5/23/2016

Monitoring Heart Rate ~ Garmin Forerunner 910XT

Garmin Forerunner 910XT

This is a running watch with GPS function.  This is my second one for running.  With a heart rate monitor, it can track where I run and other information including heart rate, running cadence and so on.   A good thing for this model is longer battery life.  My previous model which is Garmin Forerunner 405CX and it was only good for a several hours or up to six hours in the specification.  That is probably good enough for running.  My typical time for a full marathon is around four to five hours.  Unless I am doing a long trail race or a ultra marathon, the model was all right.   However, when I use for a hiking, then the battery life was a big concern.  For a long hiking, it cannot trace a whole thing.

That was a reason I got this model.  This model can be used for up to twenty hours and it is probably enough for hiking.  However, if people do an overnight hiking, then they might need to charge it during night.  As long as people carry an external battery, it can be done.

For me, it is a perfect device to monitor my heart rate during a hiking.  I can track where I walk and very accurate distance, time and heart rate.  I always use it after I bought it.

The only concern for people who is not a runner.  The price is a bit expensive for just hiking.   The cost is about USD $450.   It is almost double of the activity tracker I introduced in the previous post.

There is a newer model Forerunner 920XT which has more new features.  If people buy a similar device now, there might be a few different choices.  They are probably better to pair with a smart phone to upload the activity data to the internet.  They also have some "smart watch" functions, such as reading e-mail, text messages and so on.

If people do not mind to spend some extra money, I recommend a running watch for hiking.

P.S. Mt. Whitney Guide book is under review.  I asked my son to review and correct it.   I hope I can publish it this months.





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