I settled on the Garmin. After all, its a big part of my training, I used it mostly every day for recording my training efforts and also in races to record those.
In advice, my apologies for the pictures and words formatting - a bit like my swimming....I'm still learning. I think I've cropped the pictures at different sizes hence the awkward and clumsy look and feel.
In advice, my apologies for the pictures and words formatting - a bit like my swimming....I'm still learning. I think I've cropped the pictures at different sizes hence the awkward and clumsy look and feel.
So, how did I end up settling on this particular watch. Coming into Triathlon, I'd mostly been running for the previous few years and even with that, I'd been running without a watch for most of the time and when I did use a watch, it was a basic stop watch, from which I timed a start/stop time to get an elapsed time and then I estimated how far I'd run to try and see how quickly (or not !) I was covering the ground.
I remember one route I had in those early days, which I still use now, I used to finish running and think to myself, if that's 5 miles in total, then I'm running at a half decent pace, if its say only 4 or 3...then its quite slow. That's how scientific my running was - some would say it hasn't changed that much !! At one point, I recall driving the same route to try and see how far I was running. Of course, you could never track the exact route you'd run, but at least is was better than guessing. And I was pleasantly surprised, that route was closer to 5 miles than the 3 or 4 it could have been.
Through friends and some research, I came across Garmin. I didn't realise they made sports watches, I thought they just did sat nav. So after some deliberation, I dipped a toe into the 'wearable' market and splashed out on a bright orange Garmin Forerunner 10. It wasn't waterproof and only had basic run functions. But is was a revelation for training. I could now see my pace in real time as I run. I knew how far I'd run and I could upload it and review it and then see how far I'd run in a week, or a month.
I've drifted off topic I think....Triathlon...Garmin 920...yes, so, when I started Triathlon, I already had this Garmin watch, but as I said, It wasn't waterproof and it didn't have any bike settings, so it was pretty useless for Triathlon. I considered it might be useful to track my swim and bike efforts, so I was in the market for a new watch that could cover these bases. Chatting to a mate who had more years of Tri experience under his belt, he told me I needed the Garmin 920XT. I did my usual research and had to agree, this was the watch for me, so I bought one off amazon, with the heart rate monitor included.
Writing about the 920XT in 2019, it's now an old watch. Garmin has bought out many more updates since and their newer offerings include a host more functionality (music, apple pay and so on) and touch-screens. They are also more 'watch like', so mostly now have round faces and seem a lot more 'compact' than the 920XT.
The 920 looks 'old' by comparison, it's quite big and chunky. But that's where we are with tech now. Whatever you buy, is fairly much out of date in no time at all. But that doesn't mean to say it still isn't a good watch - line up at the swim start of any triathlon and you will see it's still a very popular choice.
My watch, with the heart rate monitor set me back over £300, so I was expecting big things. Of course, I'd done my reading beforehand so knew it covered a lot of functions and I'd chatted to friends about what watches they used. But how easy and reliable they are you only know once you start using something.
The watch itself, as I alluded to earlier, is fairly chunky, compared maybe to your 'everyday' watch you might wear. But it is comfy to wear and the screen is big enough to make data/information easily readable when you are on the move. I like the fact that the strap has plenty of adjustment and will I'd imagine fit most size wrists and over wet-suits and winter cycling long sleeve tops if/as needed.
The breadth and depth of features on the watch make reading the manual a 'must-do'. There is a 'quick-start' guide in the box with the watch, but this only covers the basics. You need to explore the manual to realise how powerful the watch is. The manual is easily accessible via the web. I just printed off a copy so I always had it to hand.
So, what about the practicalities of use and the functionality. As I bought the watch specifically for triathlon, lets take each component of that and run through how the watch works for each. Note that also, I can only report on the functions I have used. There are a myriad of functions I've not touched yet, so don't think the watch only covers what you read below.
