Total, working is a fairly low-tech sport—all you actually want is a good pair of shoes. However there’s one piece of substances that many runners utterly geek out over: the watch.
Right now’s top GPS running watches can provide athletes every kind of knowledge about their coaching, from coronary heart charge and stride size to VO2 max estimates and race predictions. “It may be one strategy to observe your health enchancment in the event you’re somebody who likes knowledge,” says Chicago-based working coach Amanda Wagner.
Some of the common manufacturers at this time is Coros. It’s solely been round for 10 years, which makes it pretty new in comparison with long-standing manufacturers like Garmin and Suunto. However it’s rapidly gained traction amongst runners.
“It is identified to be a powerhouse working watch model at a extremely nice worth level,” Wagner says. “It is identified to be correct and join quick to GPS.” It’s additionally acquired a popularity for providing distinctive battery life, making it significantly engaging amongst extremely endurance athletes who need a tracker that lasts so long as they do.
The model’s newest launch is the Coros Pace Pro. It updates the older Pace 3 with a shiny AMOLED display screen, longer-lasting battery life, downloadable offline maps, and a quicker processor (in order that it’s extra responsive as you’re tapping round). Plus, it’s acquired eight occasions the storage capability. At $349, it’s priced within the midrange of working watches—not essentially the most budget-friendly, but in addition not the best top-of-the-line luxurious choice.
Trying intently on the specs, I used to be intrigued by the lineup of premium options: The Tempo Professional affords simply what most severe runners need, with out a bunch of extraneous bells and whistles that may drive up the value on higher-end watches. So I acquired a pattern to check out, utilizing it to trace runs, walks, energy coaching, and sleep. And I discovered it to be an distinctive coaching software that really helped me log higher exercises.
Coros Pace Pro — $349.00
- Show: AMOLED (1500 nits)
- Battery life: 20 days for day by day use, 31 hours of dual-frequency GPS
- Controls: Touchscreen, digital dial, again button
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, WiFi
- Reminiscence: 32 GB
- Waterproof ranking: 5 atm (sufficient for swimming, however not diving)
- Guarantee: 2 years
- Colour choices: Black, gray, blue
- Exceptionally lengthy battery life
- Vibrant display screen with easy-to-read graphics
- Downloadable maps with turn-by-turn instructions
- Impressively exact GPS (and fast connection)
- Exercises are straightforward to create and comply with
- Captures a great deal of knowledge
- Unreliable sleep monitoring
- Performs MP3s however can’t stream music or podcasts
- Setup may be time-consuming
Battery life
Lengthy-lasting battery life is likely one of the largest promoting factors for Coros watches on the whole, and that’s true right here even with the model’s first (energy-sucking) AMOLED show. Coros says a cost on the Tempo Professional lasts 31 hours with dual-frequency GPS on, or as much as 20 days with common day-to-day use. I discovered an hour-long run solely ate up 4 % of the battery energy.
This longevity is big in the event you’re doing ultramarathons or Ironman races. It’s additionally simply tremendous handy. “Consider, say, an Apple watch—these perhaps final a part of a day versus this Coros watch, it’s going to have an extended battery life,” Wagner says.
It additionally prices rapidly. When it first arrived, I opened up the field to search out the Tempo Professional charged to 75 % (a pleasant perk for these of us who love the moment gratification of a toy we are able to instantly play with). I plugged it into my laptop to obtain some music, and inside a couple of minutes it was already as much as 91 %.
One factor to notice: The watch comes with a charging adapter that connects to any USB cable, which is handy. However the adapter itself is tiny and feels straightforward to lose. (Coros appears to anticipate this, providing a keychain you’ll be able to stick it in for safe-keeping.)
Setup
To get going with fundamental capabilities, I discovered the setup fairly easy and minimal. However I needed to hunt to determine any fancier options like methods to obtain a coaching plan or add music. There’s no video to take you thru all of the steps, they usually aren’t at all times essentially the most intuitive, so I ended up Googling virtually the whole lot.
The display screen and {hardware}
The Tempo Professional’s AMOLED display screen is shiny and straightforward to learn regardless of whether or not it’s darkish or tremendous shiny out. In the meantime, the brand new, quicker processor makes it tremendous fast to faucet round via tons of knowledge proper in your wrist.
The one place the place I discovered it’s not essentially the most responsive is definitely getting the display screen to mild up. Once I saved it on the “Gesture-Primarily based” setting to increase battery life when not understanding, the watch face didn’t at all times present up instantly after I lifted up my arm to take a peek.
The display screen is 1.3 inches, and it comes with a silicone band, which I discovered decently comfy. It’s not so large that it will get in my approach, and it’s mild sufficient to put on 24/7. Nonetheless, as somebody who doesn’t love sleeping with a watch, at evening I discovered it a bit clunkier than a Whoop band.
GPS connectivity
Coros says the Tempo Professional has a brand new satellite tv for pc chipset and {hardware} configuration for the model’s most exact GPS efficiency thus far. I discovered it at all times related to GPS for me rapidly in simply two to 6 seconds.
To verify how correct it was, I regarded again in any respect my maps after my runs. I may see it captured my precise path throughout a avenue, as an example, quite than exhibiting a wiggly line. There have been slight deviations of a foot or two, however no main aberrations, even round buildings that sometimes freak out my previous Garmin.
