Normally I am pretty “old school” when it comes to my physical conditioning training, but I have a sudden need to get back into shape in a hurry and I am pulling out all the stops. I bought one of these on the recommendation of one my marathon runner friends.

This device lets you build workouts around distance, speed, or heart rate. It will automatically transfer workouts you design on your computer to the watch, and the results of the workout from the watch back to your computer. The GPS will map the route that you travelled and keep track of changes in elevation. Garmin even has a website where you can post your results. Normally I would say that I didn’t need this level of optimization in my workouts but I am seeing bigger gains in less time than the last time I had to push to get back into shape. It isn’t going to do much for your weight training, but for any kind of running, walking, hiking, or biking exercise this does a very good job of allowing to set goals and rate your progress.

As a watch it kind of sucks: It has about eight hours of GPS functionality and a couple of days of “stand by” (normal watch) mode so this is basically going to sit on the charger when you aren’t working out. Be sure to get the heart rate monitor strap as well. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal but it has really improved my performance.