Swim: First thing to note is that if you want to have heart rate monitoring (HRM) for your swims, you have to buy the watch with the swim specific HRM, or add it after. It is a different unit to the run/bike HRM. I haven't got this 'extra' so cannot comment on it from experience. However, some of what you read suggests the HRM 'lifts' or can lift during pool swims, which impacts readings or accuracy of readings.
So for swimming, you have two options. Pool swim and Open water swim. Open water swim uses GPS to track your progress and work out your speeds and other stats. With open water swims, you pretty much select that option, wait for GPS to 'locate', press start and set off on your swim. You can record 'laps' and can no doubt engage other functions for open water, but I've not explored any. I use it to track my time and distance in the water and that is it. When it comes to accuracy, again, you can read a lot of reports about how inaccurate or inconsistent the readings are but I look at it from the point of view that previously if I swam open water I'd have no idea how far I'd gone (only a rough idea based on an average 'lap' distance if you swim at a lake) so anything else, even if it was slightly inaccurate, was an advance on nothing.
For the pool swim, you have a key option to consider before you set off, being the pool length. This can be selected and set through a choice of more 'standard' pool sizes, or you can set your own custom size if your pool length isn't one of the pre-set options.
On top of this, the swim settings allow for you to select a 'Drill' mode, if you are undertaking drills rather than a straight swim. I have to admit, I've only selected the drill mode a couple of times....by mistake. I've never really understood it and don't use it. If I do drills, I tend to just leave the watch running on its normal swim mode. Reading the manual would probably help here !
With the swim mode in the pool, you have to be conscious of pushing off hard at each end of the pool as this is how Garmin detects laps completed. I believe it does this via the accelerometer detecting the change in acceleration from push off's, combined with the pool length you selected. I have noticed before that where I haven't pushed off firmly, Garmin missed a 'lap'.
The feature I probably use the most is the 'lap' button. This is just like the lap button on a stopwatch. Handy if you do sets or something like that. So when I do say 10 x 200m off 1 minute rest. I can hit the 'lap' button after 200m, the watch still counts elapsed time in the background and I can see also see when my 1 minute 'rest' is complete. Pressing the 'lap' button again after my minutes rest, re-sets the distance to zero and time to zero, so I start the next 200m.
Once you are finished, press the 'stop' button. You get the choice to resume the activity, or save. Saving gives you a quick summary of the activity.Once you are in proximity of your phone, the activity will load to Garmin via bluetooth and then to Strava if you have that set up.
In terms of swim stats, via the Garmin 'connect' app which you download to your phone, you will be presented with a host of stats post-swim. You see stats such as average pace per 100m, best pace per 100m, total time, total moving time, elapsed time, average SWOLF, total strokes, average stroke rate (per min), max stroke rate (per min), average strokes (per length) and calories. On a per swim basis, Garmin will also give you summary screens, showing some of these statistics in a graph form, a summary of the overall swim you've recorded (total time, distance etc.) and a per lap time/per 100m average - so for example going back to my 10 x 200m set, I'll get 10 entries, with the time for each 200m and the time per 100m. You should find enough in there to ponder over after each swim. You will find, if you transfer to Strava, you will not see the same stats there. Strava isn't that great (yet) for in-depth swim stats.
You might notice from the pictures below that there are some odd counts in my attempt at 10x200. Often this is my poor counting skills (yes, I know, 200m is 8 lengths and I should be able to count to 8) but sometimes it is Garmin. If you don't push off the pool side hard enough Garmin might miss a 'lap'.
Within the swim modes (Pool, Open Water), you can toggle the watch face to display different views, e.g. different views of the same data, or different data points. From the watch menu you can also customize the display to show specific data points you might be interested in. I've not tried any of this, the standard displays are fine for me so far.
Bike: The fashion these days seems to be to use a dedicated bike computer for your bike rides. Admittedly I think these are far better for viewing your ride stats and data 'on the move' as it were, rather than having to keep looking at a relatively much smaller watch face. That said, having already invested in the 920XT watch, to-date I've been reluctant to add another computer just for bike rides. So, how does the watch work on the bike. First things first, I wear the watch like a watch. There is an option to get a bar mount for the watch - which I have bought and is still in the brown packaging from Amazon ! This mount is like a backing plate that your watch fixes to and it allows the body of the watch to come away from the strap and be mounted onto the handlebars.
