As a lifetime athlete who
has completed four Comrades Marathons, three Full Ironman races and two Half
Ironman events (and represented SA at the
World Triathlon Long Distance Champs in Spain – Ed.), I know how important
it is to have a good watch and to ensure you log all your sessions. I’ve found
it’s amazing what you pick up from your training patterns, once you’ve stored
data. I currently use a Garmin 910XT, which I’m very happy with, but I also
have a range of others as well – I hope my wife is not reading this… – and so I
was keen to give the BB Runner a workout.
TRIED AND TESTED
I had the BB Runner watch
for a week, and in that time, I did five training sessions: Two runs, two
cycling sessions (including a mountain bike ride) and one spinning session. I
found it’s really simple to set up: You just input a few personal details, push
a button, and you’re set to go! I really like the size of the display digits – for
ageing eyes like mine that was a plus! However, I struggled a bit with the
light, finding the data difficult to read with the light on, and also found the
screen a bit pixelated. In saying that, it might just be my eyes! The heart
rate monitor strap is fairly thin and initially I expected it to move all over
the place, but surprisingly, it stayed in place.
I tested the results
against my Garmin – I wore both watches at the same time – and the data was
very comparable. I liked the Bar Style Heart Rate graph that showed minimum and
maximum heart rate, because it’s easy to see at a glance what zone you are in.
The compass is a good idea, especially for cross-country and trail runners.
I found the watchstrap a
little hard while biking, but it was fine while running, when the wrists are
straight.
With a battery life of
around 10 hours, one can’t really recommend it to the back of the pack Comrades
runners, and as it’s not a multi-sport watch, Ironman athletes would not
benefit either. It is, however, absolutely perfect for the recreational runner,
especially for a novice, and a great watch to start out with!
For more info on the BB Runner
GPS and HRM Sport Watch, go to www.bb-runner.com/sa or contact Glyn Whiteley on
082 753 5220 or e-mail glyn@bb-runner.com.