Running

Coros seem to be popular these days, but since moving to a suunto 9 I'm not looking back!

Good app, easy sync to app and Strava, tons of features for navigation etc. Plus the battery seems to last forever!

Would you say you could use it to navigate a new route by bike or on foot off road? Obviously I’d have a map too but it’s be nice to have the watch to remind me when to turn etc when I’m visiting new areas

OMM kamleika

I have this. Like seemingly all rain jackets you still get wet from your own juices, but it keeps you dry from rain and warm. It's a pretty lightweight jacket though so layer up underneath for warmth if really cold/exposed/high.

I use my Suunto 9 for precisely this. Have used it for long runs without a map and it's pretty good. Not perfect, but often that's due to the route plotted not matching what's on the ground accurately. Micro navigation isn't really possible but for the most part you can see where you should be turning, when you are off course and how to correct. With a map to back you up you can't really go wrong.
They have recently updated the software to do turn by turn navigation. I haven't tried it but I think you need to be connected to your phone and it uses komoot app.

Yes possibly depending on price etc. Let me know when you are back thanks.

Just back from my first run in over a month. Nothing to report, just glad to be back at it :)

Will do. Won’t be much though. Say £40?

Ah sorry, that is more than I was wanting to spend. Thanks for the offer though.

To try and get my mileage up I’ve decided to try and do smaller runs in between my longer runs. Last night I just did a mile, but would do a higher pace for several minutes followed by my regular speed and then repeat.

My "most stylish arrival" pb at a local race tonight, intended to arrive pretty much as it started and did just that to near perfection, 2 miles at 8min mile pace to get there took my over t-shirt off on the move as I ran through the car park, chucked it under the starters stairs, and carried on jogging into the sub 20 min start pen on the track as the gun went.

Only possible as we keep the same number for the race series chip timing so I was race ready when I left home.

Enjoyed the race after that, ran on feel and hr graph suggests I judged the effort reasonably well.

On watch navigation - I splashed out on a Fenix 6s Pro for the mapping capabilities. In reality if you're off road, and running, then the map is too small / dark (maybe my eyes)

If I'm going into the wild I'll take my Wahoo Roam with me - wish I'd known this before spending the extra on the Fenix.

On the 6s Pro. Have one too and the optical HR is still garbage sadly too - watch as it falls into sync with your strides and tells you your HR is 170 rather than 140 - and then along with that the casual lunch jog records as a full blooded race effort (and an kind offer to revise your threshold down)

Use a strap with my Suunto as the optical is pretty ropey for in exercise measurement

I just don't get the optical HR compaints about Garmins. As long as I remember to tighten the strap before setting off it gives me a pretty consistent indication of my HR.

I suspect the fact that I have relatively hair-less arms really helps.

Unless I'm totally misreading the data anyway. Doesn't this look pretty ok?

Maybe I'd feel differently if I was training to HR.

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I have to wear mine about 5cm down from my hand to avoid it picking up wrist bone vibrations. It is accurate enough for me then.

wrist bone vibrations

Useful to know. Maybe explains why I have noticed that HR can be a little off when I'm doing things in the mountains with hiking/ski poles!

Too many of mine just end up like this.
Once they’ve got a handle on my actual HR then they seem ok, but it seems to need me to stop briefly, let the watch settle down, then carry on.

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Have you tried the suggestions in this Suunto article?

https://www.suunto.com/en-gb/Content-pages/what-should-you-know-about-wrist-heart-rate2/

Amazing, would have liked to have seen that

Maybe I'm just used to it but see hardly any downside to wearing a chest strap though?

In the good old days when I wasn't coated in extra flesh, my Garmin one used to rub holes in my skin on my ribs.

It did used to do 50/60 odd miles a week though, so it was probably pretty salty and could walk on its own

I've always found wrist HR to be junk. Followed all the tips etc as in stonehedge's link but never get anything reliable. I'm fairly hairy (but white and no tats) so that might affect it but when a gentle jog is registering over 200bpm the technology is useless.

I haven't noticed the HR monitor to be massively out on the Fenix, but I have no hair on my arms really, and tighten the strap down before a run.

never got on with chest straps for running. Either they were too loose and fell down, or tight enough that they felt distracting.

The Suunto mention about warming up before seems the best way I've found to get it to work - seems the watch needs to be expecting the right range otherwise it'll happily find another cadence. It's fine most the time, but if I ever wanted to be sure it was okay then I'd take the Polar arm HR strap.

On longer distance stuff (not running so much, but middle/long distance triathlon) then it just got annoying when I was already a few hours into an event, then on run and then the chest strap starts slipping.

I'm sure I'm doing it wrong, plenty of people cope with the Garmins and/or chest straps.
I'm happy with armband now though, as it also works for swimming (which the Fenix also fails at).

... this reminds me, I should put the the 4 chest straps I have up for sale.