As with the swim, you can select between outdoor and indoor riding. If using outdoor, you will wait for the GPS to locate before you start riding (more on GPS location later). Once GPS is located, press start and off you go. As with the swim, you can toggle between a few 'standard' data views for cycling or you can build your own by selecting which variables you want to display. Again, I've found the basic one to be fine for training rides, so rolling time at the top, then a smaller display of current speed (mph or KPH) and miles covered (or KM's covered if you switch the base display values). The bike setting has a built in 'lap' announcer at 5 miles (I use miles as my default display), so you'll get a beep/buzz followed by a summary of how long the last 5 miles took you to ride. I don't know if you can change this or mute it maybe?
I tend to use the HRM monitor on the bike as I find it less 'intrusive' on the bike than when I'm running. I just can't get used to running with it, get the adjustment right etc. On the bike, under a pair of bibs and a cycling top, it seems to fit and be a lot more comfy. I don't display HRM data whilst riding, but you can do that if you wanted, by fiddling with the settings. I don't use any other sensors on my road bike, so just rely on the GPS and other Garmin features built into the watch to capture speed, distance, average speed, highest speed, altitude etc.
Once your ride is done, you'll press 'stop' and you get the option to save the ride (or resume). Saving gives you a quick summary of the activity. Once you are in proximity of your phone, the activity will load to Garmin via bluetooth and then to Strava if you have that set up.
The stats in Garmin are fairly comprehensive, like the swim, you'll get a summary of the ride (Time, distance, calories) and then you'll get other pages of more detailed data, including Heart rate stats if you had the HRM on. You also get your 'lap' data, where Garmin records the time and average speed of each 5 mile segment you complete. Not sure if 5 miles is a standard setting or whether you can change that, but I've never really analysed this data set much before. Assuming you have the 'share' facility set up, the ride will auto-sync to strava.
For indoor riding, once you select this as the activity, then the watch works pretty much as it does for outdoors, providing you have the correct sensors fitted. These do not come with the watch and need to be bought separately - I got mine from Amazon. I fitted a speed sensor, which you will need if you want to record distances (as well as speed of course) and a cadence sensor. Pairing of additional sensors (including HRM) is very easy to do via the watch. Once you have located the sensor pairing options in the menu, the watch will 'discover' nearby sensors for you to 'select'. I've always wondered how the Garmin calibrates for indoor rides and works out speed? Speed is self calibrating via the watch's accelerometer but I'm convinced that riding at 20mph average indoors is a lot easier than riding the same average outdoors. That said, inside you have no hills or wind resistance, so maybe it is accurate? Either way, I guess you set your own benchmarks with regards to speed and if you always work to these, you can't be far wrong.
Run: As with the bike, for recording run sessions, you initially select between an outdoor or indoor run. For outdoor runs, like the bike, or swim outdoor, you wait first for GPS to locate before setting off. The watch tells you via a beep/buzz and notification that GPS is located, from which point you are ready to record your run. Press the 'start' button and you are good to go. As with the Bike and Swim settings, I've left the screen display as 'standard' so I see elapsed time, distance and current pace. That's fine for me, its all I want to know while I'm out running....but, you can, should you wish to, customize the display via the settings function.
On the run setting, the watch will take a 'snap' every mile (or Km's if you are set up in Km's) and display a quick summary of your time for the last mile/Km before reverting back to the original display. That's pretty much it for a basic run. Once you stop and press the 'stop' button, you get the choice to resume the activity, or save. Saving gives you a quick summary of the activity. Once you are in proximity of your phone, the activity will load to Garmin via bluetooth and then to Strava if you have that set up.
Running stats in Garmin's app are again quite comprehensive, with things like vertical oscillation, left/right balance. Some of these stats are only available when you are wearing the HRM on a run.
