The Running Thread--2024

[DisneyParrothead]

Join the rest of us cool kids rocking a Garmin on one wrist and an AW on the other. I like the run tracking and metrics of the Garmin and the freedom to leave the phone behind and still have cell service and music/audiobooks with the AW.

Truth! My AW is terrible at tracking my steps while my Garmin is so much better.

 

[kps7795]

Truth! My AW is terrible at tracking my steps while my Garmin is so much better.

Do you have the AW or the AW Ultra? That was one of the things that would drive me crazy when I would be running and not see my distance change for a good .25 mile or so. It made me completely question my estimated pace.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

Do you have the AW or the AW Ultra? That was one of the things that would drive me crazy when I would be running and not see my distance change for a good .25 mile or so. It made me completely question my estimated pace.

I have the regular AW. I got it so I wouldn't be scrolling on my phone, and I still scroll on my phone . I rotate between my watches most of the time, depending on if I'm running or not that day.

 

[Zutroy]

Do you have the AW or the AW Ultra? That was one of the things that would drive me crazy when I would be running and not see my distance change for a good .25 mile or so. It made me completely question my estimated pace.

I have the Ultra, but when I had the regular Apple Watch it certainly updated more frequently than every .25 mile. If you’re running in an area with tall buildings, then the watch just may not be connecting to the satellite. The Ultra uses the L1 and L5 GPS frequencies, which are the same bands used by the high-end Coros and Garmin watches. GPS has inherent limitations and will never be real time.

 

[kps7795]

I have the Ultra, but when I had the regular Apple Watch it certainly updated more frequently than every .25 mile. If you’re running in an area with tall buildings, then the watch just may not be connecting to the satellite. The Ultra uses the L1 and L5 GPS frequencies, which are the same bands used by the high-end Coros and Garmin watches. GPS has inherent limitations and will never be real time.

Are you comfortable with the weight of the Ultra? How does it feel for a half-marathon or a marathon?

 

[Dopey 2020]

I’ve found my AW to be spot on with everything except the one metric that I really want when doing run walk run and that is current pace, right now in this moment. It has enough of a delay that I end up chasing the pace and going too fast. And I’d like more battery, but I’m apple everything and it just works too good especially as a stand alone cellular device so I haven’t pulled the trigger on the double watches yet.

 

[LSUlakes]

Join the rest of us cool kids rocking a Garmin on one wrist and an AW on the other. I like the run tracking and metrics of the Garmin and the freedom to leave the phone behind and still have cell service and music/audiobooks with the AW.

I have been wearing both on my walk/runs because I prefer the information that Garmin gives me and for the ability to phone someone incase of the knee going out or the heart starts doing crazy things. The real question is which wrist gets the apple watch vs the garmin watch? Its taken a while to get accustom to having the garmin on my right wrist and using my left hand to use the buttons lol.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Count me in with everyone who can't give up the smartwatch capabilities of the Apple Watch for the better running metrics of a Garmin or Coros. (And I'm not about to wear a watch on each wrist ) I have the Ultra 2, and the improved battery life compared to my old Series 6, which could barely make it through a 10-mile run without bringing my phone with me, makes me happy enough to stick with it. @kps7795 - I don't notice the weight at all. It's heavier than the regular version, but it's still a watch, and it's not THAT heavy.

 

[camaker]

Count me in with everyone who can't give up the smartwatch capabilities of the Apple Watch for the better running metrics of a Garmin or Coros. (And I'm not about to wear a watch on each wrist ) I have the Ultra 2, and the improved battery life compared to my old Series 6, which could barely make it through a 10-mile run without bringing my phone with me, makes me happy enough to stick with it. @kps7795 - I don't notice the weight at all. It's heavier than the regular version, but it's still a watch, and it's not THAT heavy.

If the prospect of a cool, fashionable tan line on your off wrist doesn't convince you to try the two-watch method I just don't know what to say...

 

[FFigawi]

I’ve found my AW to be spot on with everything except the one metric that I really want when doing run walk run and that is current pace, right now in this moment. It has enough of a delay that I end up chasing the pace and going too fast. And I’d like more battery, but I’m apple everything and it just works too good especially as a stand alone cellular device so I haven’t pulled the trigger on the double watches yet.

If you want a more accurate and timely reading of your pace, get a Stryd footpod. They integrate almost seamlessly with Apple Watches.

 

[kps7795]

If the prospect of a cool, fashionable tan line on your off wrist doesn't convince you to try the two-watch method I just don't know what to say...

How about going even further and getting the Coros heart rate monitor so you can have a tan line on both wrists AND your upper arm?

 

[kps7795]

Count me in with everyone who can't give up the smartwatch capabilities of the Apple Watch for the better running metrics of a Garmin or Coros. (And I'm not about to wear a watch on each wrist ) I have the Ultra 2, and the improved battery life compared to my old Series 6, which could barely make it through a 10-mile run without bringing my phone with me, makes me happy enough to stick with it. @kps7795 - I don't notice the weight at all. It's heavier than the regular version, but it's still a watch, and it's not THAT heavy.

What is the battery life of the Ultra 2 using always-on display and running with GPS? Amongst the many things that annoyed me with my AW Series 8, was having to turn my watch off before a race in order to make sure that it wouldn't die on me. I can't get any actual information about battery life online. Everything always seems to talk about extending the battery life by turning off always-on etc. I simply want to know how long the watch will last using it as one normally would.

