One of the most famous lines of GPS enabled running watches is the Garmin Forerunner. Many people would purchase them because of the plethora of unique features that it would be able to provide the enthusiasts all the way up to the competitive runners.

However, despite being such a loaded running watch, some people are scared of using it because they are not fully aware of the features that they could use for their running. They become confused about what the capabilities of the Garmin Forerunner watches are, and would rather opt for something that is more familiar or simple.

This is very unfortunate as the range of features that any Garmin Forerunner running watch packs is truly beneficial for any kind of runner. It is just a matter of understanding them and then applying them to your own training routine.

Here are the common features found in the Garmin Forerunners and a short description of what they are able to do for you.

Competition Features:

Virtual Partner - The Virtual Partner feature of the Garmin Forerunners is one of the most famous and more known features of the watch. The virtual partner lets you train against a digital competitor. It shows a virtual display so that you have an idea just how much ahead you are, or how much ground you need to cover to get even with the competition.

Courses - The Garmin Forerunner also lets you compete against your previous workouts through the courses feature in the running watch. It would be your guide if you are finally improving your runs based on how you performed in your earlier ones.

Workout Features -

Simple Workouts – If you are not an aggressive or serious runner, then perhaps the Simple workout feature is for you. It would allow you to input time, distance and calorie goals. This would allow you to know when you have reached them and when you can stop your work outs.

Advanced Workouts – There are also advanced workouts for those who want to fully control the parameters of their training session.

Alert Triggers:

The Garmin Forerunner series of running watches have various audio alert triggers to inform you about the goals that you reach while running. There are pace alerts when you start varying from your preset pace, a time or distance alert when you reach your goals.

While Running:

Auto Pause – When you are running your training routes, there are situations wherein you would need to stop, such as in traffic stops or when others ask for directions. This could wreck your data as it would skew the training that you are doing. Fortunately the auto pause feature would automatically stop the timer and resume the timer based on your speed. If it detects you are not moving, then it would stop.

Auto Lap – The Auto Lap function would automatically start a new lap once you have reached a desired route, or time.

As you can see from the features mentioned above, the Garmin Forerunner is really the only running watch that you need for all your training needs

Analyzing and Tracking your Running Data

The Garmin Forerunner series of watches are loaded with features that enable you to track and analyze your fitness data. With the Garmin Forerunner wristwatch alone you would already be able to instantaneously know the results of your fitness activities.

However, there are some instances when you would want to increase the analysis that you make of the data that you gather from your Garmin Forerunner. While you could simply look at your watch’s records and track manually, this is quite tedious and difficult to do.

That is why Garmin has bundled their Garmin Training Center software with their Garmin Forerunner running watches.

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