Garmin

Forerunner 235

Like an overbearing helicopter parent never content with their child's achievements, Garmin is seldom satisfied with its products for long. Continuously striving for improvement, the brand decided to add a newer, shinier member to its Forerunner family that's bound to inspire jealousy among its older, simpler siblings. With a wrist-based heart rate monitor, smart phone notifications, a host of run features, and a built-in activity tracker, the Forerunner 235 is destined to be the new favorite child — a distinction we expect it to hold onto.

We should say that if you're among the set of runners who has never seen reason to depart from a simple wristwatch with a timer, or even run with a watch at all, the Forerunner 235 is probably not for you. However, if training with data is your thing, the amount of information the Forerunner 235 is capable of delivering in a clear, navigable manner is impressive, to say the least. You'll gain access to the types of metrics you'd expect from a Garmin watch, including distance, heart rate via a strap or the optical heart rate sensor at the wrist, pace, and estimated V02 max. A built-in accelerometer guarantees the watch will have full functionality during indoor track or treadmill workouts, and if you choose to upload your workouts to Garmin Connect, you'll be able to track your progress and gain access to Garmin's detailed training plans.

Departing from the features that have become standard on fitness watches, Garmin enabled the Forerunner 235 to receive smartphone notifications directly to its full-color touchscreen. Addressing the explosive popularity of fitness trackers, Garmin also added all-day tracking capabilities to the Forerunner 235. So, in addition to tracking your run data, the watch can be set to keep track of the total steps you've traveled and calories burned throughout the day — it will even remind you to stand up if you've been sitting for more than an hour at a time. Overachiever, indeed.