Stories like this one make me scared to get an AW Ultra:

[IMG alt="jakesharpe"]https://discussions.apple.com/public/assets/avatars/SYSTEM_DEFAULT_AVATAR_EN_8999.png[/IMG]
jakesharpe
User level:Level 1

8 points
Mar 13, 2024 8:55 PM in response to garyd9
I purchased my Ultra 2 in November 2023. It worked great and then one day it would not take charge at all. Bricked. I took it to Apple Store and they sent it for repair. About a week later I got an email that it was un repairable and it was sent back to me. Once back in hand I filed an Apple care claim and had to use CC hold until they had proof I sent the Brick back. I was also charged $80+ dollars for the swap. New watch worked great until new update in February and I was loosing battery at a rapid rate. Wouldn’t hold charge for 12 hours. I put in an Apple support ticket and talked to tech support. I followed instructions and they asked and was told to try it for a week and report back. No Change. I talked to another tech via Apple support and was moved up to a supervisor. I made sure that the call was recorded. I was told by Apple tech supervisor “6-8 hours was enough! It is a device that like all battery operated devices drains with use.” Very frustrating. I am now getting about 16 hours out of watch and have been muscling through hoping for results through the next update. Quite frankly I hope to trade it for the next model when available though Verizon on a trade in… #shouldhaveboughtaGARMIN

 

[WillRunForPizza]

What is the battery life of the Ultra 2 using always-on display and running with GPS?

I can't answer this because I've never used always-on. The battery easily gets me through two days, though, including GPS for runs and streaming audio.

 

[kps7795]

I can't answer this because I've never used always-on. The battery easily gets me through two days, though, including GPS for runs and streaming audio.

That's rather interesting. I always assumed that most people use always-on display.

 

[Naomeri]

That's rather interesting. I always assumed that most people use always-on display.

For my AW, I never use always on. During runs, I’ll switch it to “wake on wrist raise” so I can check things without touching it

 

[Zutroy]

Are you comfortable with the weight of the Ultra? How does it feel for a half-marathon or a marathon?

I’ve worn the ultra for two marathons, a bunch of half marathons, and countless daily runs. I use the sports loop band that came with my series 3 Apple Watch. I don’t notice it at all. I also have the display always on, and I wear the watch to sleep track. The battery has never been an issue because it fast charges. I stick it on a charger in the morning while I shower and get ready, and it usually gets to 75%-85%. That gets me through the day, night, and next morning’s run with like 50% of the battery left. I like the Ultra because I can stick a leather or steel band on it and wear it with a suit, but can’t do that with a huge plastic Coros.

 

[marty3d]

I’ve worn the ultra for two marathons, a bunch of half marathons, and countless daily runs. I use the sports loop band that came with my series 3 Apple Watch. I don’t notice it at all. I also have the display always on, and I wear the watch to sleep track. The battery has never been an issue because it fast charges. I stick it on a charger in the morning while I shower and get ready, and it usually gets to 75%-85%. That gets me through the day, night, and next morning’s run with like 50% of the battery left. I like the Ultra because I can stick a leather or steel band on it and wear it with a suit, but can’t do that with a huge plastic Coros.

Other than sleep tracking I have the same experience with the Ultra 2. Battery is unbelievable.

recent example. I ran a half marathon last weekend (2:10). Charged to 100% the night before. Left my phone in the car. Cellular, GPS, Always on display, Nike Running club and listening to music via AirPods ( to be fair - I had downloaded my playlist so it wasn’t streaming). Battery was at about 75% after the run.

During day to day training I charge every other day. I will always charge after a long run (but probably don’t need to).

 

[Professor_Cookie]

Hey, so, anybody looking for a sprinkling of Kudos, I’m Matthew Safranek on Strava

 

[mmm_texas]

Other than sleep tracking I have the same experience with the Ultra 2. Battery is unbelievable.

recent example. I ran a half marathon last weekend (2:10). Charged to 100% the night before. Left my phone in the car. Cellular, GPS, Always on display, Nike Running club and listening to music via AirPods ( to be fair - I had downloaded my playlist so it wasn’t streaming). Battery was at about 75% after the run.

During day to day training I charge every other day. I will always charge after a long run (but probably don’t need to).

I have an (original) Ultra now, and I keep my phone with me so that might affect battery usage, but back when I had a Series 5 I would make sure and turn off WiFi and the always on display. Doing that (for example), I got through the 2022 WDW Marathon fine.

 

[PrincessV]

Treadmill update, in case anyone finds this useful:

It arrived! Two days late because it was delayed by storms in transit, but the Amazon division that manages bulky & heavy items called to apologize and schedule the new delivery date, then followed it up with an email apologizing again for the delay and confirming the new date. I did not get a phone call an hour before delivery, as I was told I would, so it’s a good thing I stayed home all day and watched the delivery truck in the Amazon app to be ready when it arrived. The delivery guys brought it up the stairs and into my house so easily and quickly, I was deceived into thinking 130lbs isn’t that heavy… it is lol! It came already put together, so all I had to do was remove the box and packaging, which was not easy - I had to pull in my son at one point to lift an end while I pulled out the styrofoam. But once free from its wrappings, it was easy to wheel around the room into position. I tested it out briefly and everything is in working order. Y’all - it’s SOOOOO quiet! I had no idea a treadmill could be that quiet! I may actually use this thing more than I thought I would.

I’ll give the Amazon buying experience a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars, deducting a half only because I didn’t get the phone call ahead of delivery.