Doing a exercise
In concept, one of many main perks of a superb working watch is the power to program exercises proper onto it. In observe, this could typically be so cumbersome it’s not well worth the problem. However I discovered Coros makes it tremendous straightforward to construct a exercise within the app, and there’s additionally a library of coach-designed exercises and even full coaching plans to select from.
On the run, the watch gave me clear alerts of when to begin an interval, when to recuperate, and how briskly to go. I preferred the way in which the pacer choice saved me trustworthy about my velocity in a non-irritating approach, solely giving a delicate nudge each 65 seconds when my tempo was off (you’ll be able to customise the frequency). In the meantime, coloured strains made it straightforward to see my heart rate zone at a look. It felt like having a coach on my wrist inform me precisely what I needs to be doing when in order that I may focus in on the working itself.
The Tempo Professional appears primarily designed for runners and triathletes. Living proof: You may select between “run,” “indoor run,” “path run,” and even “observe run,” plus 4 completely different biking and two swimming choices. However you may as well observe different actions like snowboarding and rowing. I used it to trace a few energy coaching periods, simply because I may.
“Quite a lot of runners find yourself having fun with their watch a lot that they wish to observe all their knowledge and all their actions with it,” Wagner says. For lifting, there’s an auto-rep counting function, which typically labored and typically didn’t, relying on the train. It additionally recorded my coronary heart charge, which isn’t the purpose of energy coaching, however hey, good to know. I don’t know anybody who buys a look ahead to lifting exercises, so the dearth of usable options right here isn’t surprising. However I did like having the ability to maintain observe of how a lot time I spent doing energy work all through the week.
When you end any sort of exercise, you get a bunch of stats to scroll via proper on the watch (like coronary heart charge zones, elevation, cadence, stride size, restoration time), and have an opportunity to notice your charge of perceived exertion. Or you’ll be able to try the info on the Coros app or a third-party platform like Strava or Coaching Peaks. Wagner says she’ll go over this sort of knowledge with the athletes she coaches not less than as soon as a month, and typically as usually as each single day, relying on how data-driven they’re.
One factor I liked: The Tempo Professional provides you day by day stats with out feeling in any respect shame-y on rest days. Even in the event you set day by day objectives, there aren’t markers like unclosed rings once you don’t hit them—you simply get a congrats message once you do.
Maps
The addition of offline maps is a big draw for a lot of runners. With the Tempo Professional, you’ll be able to create a route (on roads or trails) within the Coros app, or import a GPX file. I discovered it’s a bit extra time intensive to map out a route within the app than in, say, Google maps, nevertheless it’s not horrible in the event you’ve acquired some endurance.
Then, when you select to comply with a route throughout an exercise, you’ll get turn-by-turn prompts and off-course alerts. It might probably additionally inform you methods to get again to the beginning. Nonetheless, it gained’t re-route you once you veer off (such as you’d get with a routable map on a high-end Garmin), so it’s good to work out methods to get again on observe your self by wanting on the map in your wrist
It took me a couple of minutes to get used to the timing of how far forward it warns you a couple of flip—on quick blocks, I’d get a immediate for a flip two blocks forward, which is simply complicated. However you’ll be able to at all times look down at your wrist and see the route highlighted. As soon as I acquired a way of the rhythm although, this was an enormous assist that saved me from stopping my exercise to take out my telephone and verify the place I used to be headed.
Different options
One factor that acquired me excited concerning the Tempo Professional was the power to take heed to music proper from the watch, however this function was really fairly underwhelming. Sure, with 32 GB storage, you’ll be able to match an enormous playlist, nevertheless it solely helps MP3 information—if you wish to stream Spotify or podcasts, you’ll want your telephone. I discovered the Bluetooth connection was additionally fairly darn spotty except I turned off my telephone’s bluetooth connection so it didn’t intrude.
Initially, I used to be additionally intrigued by the Tempo Professional’s all-in-one functionality as each a working watch and sleep tracker. But I discovered the sleep monitoring gave me a superb deal extra credit score than my Whoop, counting the time I spent scrolling Instagram in mattress as “mild sleep.” It additionally doesn’t at all times decide up on naps. So I’d say that whereas it’s useful to get a basic concept of your sleep, if that knowledge’s tremendous essential to you, I’d advocate a tracker like Whoop or Oura ring that specializes in it.
One cool perk, nonetheless, is that you are able to do a couple of well being checks proper from the Tempo Professional: You may see your coronary heart charge, heart rate variability, breath charge, oxygen saturation, and get an general “stress rating.” It’s not an FDA-approved ECG, however fairly neat for a fast check-in.
Who the Coros Tempo Professional is finest for
Actually, I’d advocate the Tempo Professional to almost any runner who’s available in the market for a premium smartwatch. The one caveats are that in order for you one which additionally provides you best-in-class sleep monitoring or streams music and podcasts, you’ll most likely wish to maintain buying round. (Although you’ll seemingly have to pay a bit extra.)
But when an extended battery life, a shiny display screen, or offline maps are a precedence, this watch actually provides you a ton of bang to your buck. “Do it’s good to spend $800 on a smartwatch? No,” Wagner says. “You will get one for $200 or $300 that has all of the options and extra that you simply may want.” The Tempo Professional affords simply that. Personally, I discovered that the gathering of options add as much as higher exercises, taking good care of particulars like the place the heck you’re headed so you’ll be able to simply concentrate on placing within the work.
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