As with swim and bike modes, you get the option to record an indoor run (not using GPS) if this is what you are doing. I've used the Garmin on a few treadmill runs before and it always seems to track slightly differently to the numbers the treadmill is telling me. Nothing major, but just something I noticed.
With the run mode, there are options to create interval sessions or even download workouts to the watch. I've tried to set up some intervals before and you have the option to set the length, number of repeats, recovery time etc. I struggled though to set up 400m intervals as you seemed to have to set that in KM's or Miles (I guess its a simple conversion) and I gave up too easily. I'm not a big interval user and don't run that many of them, so this isn't a feature I've really used. I know friends that do and it seems to work fine once set up.
Triathlon: If you are interested in a watch like the 920XT, then chances are this will be a feature you are keen to use. Whereas the above sections talk about the individual features you can use to record training (swim, bike, run etc.), the triathlon setting is the one you will use for your races. This is a really great feature as it enables you to record your whole race quite easily, including transitions. After selecting triathlon mode and waiting for GPS to locate, you press the 'start' button when you set of at the start of the swim. Once you exit the swim, press the 'back' button and the watch now begins to record your T1 time. Once you exit 'T1' press the 'back' button again and the watch will start the bike leg timing. Simply repeat for entering and exiting 'T2'. At the end of the run, press 'stop' as per any usual activity. Once saved and loaded to Garmin connect/strava, you can then review your whole race, including transition times.
The fact you only have to press one button makes this a really easy to use function in race conditions where you will be thinking about a lot of things other than having a complicated watch to operate.
The 'Summary' view of a Multisport event (as Garmin calls it) gives your breakdown for the three events plus your transition times.
The displays for swim, bike and run individually when in triathlon mode will be whatever you have set for these sports individually. What I mean by that is when you select the swim (from under the map in the picture below), you will then get the chance to review your swim data in the same format as in the 'Swim' section I describe above. Same for the Bike and Run.
What else?
There is a 'Garmin store' where you can download watch faces and other features/functions to customize the way your watch looks or the features that are available. For example, you can download an old fashioned style analogue watch face with hands if that's your sort of thing. These are all developed and made available through 3rd party app developers. I was tempted to download some things but read some reviews that suggested some downloads had caused problems with peoples watches, or hadn't been easy to 'reverse' so I haven't actually downloaded anything as yet. But there are a whole host of apps available dedicated to the 920XT, you can check them out here
Different format multisport events
The 920XT is designed as a triathlon watch, so if you are, like myself, keen to try other formats, like duathlon for example, then the watch doesn't cater for those directly. So for the one duathlon I have run to-date, I had to start with a run, then in the first transition, stop and save the run, select bike, then in the final transition, stop and save the bike, before starting (and eventually saving) the final run.
Locating GPS signal can sometimes be slow. I was told by Garmin that it is best to remain still while GPS locates. Once located, if you use the watch in the same place again, the GPS location should be quicker. There is the option to use the secondary GPS signal (GLONASS). You can select to have this enabled via the settings menu. This should improve the speed at which your GPS location works when you select outdoor activities. However this can be at the expense of battery life. That said, I can't say I've noticed my battery depleting much quicker since I activated GLONASS.
Smart Notifications (Text, Whatsapp, Instagram, incoming calls etc.) can be enabled. Any time you receive a text, or call etc., the watch will display an alert and vibrate. I have these set to be 'on' (show all), but they will of course only work when your phone is in bluetooth range of the watch. You can select them to not alert during an activity or select to show calls only, or 'show all'. Like most things on the watch, you should be able to find the setting that suits you.
Maintenance. Garmin go to great lengths to remind you of the need to look after the watch. When I've spent as much as they are charging, I don't need reminding. But, the sort of things they talk about mostly revolve around keeping the watch clean after it's been used. By its very nature, it will accumulate lots of sweat, which attracts dirt and dust, so making sure you rinse it off regularly after use is key. None more so that after swims. I always take my watch off after a pool swim and rinse it in the shower, then it stays with me in the shower when I get home. Same with sea swims. Salt wont do the rubber strap much good over the longer term. Also Garmin tell you not to push buttons on the watch when it's under the water. I've done it a few times by mistake...so far it's not caused any issues.
