Earlier this week, Polar announced an update that'll be a game-changer for runners like me who are gearing up for marathons later this year. After many years of waiting, I was delighted to hear that the company's best running watches finally support TrainingPeaks. At last!
If you're not familiar with TrainingPeaks, it's a tool that helps runners, cyclists, and triathletes train in a smart and structured way, whether you're an amateur or a pro. Sign up and select a training plan (free or paid), enter a goal time for your race, and you'll be presented with a full schedule of workouts to help you achieve it.
I've been using an 80:20 plan to train for the Paris Marathon next month – the same one that helped me prepare for last year's event in Manchester. Each week I'm given some general training advice via email and a set of training sessions for the week ahead are sent directly to my Garmin watch.
Whether it's a fartlek session, hills, a foundation run, or the weekly long effort, all I have to do is select the running activity and follow the instructions – all adjusted to suit my heart rate training zones.
Meanwhile, coaches can use it to create custom training sessions for their clients and monitor athletes' performance over time. If someone has to take time out due to injury or a vacation, they can see that and plan around it.
It's a brilliant tool, and considering Polar's focus on running, it's a surprise that it's taken this long for it to arrive on the company's watches. Now that it has, though, I'm seriously considering making the switch from Garmin.
Time to disconnect?
Over the years, I've had the privilege of testing heaps of sports watches from Garmin, Polar, Suunto, and many more in my previous role as fitness editor here on TechRadar, and later as editor of our sister site Advnture.
Polar's watches have always appealed to me due to their excellent biometrics. While Garmin has always been focused on mapping (its first product was a GPS receiver designed for boats), Polar is all about health tracking, and its fitness and recovery-tracking tools are exceptional.
Polar makes some good-looking watches, too. Most of Garmin's more serious sports watches are hefty chunks of plastic and metal, whereas Polar's devices tend to be sleek, slim, and lightweight. The addition of TrainingPeaks sweetens the deal even more, and when my Fenix finally gives up the ghost, I'll be very tempted to abandon my Garmin Connect badges and make the switch.
There's just one more thing holding me back. I have epilepsy, and although it's very rarely a problem, it's reassuring for my partner to know where I am when I'm on a training run. Whenever I start a running activity, Garmin LiveTrack sends him an SMS with a link where he can keep tabs on my location, then sends another notification when I'm done. It gives us both peace of mind.
If Polar can add an equivalent to that, it'll finally be time to say goodbye to Garmin and disconnect from Connect.
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