THE SWEET SPOT
Garmin Forerunner 165
$$ mid-range within watches & tech
A bright AMOLED screen and most of the training features from watches that cost twice as much. The nicer screen costs you some battery versus the 55, though it still runs for days, not hours. If you are between this and the 55, the honest difference is mostly how good the screen looks.
Best for: most runners who want one good watch
See price & details on Amazon.ca →Current price, sizes, flavours and full specs live on the Amazon listing.
Worth knowing about watches & tech
- Buy last year's model. GPS did not get meaningfully better in twelve months, but the price got meaningfully lower.
- If your heart rate data looks insane, the fix is a chest strap, not a more expensive watch.
- Do not chase your VO2max estimate. It is an algorithm's guess, and it dips every time you run in the heat.
- Tighten the watch one notch above your wrist bone before hard workouts; loose optical sensors read cadence as heart rate.
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