Updates. Like most hardware products that rely on a clever software package, there are often updates required to the watch's software (or firmware). These never take more than a few moments to load and load automatically. Updates to the Garmin app are done via your phone in the same way as you'd update other apps.
Battery life. I've never had any issues at all with the battery life of the watch between charges. It lasts more than long enough to record any one session or race I do. When I race say a half iron man, I will take around 6 hours, sometimes, more, (not that often less !) and assuming you have at least half charge, you wont find the watch giving up on you. You will notice the battery charge running down faster the more activities you do that use GPS. I'd say on average I charge the watch (via a USB cable and cradle supplied) once a week. By comparison, my old Garmin before I upgraded, would not last more than 4hrs using GPS on a full charge !
Customer service. This is key in my view. Once they've had your money...how do they deal with any issues you might have. I've had first hand experience here as I'm onto my second watch now, having had so many issues with the first one. Far too complex to go into detail here, suffice to say I had to be very persistent to get Garmin to replace my watch. That said, once I'd found the right person to speak to, I was happy in the end with the outcome and the service provided.
So, to finish up....this is not by any means an in-depth analysis of all the functions and features of the 920XT, just a summary of key features I use on a regular basis. There are probably vast areas of functionality I have not tapped into, simply because like most technology I own, I kind of end up just using the aspects that are useful to me and not using anything else. I possibly miss out on other great features along the way, but if I suddenly decide I need something, I'll get on-line as see if the watch supports it. So far, it more than covers my needs from a triathlon training and racing perspective.
Since buying this watch, of course technology has moved on and some of the newest Garmin's will give you features like touch screens, streaming music, apple pay etc. If those functions appeal to you, this isn't the watch for you. But if you are after a solid and robust watch to track and record your triathlon training and racing efforts, that you can pick up at a reasonable price, the 920XT is one you would want to have on your shortlist.
The watch itself, as I alluded to earlier, is fairly chunky, compared maybe to your 'everyday' watch you might wear. But it is comfy to wear and the screen is big enough to make data/information easily readable when you are on the move. I like the fact that the strap has plenty of adjustment and will I'd imagine fit most size wrists and over wet-suits and winter cycling long sleeve tops if/as needed.
The breadth and depth of features on the watch make reading the manual a 'must-do'. There is a 'quick-start' guide in the box with the watch, but this only covers the basics. You need to explore the manual to realise how powerful the watch is. The manual is easily accessible via the web. I just printed off a copy so I always had it to hand.
So, what about the practicalities of use and the functionality. As I bought the watch specifically for triathlon, lets take each component of that and run through how the watch works for each. Note that also, I can only report on the functions I have used. There are a myriad of functions I've not touched yet, so don't think the watch only covers what you read below.
Swim: First thing to note is that if you want to have heart rate monitoring (HRM) for your swims, you have to buy the watch with the swim specific HRM, or add it after. It is a different unit to the run/bike HRM. I haven't got this 'extra' so cannot comment on it from experience. However, some of what you read suggests the HRM 'lifts' or can lift during pool swims, which impacts readings or accuracy of readings.
So for swimming, you have two options. Pool swim and Open water swim. Open water swim uses GPS to track your progress and work out your speeds and other stats. With open water swims, you pretty much select that option, wait for GPS to 'locate', press start and set off on your swim. You can record 'laps' and can no doubt engage other functions for open water, but I've not explored any. I use it to track my time and distance in the water and that is it. When it comes to accuracy, again, you can read a lot of reports about how inaccurate or inconsistent the readings are but I look at it from the point of view that previously if I swam open water I'd have no idea how far I'd gone (only a rough idea based on an average 'lap' distance if you swim at a lake) so anything else, even if it was slightly inaccurate, was an advance on nothing.
