Garmin Forerunner 50 Review
I got my Garmin Forerunner 50 in the mail this week. It is the bottom of the Forerunner line, but it has all of the essentials I need to track my run progress. Plus, because I already have a Garmin 305 for my bike, I could not justify the extra expense of an upper end model.
The 50 tracks distance (by footpod not gps), cadence, speed, average speed, average cadence, time, intervals, timer, pace, and heart rate. One of the best features is the automatic, wireless uplink to your computer. As soon as you are within about thirty feet of your computer, your new running data will automatically upload to either the Garmin training Center software or the Garmin online software or both, depending on how you set it up.
I found it very easy to program. I have not yet calibrated the footpod, but out of the box it is very close to actual mileage. I have found the data provided to be very useful. I think one of the best features is the cadence monitor so that I can improve my running cadence and efficiency.
Another great feature is that it can sync with my cadence monitor on my bike and give me my bike performance data as well.
I bought it at Amazon.com for $122, including the watch and footpod. I already had the heart rate monitor for my bike computer. I had $25 in amazon cash and took out an Amazon card for another $30 off. For $67 bucks I consider this watch one heck of a good deal!
I would add that the negatives are it is not made for water, though it is water resistant. This makes it difficult to wear during a triathlon. Also, the foot pod is not as accurate out of the box as gps. The final draw back is that the battery is not rechargeable like its brethren. It is a cr2032, easily replaceable.
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