The common question is whether the GPS feature of these Garmin Forerunner watches are significant enough to provide great training. They ask whether the benefits of a Gps running watch is significant as compared with just having a regular sports watch.

Many people think that simply using regular sports watches to compute your distance, measure your time, and track your progress is more than enough for their serious running needs.

The truth is that in some aspect, the basic sports watch can try to approximate the benefits of a GPS running watch like the Forerunner. As mentioned, the sports watch can track distance, time, pace, and progress too. However, it lacks one very important aspect, the extreme accuracy and wealth of information necessary for very serious runners. This aspect is something that only a good GPS running watch can provide.

Satellite Powered Accuracy:

The Garmin Forerunner 305 for example uses a high sensitivity SIRF star III GPS receiver; this advanced chip helps it gain accurate data from the satellites as you do your jogging trail. This needs that you are almost always connected to various satellites that can track how you run.

These satellites are able to feed your watch data about your distance and pace. The Garmin Forerunner would be able to tell you very accurately just how much distance you have covered in your runs. The data is very accurate that is usually only off by a range of 10 to 20 feet plus or minus.  This is highly accurate when you consider that around 20 feet is usually just a couple of seconds away.

Bottom Line:

The thing is for weekend joggers or those that are content with recreational running may not care for having the very accurate data that a GPS running watch like the Garmin Forerunner can provide. But for serious runners who want to be able to learn of their pace right down to the very last second, then the ability to track pace, distance, heart rate, and speed accurately gives you more tools that can help improve your running.

Thus, a serious athlete who is looking to get more out of every workout, and become a better and much more improved runner would truly enjoy the help that an accurate GPS running watch can give them.