AW for long runs/marathon

[jsamuelson]

Try iSmoothRun! It's not flaky. Get a flipbelt or something similar and your iPhone will never get cold again. I used mine this winter down to about -5F with strong wind-chill. Yes, there are still times I use my 225 instead, but this is a great setup.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have looked at iSmoothRun before but didn't want to move over to a whole new app again. Quite happy with my dual watch setup right now!

 

[Fthree]

if you are serious about getting the best time id look into the garmin forerunner series. the 630 is the best it'll help analyze your running cadence GCT ration vo2 etc. Ive used it to help me with my halves recently and have done well in my training

 

[xthine]

Agree with Garmin (I have the Fenix 3 HR) recommendation. My Apple Watch is unusable due to look limited battery life when it comes to activities of significant duration.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Get a Fitbit or Garmin device.

 

[nicho]

Agree with Garmin (I have the Fenix 3 HR) recommendation. My Apple Watch is unusable due to look limited battery life when it comes to activities of significant duration.

A Bluetooth chest strap is another option if battery life is the only concern. And if op wants to keep their Apple Watch, will be much cheaper than buying a dedicated running watch extra.

 

[xthine]

A Bluetooth chest strap is another option if battery life is the only concern. And if op wants to keep their Apple Watch, will be much cheaper than buying a dedicated running watch extra.

How much is the difference as far as battery life? I assumed GPS tracking was responsible for the battery drain. I'd start out at 100% and after about two to three hours down to 20%.

 

[nicho]

How much is the difference as far as battery life? I assumed GPS tracking was responsible for the battery drain. I'd start out at 100% and after about two to three hours down to 20%.

There is no GPS tracking, it's the optical HRM on the back, which actually uses more light than the screen would if it was awake all that time; its continually pulsing green light.

As for your question, what would your battery life be after 3 hours without a workout? Then knock maybe 10% off because you're more likely to interact with it while you're working out. But that's how much of a difference it makes.

 

[MrMoonUK]

My Garmin hammers the AW for running, it's just not good enough and Garmin beats it in every way, I have the forerunner 620.

Also worth noting the AW over estimates distance by quite a bit even with the phone

 

[zhenya]

How much is the difference as far as battery life? I assumed GPS tracking was responsible for the battery drain. I'd start out at 100% and after about two to three hours down to 20%.

I've mentioned before, possibly in this thread, that with a Bluetooth strap, battery drain is effectively no different than regular use throughout the day, on the order of 5% per hour.

 

[xthine]

^That's nice to know, That may be useful for the OP.

 

[sta1210]

Just another plug for iSmoothRun, rather reliable, customizable and pairs with a number of heart monitors etc. Also, can automatically export to Runkeeper, Strava and the like if you are interested in maintaining those communities.

 

[Vader2]

I really like my AW for running. I ran the Chicago marathon last year in just over 4 hours and had no battery issues at all. I did shut off notifications during the race. I had a Garmin watch on my other wrist and there was only 0.02 mile difference between the 2 devices. The difference could be attributed to GPS freaking out when being blocked by the buildings downtown.

I usually either use the stock workout app or Runtastic. Runtastic provides more stats, but I don't love that there is a lag while the distance updates when you raise your wrist.

 

[profets]

I can understand and appreciate both sides to the argument here - Apple Watch vs dedicated running watch.

I've used several Garmin watches and recently a TomTom multisport watch before getting an Apple Watch. The Apple Watch definitely isn't perfect for dedicated running, but man, once I was wearing it I had a tough time using the clunkier watches from Garmin or TomTom. No where near the comfort of the Apple Watch. I did a lot of running with both watches, then eventually just started to use the Apple Watch full time for running once OS 2.0 came out. I've used a mix of Runkeeper and the built in Workouts app. I'm quite happy with the Workout App, the display looks good, just wish I could have 4 data points instead of 3 visible at a time. And of course, the need to carry a phone for longer runs when I want an accurate measure of distance.

Anyway, just my guess, but I feel over the next 5 years this could play out similarly to what happened to stand alone GPS devices once smartphones became more common. I wouldn't mind seeing TomTom or Garmin make some solid apps for running/cycling/swimming/etc as the Watch hardware improves.

 

[Bob190]

I basically run with my AW on my left wrist (for music) and my Garmin on my right (for GPS) for most runs. For trail runs, I usually just go with the AW as my Garmin seems to have trouble getting a good GPS signal with a lot of tree cover.

I am really OK with the AW Workout app, I have come up with a way to export my run data from the Workout app to Strava right from the phone ... it involves a few other apps (SpectaRun, iSmoothrun, and Dropbox), but it does allow me to get my data to Strava.

My only gripe about the AW .. and it is a major gripe .. is that i wish it had auto-pause. It is really difficult to stop and start the watch when you start sweating a lot, and they could easily implement auto-pause in the WatchOS. Not sure why they left it out .. and if you don't want to use it (some don't), just put in a toggle to turn it off.

I am hoping the next version of the AW has GPS .. but I doubt it.