3g generation

The modern era we live in is constantly churning out new and intriguing pieces of technology, to make almost any activity you can imagine easier. One such piece, the GPS running watch, is designed specifically for joggers and track athletes to help them analyse their performance, and shave more and more time off their runs. These have become an exceptionally popular piece of gear to own amongst runners, but like most pieces of new gear, many people have bought them without fully understanding how to get the most out of it. If you're one of these people, it may surprise you to know that your running watch can do much more than tell you how fast and far you can run. When used to its full potential, your GPS running watch can become more like a personal coach than just another technological gimmick, through a range of extra features.

Obviously, finding a balance between training and rest is important to any runner, but never knowing for sure whether its your mind or body that's tired is one of the many things that could be getting in the way of your program. Most GPS watches come with a heart rate monitor, which is a huge help in this area. After a run, simply lie down with your heart rate monitor on for five minutes, then note down a reading. Repeating this process at the same time every day for around two weeks will give you a rough area for your resting average heart rate. Commit this to memory and check your heart rate often; if it rises to 10 BPM over the average, you're probably over-training, which can be detrimental to your fitness plan.

Many running watches also come with a heart rate measuring feature which sets your "Heart rate zones". These are specific average heart rates you should be aiming for during different exercises, and sticking to them religiously can make a huge positive difference to your daily exercise routines. Yes, glancing at the screen every few seconds is a pain, but the developers of these apps seem to have foreseen this, as most come with vibrate settings which will buzz you whenever you're pushing yourself too hard or soft.

While most running watches, being of course designed for runners, come straight out the box with a variety of apps and tools to keep track of your performance, many of these don't put that gathered data into context. Use Google Calender to make a training schedule, and record things like your resting heart rate, that day’s planned workout, what you actually accomplished and how you felt. Within a month you'll be able to look back and study a brilliantly detailed overview of what training is best suited to you.