TOMTOM MULTISPORT WATCH - SWIM FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Last week I posted a first impressions review of my debut experience with the TomTom Multi-Sport watch. I talked about my experience of the initial set up and also how my first run with the device went. Yesterday morning I took it for it's first proper trial swim and thought I'd let you know my thoughts.

One of the main reasons I decided on a multi-sport watch was for a swim feature. During longer training sessions I find it sometimes quite difficult to keep track of my lengths midway through, as I begin to focus more on my breathing. It's handy being able to have something I can use to track my swim, whilst I focus on the swimming itself. On the feature you can have goals, set intervals and set laps. These are features I haven't yet tried out but will be looking at in the future.

I suppose the main question here is - is this accurate? As I've only tried it once so far I don't think it would be far to say it's completely inaccurate. I'm going to be doing a larger review in a couple of weeks time - so I'll update you more on it then. But for now it's something I can deal with. I counted my swims on this first go and the results were only a one length difference. I performed 70 and the watch picked up 69. I can deal with a one length difference, but mainly because I knew the actual number of lengths. If I was just using this without counting myself then I may worry slightly more about it's accuracy. As I can get a rough answer, that I know is fairly accurate, it's very handy at this moment to have something which works out my pace. I've been wanting to work on my pace for a while so having something that can work this out means I'm able to see improvements through training. If this inaccuracy continues, I can imagine it becoming increasingly frustrating if there are mistakes being make with the recording of my swims.

One thing I wish you could do is edit the training session post swim. It would super handy to be able to change the amount of lengths afterwards. This may help with the accuracy of recording whilst in the pool but also with the result of pace. As the recording is fairy similar to the actual effort there wouldn't be too much difference with changing this. It means that it will also be easier to keep track of training swims and an accurate account of mileage covered in the pool.

So there are my thoughts on it for now. Overall, it's a good start. Like I said, as I've only used it the once I don't want to give a definitive answer just yet. Accuracy could definitely be improved but I'm going to wait and see over the next couple of weeks if there are a whole lot of major differences between what the watch says and the swim session itself. 

If you've tried this out on the swim feature then please do let me know! Tweet me @afloralcrown.

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TOMTOM MULTI-SPORT WATCH 1ST IMPRESSIONS - RUN

After months of being indecisive I'm finally the owner of a Tom Tom Multi - Sport watch! I've been debating getting a GPS watch for a while now and have been looking at a heap of different brands, models and price ranges. Some of the other major contenders were the Garmin 920XT and the Suunto Ambit3. However, due to both of these falling over the £300 mark I wasn't completely set on spending that amount of money at this moment in time. This is where the TomTom steps in. A functional piece of kit that suited my price range perfectly. Yesterday I picked up my TomTom, set it up and took it for a test run (literally a run!). As it's still brand new I wanted to write a quick first impressions post on setting it up and also how I found it on it's first outing.

Firstly, a bit about the watch itself. The TomTom Multi-Sport watch not only tracks runs but also swims, cycles, treadmill runs and also has a freestyle function. I picked up this model to help monitor and track my triathlon training. After deciding on the TomTom the next decision was whether or not to buy it with or without a HRM. I decided to purchase the one without as I already have one - and if worse comes to worse I could wear two watches at the same time. After a quick look at the instructions online it looks like I can use my existing HRM with this which is something I'll be testing out very soon.

Now for the set up - which was quick and easy. Simply, remove from the packaging and place in the unit into the dock (included) connect that to your computer and follow the instructions to download the MySports Connect software from the TomTom site. When you've followed through the set up instructions - including entering your DOB, height, weight, gender etc - you're good to go. When I first exited the software and went to open it again it wouldn't. But after a quick uninstall & reinstall, it worked perfectly from then. The software is clean and easy to navigate with nothing being to complex or confusing about it.

Now onto the run itself - a short just over a mile run around the block. It located my GPS in under 5 seconds, perfect if you're in a rush to head out and did not drop off once throughout my run. The system is easy to navigate (both whilst setting up and during a run). Using the toggle pad you can scroll through a number of views including current time, running time, distance and calories. I love the big display. It makes it very easy to see your current stats and the fact the display also dims meant that I didn't find myself constantly clock watching. In terms of accuracy it seems incredibly accurate - but I would expect this from a satnav brand! It also alerted me through a vibration that I had reach a mile mark which is very useful if you like to keep track of your distances. I used it on the just run setting but you can set it up for specific training as well as running laps. 

When it came to collecting and exporting my data it wasn't a problem either. I wanted to upload my result to Strava and I was impressed with how easy it was to do just that. You allow the TomTom access to your Strava and follow the instructions to export and upload. I'm someone that really enjoys looking at all the information gathered and having a record of my activities, so this is a fantastic way of collecting everything in one place.

That's it for my initial review. After one go I'm very pleased I finally decided to purchase this watch. I'm still figuring it all out and finding the best way to set it up for me but for a first go I'm very impressed. As I'm yet to have tested it for a cycle or swim, I'll update you on those when I do! 

I purchased my watch from John Lewis after comparing across a number of stores. The main reason was I could get a discounted price due to working for the partnership but also the gguaranteeis a big bonus when buying any technology. 

Have you thought about getting a GPS watch before and what are your thoughts on them? Let me know @afloralcrown on Twitter. 

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