Since I starting this crazy running hobby back in 2013, I’ve been a faithful MapMyRun MVP user. It’s a nice little app that works on my iPhone, has GPS capabilities, and a bunch of other nice tracking features. However, with recent releases, I’ve come to find it isn’t as accurate as I’d like it to be, and battery life on my phone won’t last a whole marathon! (Yes, I actually take a spare battery along for 26.2’s!) If I’m going to continue this kind of training, it’s time for a GPS-enabled watch.
Welcome the Garmin Vivoactive!
Garmin VivoActive GPS-enabled Smart Watch
It’s considered a smartwatch, though it doesn’t have all the little bells and whistles of an Apple Watch. It DOES however have built-in GPS and a very simplistic interface making it very easy to use when working out. This beauty came in the mail today, after I scored a sweet deal on a refurbished unit off of eBay (including manufacturer warranty). Out of the box, and connected to the computer within 5 minutes. I decided to upload a new watch face right off the bat, to give me something to play around with. Now, I’ll trade this on my wrist with the Citizen Ecodrive I’ve been wearing for the last decade. Stay tuned for more updates on how the Vivoactive works with my training.