For the pool swim, you have a key option to consider before you set off, being the pool length. This can be selected and set through a choice of more 'standard' pool sizes, or you can set your own custom size if your pool length isn't one of the pre-set options.
On top of this, the swim settings allow for you to select a 'Drill' mode, if you are undertaking drills rather than a straight swim. I have to admit, I've only selected the drill mode a couple of times....by mistake. I've never really understood it and don't use it. If I do drills, I tend to just leave the watch running on its normal swim mode. Reading the manual would probably help here !
With the swim mode in the pool, you have to be conscious of pushing off hard at each end of the pool as this is how Garmin detects laps completed. I believe it does this via the accelerometer detecting the change in acceleration from push off's, combined with the pool length you selected. I have noticed before that where I haven't pushed off firmly, Garmin missed a 'lap'.
The feature I probably use the most is the 'lap' button. This is just like the lap button on a stopwatch. Handy if you do sets or something like that. So when I do say 10 x 200m off 1 minute rest. I can hit the 'lap' button after 200m, the watch still counts elapsed time in the background and I can see also see when my 1 minute 'rest' is complete. Pressing the 'lap' button again after my minutes rest, re-sets the distance to zero and time to zero, so I start the next 200m.
Once you are finished, press the 'stop' button. You get the choice to resume the activity, or save. Saving gives you a quick summary of the activity.Once you are in proximity of your phone, the activity will load to Garmin via bluetooth and then to Strava if you have that set up.
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| Swim Summary (Garmin) |
You might notice from the pictures below that there are some odd counts in my attempt at 10x200. Often this is my poor counting skills (yes, I know, 200m is 8 lengths and I should be able to count to 8) but sometimes it is Garmin. If you don't push off the pool side hard enough Garmin might miss a 'lap'.
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| Swim data (Garmin) |
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| Swim 'Lap' Data (Garmin) |
Bike: The fashion these days seems to be to use a dedicated bike computer for your bike rides. Admittedly I think these are far better for viewing your ride stats and data 'on the move' as it were, rather than having to keep looking at a relatively much smaller watch face. That said, having already invested in the 920XT watch, to-date I've been reluctant to add another computer just for bike rides. So, how does the watch work on the bike. First things first, I wear the watch like a watch. There is an option to get a bar mount for the watch - which I have bought and is still in the brown packaging from Amazon ! This mount is like a backing plate that your watch fixes to and it allows the body of the watch to come away from the strap and be mounted onto the handlebars.
As with the swim, you can select between outdoor and indoor riding. If using outdoor, you will wait for the GPS to locate before you start riding (more on GPS location later). Once GPS is located, press start and off you go. As with the swim, you can toggle between a few 'standard' data views for cycling or you can build your own by selecting which variables you want to display. Again, I've found the basic one to be fine for training rides, so rolling time at the top, then a smaller display of current speed (mph or KPH) and miles covered (or KM's covered if you switch the base display values). The bike setting has a built in 'lap' announcer at 5 miles (I use miles as my default display), so you'll get a beep/buzz followed by a summary of how long the last 5 miles took you to ride. I don't know if you can change this or mute it maybe?
I tend to use the HRM monitor on the bike as I find it less 'intrusive' on the bike than when I'm running. I just can't get used to running with it, get the adjustment right etc. On the bike, under a pair of bibs and a cycling top, it seems to fit and be a lot more comfy. I don't display HRM data whilst riding, but you can do that if you wanted, by fiddling with the settings. I don't use any other sensors on my road bike, so just rely on the GPS and other Garmin features built into the watch to capture speed, distance, average speed, highest speed, altitude etc.
Once your ride is done, you'll press 'stop' and you get the option to save the ride (or resume). Saving gives you a quick summary of the activity. Once you are in proximity of your phone, the activity will load to Garmin via bluetooth and then to Strava if you have that set up.
