Ever since I started getting into running, I've always wanted something that would monitor my running. For the longest time, I used the Runkeeper app and a HRM to keep track of my runs. It was fine and convenient, but its not something that I could LOOK at and monitor that way.

So both me and Phillip decided to make an investment and started looking at getting a running watch. After much deliberation, we decided to go for the Garmin 620.

In the Box

- Garmin 620 Watch

- USB Charging Lead

- Instructions

The watch does not come with a HRM as standard, but I did get the watch with a HRM, so my box also included:

- Chest Strap

- HRM Transmitter

Features of the Watch

Running Dynamics - Ground Contact, Candence and Vertical Oscillation

Fitness Metrics - Recovery Advisor, VO2 Max and Race Predictor

Running Features - Auto Pause, Workouts, Personal Records, Vibration Alerts, Connectivity

The running dynamics don't interest me so much and I've never really looked into them. I'm sure they'll be of much interest to someone else though!

The Recovery Advisor is pretty nifty and advises you on how long you should take to recover from a run.

The Race Predictor is pretty good too. Although, I'm not going to be competing in any races any time soon so I'm not sure how accurate this is. It gives you a projection on your current VO2 Max (which can also be measured via the watch). You get a time for 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon Times.

Now, the running features is something that I use on more of a run by run basis. I have the Auto Pause enabled on my watch, so when I come to a stop light or when trying to cross a road, when I'm stationary, the watch pauses and when I start moving again, my run resumes.

There's also Personal Records, the watch lets you know when you've achieved a personal record like your fastest mile, longest distance, or your race record from the mile to the marathon, which is good when I'm trying to beat my previous run.

Which brings me on to the Virtual Partner and the Workouts. You can race against a 'Virtual Running Partner' using your watch. It will let you know how close or how far away you are from being near your target.

Workouts are another cool feature and one that I looked forward to using. These workouts can have a variety of targets such as pace, cadence, heart rate and speed, and can have preset duration such as time or distance.

These workouts can be created on Garmin Connect and then transferred over to the watch via USB.

Garmin Connect is a website that will contain all of your running data to look at on one screen, including your runs, workouts and it also includes training plans that you can transfer over to your watch!

There are 4 different screens available on the watch, you can have them display anything that you want and there are tonnes of options to choose from like Timer, Heart Rate, Running Dynamics, Cadence, Pace and  Speed fields including other info like calories, laps, time of day.

So, I think I've covered most of the features that are available on the watch.

With regards to the actual watch, its light and I hardly notice i have it on my wrist. It's touchscreen and very easy to use, there's sound and vibrations for notifications and the screen is touch.

The Verdict

I think the watch is brilliant and I literally never go out for a run without it anymore. Its SO easy to be able to look at my pace, or anything else that I want for that matter, there are enough screens available to choose from depending on what data you want to see.

Setup of the watch was pretty easy. Finding Satellites for my first run was quite slow, but the watch then remembers the satellite you were last connected to and it becomes MUCH quicker to connect to them afterwards.

Of course, I would naturally recommend the watch to anyone that was thinking of getting a running watch. However, this might be a bit much for some people and there is also another watch down from this, the Garmin 220 that has less features.

Availability

The Garmin 620 watch is available in Blue/Black and White/Orange and is available for purchase on the Garmin Website, amazon* and many other online fitness stores.

Question: What do you use to monitor your workouts/runs?