Christmas may not be on your mind but it is on the mind of some, myself included. I’ve been asked to identify a few of my favorite things as a few ladies I know are starting to pen their Christmas lists.
My current absolute favorite thing is the new GPS Running Watch for Dummies Garmin Forerunner 10. At $129, I believe that this is the best bang for your buck on the GPS Running Watch market. I own the green one. Aby put a pink one on her Christmas list. This is a simple device that doesn’t create a mountain of data that you don’t have time to study anyhow out of your run. What you do get is a constant update of your time, pace and distance. There is also a virtual pacer, which will tell you that you are constantly behind, ahead or on your desired pace.
Aurelia & I’s run last night is below. We both had tired legs and were talking non-stop but damn we were consistent!
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Smallest, most comfortable GPS watch on the market for women.
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It fits my arm very well and I can actually wear the watch all day long.
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Looks somewhat fashionable in a casual sense.
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Uploads to the Garmin Connect, shows a map of the run, plus mile splits (but I personally can’t get it to connect to Daily Mile).
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Device records 7 runs before overwriting, so don’t be lazy about uploading or you’ll lose the data
if you care. -
Device records “Run Records” for the fastest mile, 5K, 10K, Half, & Full marathon.
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Auto pause feature which pauses the time/pace/gps when you need to hit the bathroom/stretch then it automatically starts back up when you get moving again.
Second, you know I love the Wrist Saver (starting at $12.95) from Personal Savers. They are currently running a Facebook Special for the next 3 days and if you buy a Personal Saver product, you get a free (refill) bottle of pepper spray. Discount Code: FB-FREE-PEPPER
Third, Whooha Gear products. I love the things I own in addition to their message. I did a recent post and giveaway HERE. This purple I Run Burnout Hoodie for $40 is on my Christmas list. I’m hoping that Santa buys me a large using the 10% off coupon code: TTFWhooha
Fourth, another wish list item of mine is this pair of Keen – Laken High Boots that I have been stalking “watching”. At $190, they are a bit outside my budget and probably Santa’s but hey, this is a WISH list, so I can wish! Plus, with our cold, windy Chicago winters, I think I actually NEED a pair of these or at least that’s what I’ll be telling Santa. 🙂
If Santa can’t afford the Keen Laken’s above, then my second choice which isn’t that much cheaper would be these Keen Sunriver High Boots at $130. These cute purple boots (more color options) also just so happen to match the purple I Run Burnout Hoodie that’s also on my list.
Last but not least, I have several new favorites from Brooks Running. Aby and I have the Nightlife Essential LS 1/2 Zip for $65. It’s bright, plus very soft and has a great fit. There are other color options if you’re not into pink. I wore it for the Hot Chocolate race and I think it helped others pick me out of that massive crowd, see the crappy lit photo below. 🙂
The Brooks Pure Cadence are another favorite at $120. I have two pair of these (different colors) but I prefer the bright pink color. These aren’t my training shoes but I love them for short races! They are cute, flashy and they are comfortable enough to wear all day long if necessary. Win, Win!
Since running makes me happy, I’m of course drown to the Brooks Run Happy campaign. Therefore, I grabbed one of the EZ T LS Run Happy shirts off the women’s sale section for $23. They have several color options but I picked the orange.
Always remember when shopping online to first check the sale, clearance or last chance sections before making a final decision. You can get a lot of great deals in the sale section and save some serious cash!
Good luck making your wish list! Remember your blessings and do your best to not get swept up in Holiday Fever. I personally pledge to limit my holiday spending to fit within my budget. I pledge to cut back on a few expenses now in order to have a cash Christmas so as not to have extra debt hanging over my head at the start of the new year. I pledge to remember my local charities/food pantries this holiday season and throughout the year.
I wish each and every one of you a joy filled, healthy and happy holiday season!
** Happy Holidays ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **
TooTallFritz 
Have you tried exporting a GPX from Garmin Connect to import into Daily Mile? That’s what I do to dump my runs into RunKeeper, because it seems to take less time than syncing to the watch a 2nd time. I’ve never used Daily Mile, so I don’t know if there’s an import option.
Daily Mile only syncs. I don’t see an import option. Just sent an inquiry to Garmin. I never had an issue with the sync on my Nike+ GPS.
I am hoping to get a Garmin Watch for Chirstmas. I don’t need one that does anything too fancy but I do want it to keep intervals. My Nike + only gives an average for miles. I want something a little more accurate. Does the Garmin forerunner 10 do this?
If by intervals you mean, mile splits then yes, it does record those via the autolap feature. Look at the photo above of L1, L2, L3, L4. Those are our mile splits. If you want to record intervals at your own designed time/distance, you turn the autolap (1 mile) off and have to manually click the watch to record your own intervals. It will allow you to program a run/walk option.
You know…when it comes to GPS watches for runners…many overlook the Heart Rate monitor capability. If one is interested in lapping intervals…as in doing track or interval workouts, or other kinds of workouts at tempo, threshold or red-zone speed, then you really want to monitor your HR intensity. Not sure if that Garmin you are billing has HR function. Understand don’t need all the fancy functions…but a greater memory…ability to manually lap…and ability to monitor HR are pretty essential functions to most runners. If you don’t care about that kind of data…then you don’t need a watch at all…just run and whatever! I do know the Garmin Forerunner 210 is a manually operated push-button style of comparatively small size and has HR monitoring capabilities using the HR chest strap. It probably costs more than the model you bill…but not all that much more and the added features are worth it…especially if you are a runner that cares about time, speed and wants to get faster!
The Forerunner 10 does NOT have heart rate. If anyone is interested in heart rate information, then yes, move up to a more appropriate model or over to a Polar device.
Great post, Amanda! Great information, as usual!