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| Indoor Bike Summary (Garmin) |
For indoor riding, once you select this as the activity, then the watch works pretty much as it does for outdoors, providing you have the correct sensors fitted. These do not come with the watch and need to be bought separately - I got mine from Amazon. I fitted a speed sensor, which you will need if you want to record distances (as well as speed of course) and a cadence sensor. Pairing of additional sensors (including HRM) is very easy to do via the watch. Once you have located the sensor pairing options in the menu, the watch will 'discover' nearby sensors for you to 'select'. I've always wondered how the Garmin calibrates for indoor rides and works out speed? Speed is self calibrating via the watch's accelerometer but I'm convinced that riding at 20mph average indoors is a lot easier than riding the same average outdoors. That said, inside you have no hills or wind resistance, so maybe it is accurate? Either way, I guess you set your own benchmarks with regards to speed and if you always work to these, you can't be far wrong.
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| Bike 'Summary' (Garmin) |
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| Bike Stats, with HR data (Garmin) |
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| Bike 5 mile breakdown |
For indoor rides, you will not get the same array of statistics you see from an outdoor ride (albeit somehow you always seem to get some elevation stats??!!), but still useful enough to track and record progress. For indoor and outdoor, you will still get the same 'set' of data, the summary, detail and 5 miles splits.
On the run setting, the watch will take a 'snap' every mile (or Km's if you are set up in Km's) and display a quick summary of your time for the last mile/Km before reverting back to the original display. That's pretty much it for a basic run. Once you stop and press the 'stop' button, you get the choice to resume the activity, or save. Saving gives you a quick summary of the activity. Once you are in proximity of your phone, the activity will load to Garmin via bluetooth and then to Strava if you have that set up.
 |
| Run Summary (Garmin) |
As with swim and bike modes, you get the option to record an indoor run (not using GPS) if this is what you are doing. I've used the Garmin on a few treadmill runs before and it always seems to track slightly differently to the numbers the treadmill is telling me. Nothing major, but just something I noticed.
With the run mode, there are options to create interval sessions or even download workouts to the watch. I've tried to set up some intervals before and you have the option to set the length, number of repeats, recovery time etc. I struggled though to set up 400m intervals as you seemed to have to set that in KM's or Miles (I guess its a simple conversion) and I gave up too easily. I'm not a big interval user and don't run that many of them, so this isn't a feature I've really used. I know friends that do and it seems to work fine once set up.
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| Run Summary (Garmin) |
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| Run Splits (Garmin) |
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| Running data in graph format (Garmin) |
Triathlon: If you are interested in a watch like the 920XT, then chances are this will be a feature you are keen to use. Whereas the above sections talk about the individual features you can use to record training (swim, bike, run etc.), the triathlon setting is the one you will use for your races. This is a really great feature as it enables you to record your whole race quite easily, including transitions. After selecting triathlon mode and waiting for GPS to locate, you press the 'start' button when you set of at the start of the swim. Once you exit the swim, press the 'back' button and the watch now begins to record your T1 time. Once you exit 'T1' press the 'back' button again and the watch will start the bike leg timing. Simply repeat for entering and exiting 'T2'. At the end of the run, press 'stop' as per any usual activity. Once saved and loaded to Garmin connect/strava, you can then review your whole race, including transition times.
The fact you only have to press one button makes this a really easy to use function in race conditions where you will be thinking about a lot of things other than having a complicated watch to operate.
The 'Summary' view of a Multisport event (as Garmin calls it) gives your breakdown for the three events plus your transition times.
The displays for swim, bike and run individually when in triathlon mode will be whatever you have set for these sports individually. What I mean by that is when you select the swim (from under the map in the picture below), you will then get the chance to review your swim data in the same format as in the 'Swim' section I describe above. Same for the Bike and Run.
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| Triathlon Summary (Garmin) |
What else?
