Gear, and Gadgets, and Running...Oh my!

So, I haven't posted for almost three weeks now because I had been really struggling with the tendonitis in my foot.  Fortunately, I think I'm through the worst of it and I'll be able to continue training for the marathon in October.  I've logged about 8 or 10 2-mile runs in the last couple weeks and, although my foot still aches a bit after each run, I definitely don't think it's getting any worse.

As a bit of a treat for successfully getting back into running, I bought a new Garmin FR60 watch with a heart rate monitor and foot pod accelerometer.  I was really on the fence about buying a GPS watch, but finally decided on the foot pod after reading so many reviews about people waiting for GPS watches to find satellites, losing satellites, and charges that only last 4-8 hours.

The accuracy of the FR60 seems to be pretty good, but I haven't taken it to a track to calibrate it (and definitively test it's accuracy).  There are mile markers on the Mount Vernon Trail and it has read 0.98 miles for the first mile both times I've used the watch.  I don't know if it's the watch that's off, or the trail marker.

Although this watch CANNOT give me virtual training partners, track a friend on the trail with the same watch, track elevation, show me 3 or 4 different display fields on one screen, or show me a map of the trail on which I am running, it does everything that I want it to do.  It CAN record my mile splits, give me a current/projected mile pace, record distance accurately (I think), and upload all of my info to the Garmin Connect website for training analysis.  One of my favorite features is that it has an approximate battery life of 1 year.  That means no charging between runs, and no dying in the middle of a run!  Yay!  The watch and the foot pod just take traditional watch batteries.

I've read many online complaints about the setup being very difficult for this watch because it only comes with a quick start manual (the full manual is available online).  I took it out of the box and made sure that it paired with the foot pod while I was still in the store.  It immediately paired with the heart rate monitor, but not the foot pod, and I actually needed to ask the guy at the store for some help.  He got it paired within a minute or two and gave me a quick tutorial on how to navigate the watch interface.  After learning a little bit from the guy at the store, I've found the watch very easy to use.

I've only used this setup on 2 runs now, but I would definitely recommend this.  I'll update this review in a few months to let you know how it holds up.

Happy Running!