Tools to Track Your Training in 2021
Six models to track your training in 2021
Garmin Enduro $1,100 Stainless steel, $1,250 Titanium
The Enduro is for marathoners, ultrarunners or triathletes whose main priority is battery life – the watch’s ace in the hole, thanks to its ability to solar-charge in sunlight. Similar to the brand’s Fenix 6 Solar Series but with a bigger battery, the Enduro boasts unbeatable battery life: in continuous gps mode, it can go 70 hours (almost three days) on a single charge, and up to 80 hours with a solar boost. It will last 50 days in baseline smartwatch mode, or up to 65 days with a solar assist, but up to 130 days in battery-saver mode, and up to a year with solar.
The five-button Enduro is very light ( 72 g for stainless steel, 58 g for titanium), but quite large (51 mm). It’s almost endlessly customizable, with multiple apps, widgets and navigation options to feed the most datahungry athlete, including a barometric altimeter, pulse oximeter, advanced sleep tracking and recovery and Strava live segments. (Note: it does not have music or maps. If you want these, the Fenix 6 Pro Solar is a similar price and also has good battery life augmented by solar charging – though it’s a fraction of the Enduro’s.)
For example: the new dedicated Ultra Run mode settings include the lap key Rest Timer feature, which is great for ultras, where you need to manage time spent at aid stations without stopping the gps. Garmin’s ClimbPro feature, which can help you self-monitor when approaching and climbing hills on pre-loaded courses and review your climbing data later, now includes descents as well as ascents. Trail runners in particular will appreciate the updated and more accurate VO2 max measuring. Road runners can create a custom pace band right on the watch, via the PacePro feature and the Garmin Connect app.
The Enduro comes with a nylon/velcro watch strap that’s virtually indestructible, if not particularly esthetic, and it can be swapped for a Garmin silicone or leather strap, sold separately.
Who it’s for
The data-loving marathoner or ultrarunner whose top priority is battery life
Apple Apple Watch Series 6 Starting at $529
Fitness enthusiasts, newer runners and Apple aficionados love the features of the Apple Watch Series 6. The Activity app is now called Fitness, though the Move, Exercise and Stand rings remain to support your daily (and hourly) activity. Apple’s new Fitness+ subscriptionbased classes for Apple Watch users, introduced last year, make a terrific complement to your running (new Watch buyers get three months free).
In addition to gps, cellular and Bluetooth/music capabilities, the watch also delivers a number of health and safety features, such as fall detection, emergency sos, pulse oximeter/ blood oxygen, irregular heart rhythm alerts and handwashing detection, and you can even get an ecg reading. Choose from an array of beautiful, customizable watch faces and interchangeable straps and bands in various sizes and colours, and you can even set up your watch to display a slideshow of your favourite iPhone pics.
We love Apple Watch’s always-on retinal display, but it needs to be charged every night – which is not so great if you’re using it for sleep tracking, since you’ll have to charge it when you’re not sleeping. The screen can be customized to show the three data fields that are most important to you while running (elapsed time, distance, pace, heart rate, heart rate zone, cadence, steps, etc.).
Note: also available is the Apple Watch SE, which has many of the same features at a more affordable base price of $369.
Who it’s for
The urban recreational runner who also enjoys yoga, indoor cycling, strength training and fitness classes, and who runs with music
Whoop Strap 3.0 Starting at $30 per month
It won’t track how far you ran (it’s not a watch), but for runners who like to nerd out on the science of adaptation and recovery, Whoop is certainly a cool gizmo that may deliver valuable data. Developed in 2015 with elite athletes in mind, Whoop is based on three pillars of training: sleep, strain and recovery. Many watches now offer sleep tracking, but not all offer the lab-quality tracking offered by Whoop, not to mention the recovery insights (which affect how much rest you need, based on your activity). The recovery rings are colour-coded to let you know if you’re recovered enough to do your planned workout, or whether you could use an extra recovery day. Recovery metrics are gleaned via heart rate variability (HRV), or the degree to which your heart rate varies from moment to moment (measured at rest). Strain refers to how hard you’re exerting yourself, using the 0 to 21 Borg scale (also used by RPE purists).
Designed to be worn 24/7 (it goes five days on a charge), it takes Whoop four days to get to know you, and the longer you wear it, the more familiar it becomes with your habits and activity and the more useful the data it delivers will be. After a month, the strap recalibrates itself and starts giving you a monthly performance assessment on how you could recover better, potentially leading to better training and performance results.
Our only issue with Whoop is that it relies on wrist-based heart rate monitoring, which is less accurate than a chest strap, especially at higher levels of activity. But it’s likely accurate enough to still deliver useful HRV data.
