Garmin

In June this year They had been ten years since I had an Apple Watch in my doll. They had. I had. During this almost-década I have defended their virtues, understood their limitations and celebrated their improvements. AND I have spread a lot about him And how to get the most out. The idea of ​​migrating to Garmin was always alien to me: his watches seemed excessively specialized, with complex interfaces and a public too specific. Watchos versatility eclipsed any alternative. Today, after more than a month with a Garmin Epix 2 On the wrist, all these convictions have faded. Other priorities The catalyst for this change was my own evolution as a corridor. From the trot to seven minutes per kilometer five years ago, in recent months I have completed A half marathon at 1:40 h and 10 kilometers races in 43 minutes. Nothing very there, but of course much better than before. Now, with an eye on improving those brands and completing my first sub’3: 30 h, my needs have changed. The Epix 2 on my wrist. Image: Xataka. The epiphany arrived in the half marathon of Valencia, two days before the Dana. My Apple Watch Ultra 2with which I left 50% battery, agonized at 1% when reaching the finish line. The LTE, inadvertently active, had drained energy almost until I left without a record since I moved away from the iPhone, because several hours passed. The revelation was crystalline: Even the most advanced Apple Watch is, in essence, a smart watch with sports benefits, not a sports clock. The Garmin had notified me before starting the race telling me that with that configuration I would not even have for two hours of race. For years I compensated for the lack of Apple Watch with a mosaic of applications: Many of them with their monthly subscription, fragmenting the experience and multiplying costs. What Garmin offers natively, the Apple ecosystem resolves it by means of third -party payment patches. The final drop was A 31 kilometers run In a little familiar area. Three stops to guide me with the mobile phone put on the navigation limitations of the Apple Watch: it is possible, but it is also tedious and is not natively integrated into the training application. The first popular race with Garmin on the wrist. Image: Xataka. Between Garmin, Suunto and Choos, I opted for Garmin mainly to keep the payment from the clock. Epix 2 demolished my prejudices from the first moment. Its interface, surprisingly intuitive, is controlled by five physical buttons and an optional touch screen. Navigation is precise even with rain or sweat, without the need for constant visual attention. Minipunto for buttons. A sphere with twelve very customizable complications and the time in digital very visible. Image: Xataka. Not even the most complete and versatile spheres of Apple Watch come to so much. Between seven and nine complications (in that case, with analog time) is the maximum where it arrives. Image: Xataka. The contrast with Apple Watch is clear: where Apple offers a polished but rigid experience in sports, Garmin allows huge customization, so great that the principle overwhelms. From the granular configuration of each training screen to the creation of complete routines via web, much more comfortable. The device not only records data: interprets, analyzes and translates them. Some examples: Training load focus. It induces to balance the load between low intensity aerobic, high intensity and anaerobic aerobic. At first he always had unbalanced in favor of high intensity aerobics, which makes improvement difficult and increases the risk of injury. When starting with the Garmin this graph was unbalanced, a month later the values ​​that were low are within the range and the one that exceeded by a lot is about to normalize as well. Image: Xataka. Resistance score. To understand our real physical form and its evolution over time. Sleep score. Not only says how much we have slept and how much in each phase, but gives a score and gives a brief description that correlates with our recovery and our predisposition to train. Pending score. It measures our resistance and strength in earrings, bad news for the ego of a Valencian accustomed to flat. The role of VO2 Max. A key metric that in the Apple Watch is relegated to a corner of health and the one that Garmin gives prominence. Image: Xataka. Acute training (short -term) and its optimal range depending on chronic (long -term). Image: Xataka. Another example: when detecting my suboptimal career cadence (160 steps per minute), the clock not only helped me visually understanding that it was too low, but allowed me to build the solution: integrates a vibration metronome to guide me towards 170 steps Ideal for my height. This level of integrated detail makes the difference. Do I miss Apple Watch? Undoubtedly. The quick message response, the musical control, the remote control of the iPhone camera, instantaneous Shazam, voice timers or consult the Valencia score from the sphere during a concert (real case) are luxuries difficult to leave. But I have discovered that I prefer the specific excellence to versatility that is not so deep in sports. There are nuances, of course. The GPS is not as precise as that of Ultra 2 or selecting the maximum precision mode. The predictions of career times (5k, 10k, 21k, 42k), another added that is not in the Apple Watch, and there are not even options of third -quality third parties and reliability. Image: Xataka. Autonomy deserves separate mention: Weekly load He has replaced the daily ritual. On Friday mornings are my new load ritual. And there is still a battery after seven days of use. Migration has not been easy. Ultra 2 is still extraordinary, but my needs have evolved. I no longer seek just register activity, sleep and passive metrics: I need to understand those metrics to optimize and plan precisely. Specialization has its value. The Epix 2 does not aspire to be a mini-uhone, … Read more