also only $100 which seems like a reasonable amount to spend. The £200+ price tags on some of the fancy ones seem a bit steep for timekeeping + GPS.
Cheers all
Garmin 235 was down to £180 on wiggle.
Fitbit Surge - Argos £170
Mrs uses one, been good but not soooo good if running on a treadmill (hard to track distance but does track steps) outside its been great, syncs to Fitbit activity tracker well. Built in HRM (pad on rear of Watch back)
I’ve never used it but she’s been happy with hers.
Forerunner 25 is simple and cheap, about £80. Pretty small and lightweight, and colourful pink versions if you want. It is fairly rugged. Battery life of about 8 hours, should be enough for most runs, unless you are doing ultras.
Has Bluetooth to sync with your phone, for Garmin Connect and Strava etc.
Or Forerunner 35 if you want something a bit fancier, with heart rate built in.
^^ that, don’t go all spendy unless she wants something “significant” the Fitbit I bought the Mrs was because we were in John Lewis at the time and it was right in front of her..
That Gamin seems quite a good option thanks.
I'm just looking at the Tom Tom ones as well (Runner 3). Also look good, and there's the option of a music player, which I hadn't considered (she hates running without music, so usually carries an MP3 player - it might be good to roll that into the watch).
I bought a Garmin forerunner 35 for the misses. Seems to do everything for basic running including optical hr.
Having always previously bought Garmin watches for running and found them a bit disappointing, I got a TomTom and love it. It's got a built in hrm (so no annoying strap) and the app is ace for analysing your run. You can choose lots of ways to set goals and it really does motivate you. TomTom are pretty good at responding to/addressing issues too. Wish the strap wasn't pink though. Got it from Wiggle when it was on offer.