When I first started running I bought an Apple Watch to track my running, 5+ years later I’m still using an Apple Watch. I love its simplicity and while I’ve upgraded versions over the years, it has been a really solid watch for both normal wear and workout tracking. Each time I would start “growing” out of the Apple Watch–features were falling behind, or battery life wouldn’t last long enough–the next iteration of the watch would solve these problems, until this year. This year I started being coached by Nark Running & Strength and for many of my coach’s workouts it’s important for him to be able to see “splits.” Unfortunately, this Apple Watch feature is extremely sub-par and difficult to use.

The Apple Watch by default always tracks mile splits, but you can also create “segments” that create non-mile splits. This is great for tracking workouts that need splits shorter or longer than a mile, like in track workouts. The problem with the segment feature is that the only way you can create a segment is by double-tapping the watch face. It sounds so easy, but there are a few factors that make it more difficult and ultimately inaccurate.

Wake up
To save battery life, the Apple Watch will go into a “sleep” mode. For older models, the screen will turn off, and for newer models, the screen will stay on, but doesn’t respond to touch. To be able to double-tap on the watch screen, you have to move your hand/wrist in such a way that it knows that it needs to wake. If you are running, this becomes less reliable and oftentimes I’ll find myself struggling to get it out of sleep mode in order to double-tap and create a segment.

Accidental gesture
Assuming that I’ve gotten the watch to wake, trying to double-tap sometimes triggers a swipe gesture because of the difficulty of accurately tapping while running. I seem to accidentally swipe a LOT more than I achieve a double-tap. Annoyingly, if you’ve swiped, you have to swipe back and then try the double-tap all over again.

Wet & sweat
Touch + water = not gonna happen. Between water and sweat, it’s a constant gamble to register a double tap. Double-tapping is hard enough, add some water and it becomes even harder.

Cold weather
If I none of the problems above existed trying to double-tap in the cold is next to impossible or at least extremely impractical. Between having to take off gloves (the “touch sensitive” gloves aren’t sensitive enough), and trying to use fingers that have lost some mobility, double-tapping isn’t gonna happen.

GPS accuracy
I’ve gotten by with the annoyances of creating segments, but the GPS accuracy has screwed me over multiple times, while I’m racing, to the overall detriment of the race. In two different races, a half-marathon and a 5k, the GPS messed up and was reporting a pace that was faster than what I was actually running. After I finished each race I realized that I had run significantly slower than I should have, in critical parts of the race, where I should have been running faster. It’s hard to face the fact that I missed a PR because my watch was causing me to run slower even though my body could have handled faster.

Goodbye Apple, hello Garmin

I tried to hold out on my Apple Watch, I really did, but it has failed me one race too many and it’s time to move on. I will still wear my Apple Watch for everyday use, but for all workouts I’ll use my Garmin. I managed to get a really great deal on the Garmin Forerunner 735xt and should be receiving it in the mail soon! I have another half-marathon this coming Saturday and I’m hoping to maintain the proper pacing and crush my previous PR.