Fitness Watch Recommendations and why

[BertleTheTurtle]

All that and you don't mention the Swamp Stomper?

Haha! I've never run the Swamp Stomper, but all of my buddies run it each year. The timing of that race has just never worked out for me. However, Swamp Stomper is held at Shelby Forest, which has some really good running trails. Word of caution, between June and the end of August, avoid that area if at all possible. The snakes and horse flies in that area are heavy and relentless. We run that course pretty consistently in the Fall and Winter months though. Really funny you mention that race! Have you run it?

 

[aspendawg]

I have a whoop and an Apple Watch. Whoop is incredible if you're a hardcore workout junky but my apple watch caught my first bout of AFIB and constantly notifies me. So for that reason I love it for its basic exercise tracking and health reasons.

 

[DawgNsuds]

Got into ultra running about 3.5 years ago. I live in Memphis so my first crack at it was at a race in Alison, AR called Sylamore. I've done that 50k every year since 2022. I've also done the Big Buffalo 50k in Memphis several times, and I ended up winning the Big Buffalo 50 miler this year. In the Fall of 2023, I ran the Mamba 100k in Memphis and was 2nd place male, think I finished like 4th overall or something. In the Spring of 2024, I ran the UTMB Canyons 100k in Auburn, CA and that was just an awesome experience. Incredible to run in that part of the country, finished in 16.5 hours. In the Fall of 2024, I ran my first 100 mile race, the Mamba 100 miler and finished in 23.5 hours. I'm currently training to hike Mt. Whitney in early August and the UTMB Grindstone 100 miler in mid-September.

To be abundantly clear, I'm not a very good runner, like at all. I have a ton of running friends who are significantly faster than I am. I think my advantage is in the grind of it all. I've been lucky enough with injuries that I'm able to be super consistent with my training, and I'm willing to do the stuff that most people scoff at (running in terrible weather conditions, training at night or early morning hours with headlamps, running without food, power hiking on my treadmill, etc.). The longer races get super difficult. My legs get super stuff and achy and don't want to move, and almost always I reach a point where my stomach won't take down any food. These races are basically eating contests, if you aren't staying ahead on calories, then you're going to fail. There comes a point in each race where the physical side just sucks and it is what it is, but the mental is where people are broken. Your mind starts to tell you it's okay to quit or that you're too tired or that you've already done enough. For me personally, that's where I'm able to settle in, and it's really my favorite part of the race. It's almost like a point of clarity where I can focus on things that maybe I've been pushing off for a while. I pray a lot, not about the race, but just things going on in my life that I've been avoiding. I think about traumas in my life that I've kept submerged. It's wild to say, but it's honestly very positive for me. The sense of gratitude I get at the end, isn't from the finish, it's from the things I thought about or pushed through along the way.

I have some friends that have done the Mamba, I draw the line at a 50K simply because I have gotten older. Amazing what the human body can do if you train and are committed

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

I upgraded about a year ago to the Garmin Fenix 8 Solar from the Garmin Forerunner 965. Use it a ton in training for ultra endurance races, sauna, sleep, etc. The Fenix is an investment for sure, but it's like a life line for me during races. Probably not worth it if you're not spending a significant amount of time in activity. The Garmin Instinct 3 is a more affordable option and really highly regarded.

Yep. I am still rolling with my Instict 1 I got for Christmas 6-7 years ago. I mainly used it for pulse rate, steps, and the Garmin fitness app the first few years. Now I spend a lot of time in the backcountry and the elevation reading and GPS functionality are critical. Still holds a charge for about 3 weeks if I don't use the GPS. As old as it it is, it still lets me see weather, texts, email, and caller ID which is handy at times.

My only complaint is that the buttons are too big on the right side and when I am throwing the baseball with the kids the glove hits the buttons and starts a stopwatch or something.

I remember going on a 5 day rafting trip a few years ago. I had one of my kids and my nephews. There were 3 other groups of 4 and 5 guides. Everyone that had apple watches petered out on day 2 except for myself, a few other guys, and the guides. We all had Garmin or Suunto watches.

I'm eyeballing the Instinct 3 solar for a Christmas ask for this year. I am not sure if I have ever bought any type of electronic that has held up and performed as well over so many years as my Garmin watch.

 

[stateu1]

I have. Won it like in 2011 or so. It’s a great race.