Several GPS products on the market are specifically designed for athletes. These products offer athletes specialized features that normally aren’t found in general purpose GPS hardware and software.
Endless Pursuit
Endless Pursuit is an Internet-based service that allows athletes to track their training on the Web. The service is based on using a Garmin or Magellan GPS receiver to collect data about your workout and then uploading the GPS data to a Web site through your browser. After the site collects waypoint and track data of a workout, it produces 40 statistics and 14 charts. (Sample results are shown in Figure 23-2.) You can review workout information such as
Total time elapsed (at motion and at rest) Distance (uphill, downhill, and flat) Altitude
Maximum and average speed (including uphill, downhill, and flat)
Average pace Calories expended Power generated in watts
Figure 23-2:
The Endless Pursuit Web site bases workout information on GPS data.
The Web site also serves as cumulative training log for all your workouts. After you sign in, a monthly calendar lists all your workouts by day, showing the type of activity, what time of day you worked out, distance, and total elapsed time (see Figure 23-3). Click a previous workout to display all the details about the session, including aerial photographs and topographic maps of your route. You can even compare workouts to see how you’ve improved.
Check the community section at the Web site where folks can post their workout data for anyone who has Internet access. All the published workouts (or treks, as Endless Pursuit calls them) are indexed. For example, you can do a search for all the mountain bike rides in Central Oregon and get maps of routes, trail reviews, and even download the waypoints and tracks associated with the trek directly to your GPS receiver.
Endless Pursuit is easy to use and well designed. The data that it provides goes far beyond the distance, speed, and time information from a normal GPS receiver. (Note the add-on option to integrate heart-rate monitor data with your GPS data.) Although just about any outdoor athlete can benefit from Endless Pursuit, it’s especially well suited for mountain and road bikers, runners, and triathletes.
Figure 23-3:
Log your workouts with a calendar from Endless Pursuit.
To fully use the site, purchase a Performance Pass ($149), which allows you to store data for up to 150 workouts; you can delete old ones to free up space. Endless Pursuit also offers a bundled package priced at $299 that includes a Performance Pass, GPS receiver, cable, armband, and bike mount that provides everything you need to start logging GPS data.
You can register for a free trial of Endless Pursuit and read more about the service by visiting www.endlesspursuit.com.
Timex Speed + Distance/Bodylink
The Timex Speed + Distance system is a cigarette pack-size GPS receiver that straps on your arm and transmits data to a special wristwatch. You can look at your watch and see how far you’ve gone and how fast you’re going.
Timex updated the system in 2003, adding more components and calling it Bodylink. In addition to the GPS receiver and watch, the Bodylink includes a heart-rate monitor (the GPS receiver, watch, and heart-rate monitor are shown in Figure 23-4) and a data recorder that collects data from both the GPS receiver and the heart-rate monitor. You can connect the data recorder to your personal computer to upload your workout data and analyze it with the included software.
Figure 23-4:
Timex Bodylink GPS receiver, heart-rate monitor, and watch.
This is pretty close to being the Holy Grail for athletes who want performance data. Time, speed, distance, and heart-rate data can be viewed with training software to understand your fitness and the effectiveness of your workouts.
You can’t use Bodylink for navigation. Your current location doesn’t appear on the watch, and the system doesn’t support tracks and waypoints. (Timex might add navigation capabilities to future models.) To find different Bodylink models, which retail between $250 and $300, go to www.timex.com.
Garmin Forerunner 201
Garmin’s Forerunner 201 is a GPS receiver primarily for runners: The receiver looks like an oversized watch and is designed to wear on your wrist. (The Forerunner 201 is shown in Figure 23-5.) Some of its features include
- Time (overall and lap), speed (current and average), and distance display
- Waypoint and track log support
- Stored workout history
- Pace and calories-expended information
- Large, easy-to-read screen
- Fifteen-hour, rechargeable lithium ion (Li-Ion) battery PC interface and training log software
Unlike the Timex Bodylink system (which Garmin originally provided the technology for), the Forerunner’s GPS receiver is built into the watch: It doesn’t require a separate armband unit.
The Forerunner 201 doesn’t support a heart-rate monitor, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if future versions will incorporate heart-rate monitor technology.
Figure 23-5:
The Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS receiver.
I’m impressed with the Forerunner 201′s performance, especially for a first generation entry in this market. The satellite reception has been good, and its data is useful for understanding biking, running, and skiing workouts. (Garmin recently released the Forerunner 101, a cheaper model that runs on AAA batteries. I’d avoid this product because it doesn’t have a PC interface, which means that you can’t download and analyze your track data nor upgrade the firmware.)
The Forerunner 201 has a suggested retail price of $160. To find out more about product specifications and to download the user manual, go to www. garmin.com/products/forerunner201. There’s also a great e-mail list devoted to the product that can be accessed at http://groups.yahoo. com/group/GarminF.