There is a 'Garmin store' where you can download watch faces and other features/functions to customize the way your watch looks or the features that are available. For example, you can download an old fashioned style analogue watch face with hands if that's your sort of thing. These are all developed and made available through 3rd party app developers. I was tempted to download some things but read some reviews that suggested some downloads had caused problems with peoples watches, or hadn't been easy to 'reverse' so I haven't actually downloaded anything as yet. But there are a whole host of apps available dedicated to the 920XT, you can check them out here
Different format multisport events
The 920XT is designed as a triathlon watch, so if you are, like myself, keen to try other formats, like duathlon for example, then the watch doesn't cater for those directly. So for the one duathlon I have run to-date, I had to start with a run, then in the first transition, stop and save the run, select bike, then in the final transition, stop and save the bike, before starting (and eventually saving) the final run.
Locating GPS signal can sometimes be slow. I was told by Garmin that it is best to remain still while GPS locates. Once located, if you use the watch in the same place again, the GPS location should be quicker. There is the option to use the secondary GPS signal (GLONASS). You can select to have this enabled via the settings menu. This should improve the speed at which your GPS location works when you select outdoor activities. However this can be at the expense of battery life. That said, I can't say I've noticed my battery depleting much quicker since I activated GLONASS.
Smart Notifications (Text, Whatsapp, Instagram, incoming calls etc.) can be enabled. Any time you receive a text, or call etc., the watch will display an alert and vibrate. I have these set to be 'on' (show all), but they will of course only work when your phone is in bluetooth range of the watch. You can select them to not alert during an activity or select to show calls only, or 'show all'. Like most things on the watch, you should be able to find the setting that suits you.
Maintenance. Garmin go to great lengths to remind you of the need to look after the watch. When I've spent as much as they are charging, I don't need reminding. But, the sort of things they talk about mostly revolve around keeping the watch clean after it's been used. By its very nature, it will accumulate lots of sweat, which attracts dirt and dust, so making sure you rinse it off regularly after use is key. None more so that after swims. I always take my watch off after a pool swim and rinse it in the shower, then it stays with me in the shower when I get home. Same with sea swims. Salt wont do the rubber strap much good over the longer term. Also Garmin tell you not to push buttons on the watch when it's under the water. I've done it a few times by mistake...so far it's not caused any issues.
Updates. Like most hardware products that rely on a clever software package, there are often updates required to the watch's software (or firmware). These never take more than a few moments to load and load automatically. Updates to the Garmin app are done via your phone in the same way as you'd update other apps.
Battery life. I've never had any issues at all with the battery life of the watch between charges. It lasts more than long enough to record any one session or race I do. When I race say a half iron man, I will take around 6 hours, sometimes, more, (not that often less !) and assuming you have at least half charge, you wont find the watch giving up on you. You will notice the battery charge running down faster the more activities you do that use GPS. I'd say on average I charge the watch (via a USB cable and cradle supplied) once a week. By comparison, my old Garmin before I upgraded, would not last more than 4hrs using GPS on a full charge !
Customer service. This is key in my view. Once they've had your money...how do they deal with any issues you might have. I've had first hand experience here as I'm onto my second watch now, having had so many issues with the first one. Far too complex to go into detail here, suffice to say I had to be very persistent to get Garmin to replace my watch. That said, once I'd found the right person to speak to, I was happy in the end with the outcome and the service provided.
So, to finish up....this is not by any means an in-depth analysis of all the functions and features of the 920XT, just a summary of key features I use on a regular basis. There are probably vast areas of functionality I have not tapped into, simply because like most technology I own, I kind of end up just using the aspects that are useful to me and not using anything else. I possibly miss out on other great features along the way, but if I suddenly decide I need something, I'll get on-line as see if the watch supports it. So far, it more than covers my needs from a triathlon training and racing perspective.
Since buying this watch, of course technology has moved on and some of the newest Garmin's will give you features like touch screens, streaming music, apple pay etc. If those functions appeal to you, this isn't the watch for you. But if you are after a solid and robust watch to track and record your triathlon training and racing efforts, that you can pick up at a reasonable price, the 920XT is one you would want to have on your shortlist.
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