Who it’s for:
The data-obsessed runner who wants more information on how their body is reacting to training stimuli than they can get from their GPS watch
Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro $399
The Huawei GT2 Pro is a serious sports watch that’s elegant enough to wear with business attire. The lightweight, two-button case is available in grey or black and features a 47-mm touchscreen. The watch offers advanced, precise metrics for multiple sports, including some that it might not have occurred to you to use your watch for (such as golf, downhill skiing or snowboarding). It also offers a variety of imaginative and colourful watch faces, or you can load your favourite photos. Runners can take advantage of the 10 preloaded running “courses,” depending on their running level and goals, and you can even get voice prompts in the middle of your run to help you improve your form or go a little faster. The Route Back feature lets you explore with confidence, knowing you won’t get lost, provided you have a strong enough gps signal (and the watch will alert you if you don’t). The watch also has a built-in altitude barometer and severe weather alerts, and multiple health features including blood oxygen, sleep monitoring, stress and recovery and continuous heart rate monitoring. Best of all, the watch has 2 GB of music storage (it can hold about 500 songs), so you can enjoy music or podcasts on the run, or send and receive calls, and leave your phone at home.
Battery life is excellent: the brand claims it’s up to two weeks on a single charge, but for people who work out almost every day and use the watch’s other features like music and calling, it’s more likely to be one week (which is still pretty good). Five minutes of charging gives you up to 10 hours of use. Note: some features are not supported on iOS.
Who it’s for
The urban runner and gadget-lover
Suunto 7 Titanium $650, available March 30, with software update April 21
This is a premium version (read lighter, more durable and more attractive) of the Suunto 7 that was released last year, which utilizes Google’s Wear OS for full fitness and health functionality, including built-in off line outdoor maps and heatmaps and access to thousands of apps via Google Play. (The watch works with both Android and iOS phones; it does not have music.) Upgrades include advanced sleep tracking and analysis, expanded navigat ion feat ures, st ress and recovery insights, and a new minimalist design, with a buttery-soft microfibre strap.
You might get up to two days on a charge if you’re not using the gps, but for most athletes, this is a watch that needs to be charged every night. (Battery life depends on the number and type of functions you’re using on the watch.)
Who it’s for
The runner who’s interested in all aspects of health and fitness
Suunto 9 Baro Titanium $780, available March 30
This is a premium version of the Suunto 9 Baro, which previously was available in stainless steel only – the stripped-down titanium case is highly functional, rugged and looks great. The Baro has a built-in barometer, which means more accurate altitude information, weather insights and storm alerts. It also claims excellent battery life – 25 hours in continuous gps performance mode, 50 hours in endurance mode and 120 hours (five days) in ultra mode – or two weeks in non- gps mode. New with this model are up to 170 hours of gps tracking, turn-by-turn and point-of-interest navigation.
The Baro operates on a smart system for maximizing battery life and will prompt you to switch modes for this purpose if you’re running low. Features include water temperature, a climb function for ascents or hill repeats, precise gps co-ordinates, advanced lap function (useful for looped courses), sprint tracking, a Wings for Life World Run catcher car simulation, turn-by-turn navigation and Strava deals, and it retains all the features of the original 9, such as sleep tracking, stress and recovery and maps. It’s also compatible with the Stryd power meter.
The watch face shows battery life and progress toward your weekly fitness goal; swipe or push a button to see heart rate, steps and calories burned. The watch does not have music capability.
Who it’s for
The marathoner, ultrarunner or multisport athlete who’s looking for great battery life and features at a reasonable price
Polar Vantage V2 $725
The Polar Vantage V2, released in fall 2020, is an excellent fitness tracker and smartwatch with various advanced metrics, including running power, which has become a big focus in running tech in the last couple of years and which may be helpful in gauging intensity in workouts or hill sessions. As in the GritX (Polar’s first watch targeted at trail athletes, released a year ago), the Vantage V2 also has FuelWise, which lets you know when it’s time to drink some water or take a gel, as well as your optimal caloric intake, based on the duration and intensity of your session. Another nice feature is FitSpark, which recommends workouts based on how recovered you are (such as a bodyweight strength workout, if you’re not recovered enough for a running workout), and coaches you through them.
The watch, which has three buttons and a touchscreen, offers decent battery life – up to 40 hours with continuous gps and heart rate monitoring engaged, or up to 100 hours (more than four days) with the various battery-saving options. Its run performance test can give you a pretty good approximation of your VO2 max (along with max speed, heart rate and aerobic power), and the watch has a simple test for measuring how well recovered you are, so you can plan and maximize your training while avoiding overtraining. It also offers all the usual smartwatch and training/recovery features (music, notifications, calling, navigation, sleep tracking) in a very lightweight, 52 g package, letting you leave your phone at home. We particularly like the always-on, colour touchscreen, which is easily readable in sunlight, and at 47 mm in diameter, it’s a good size for most runners.
Who it’s for
The data-hungry, competitive racer who’s always chasing a new PB