I’ve been using Garmin GPS enabled sport watches for several years and am currently using the Garmin 310XT. It offers a ton of great features, you can view all of them here. I never leave home without it!

One of the questions I get on a fairly regular basis from people training for their first running race or triathlon is: “Do I need a heart rate (HR) monitor / GPS watch?”

Beginner runners are especially curious as to the distance they cover on their runs, and how far and fast they are running. But, after looking at the price tag for a HR / GPS watch, they often get sticker shock. And for good reason, most high-tech watches that record heart rate and GPS cost several hundred dollars.  Forking out your hard-earned cash for such a device might signal to your non-athlete friends that you’ve finally lost it.

But there is an option: the phone app! There are literally dozens of so-called fitness apps available for the iPhone, Android and other smartphones out there. I’ve investigated a few, but the one that seems to offer the majority of GPS related features that a higher-end HR / GPS watch offers is called Endomondo. I own a T-Mobile MyTouch3G that runs on Android, and have been running Endomondo on that.

A Garmin 310XT costs $350-$400, but comes with a heart rate strap. The Endomondo app is free. There is a pro version of the app that is required if you want to track heart rate. Additionally, a Bluetooth-enabled strap (costs approximately $100).

Virtually every adult I know owns a smartphone capable of running Endomondo. And it’s a less expensive option if you’re just starting out. But the truth is in the details. . .

Garmin 310XT versus Endomondo

Both devices will record your time, distance and pace for running and cycling. Both the sport watch and phone app offer a social component so you can share your workouts with friends and even compete against them. With either the GPS watch or Endomondo you can export your GPS file and use it in other applications. GPS watches come packaged with a heart rate monitor strap. Endomondo does have the ability to monitor heart rate, but, you have to purchase a Bluetooth-enabled heart rate monitor strap.

By far the coolest feature Endomondo offers is you have the option to share your workouts in near real-time with your Facebook friends. This is cool if you have friends or family who think that all the running and cycling you do is crazy and extremely dangerous. They can click on your workout link, and get an idea of how far you have gone, and that you are in fact out riding your bike, and not a bar-stool at the neighborhood bar. But it’s probably not a feature you want to use if you have a fully public Facebook profile and your “friends” would be able to see when you aren’t home.

There is a social component to Garmin. Users can upload their workouts to connect.garmin.com, and share workout data with friends via Facebook and other social networks.

The Garmin 310XT is waterproof — so you can wear it for an entire race. Coupled with an option to record your transition splits, it is an incredible tool for evaluating your race performance. Using Endomondo in a race would require you to mess with the device in situations where every second counts, and you probably would not want to risk getting your expensive phone wet.

One big downside to Endomondo: it is a cell phone battery vampire. Because the app requires GPS to work, your battery has to work hard.  Even with a fully charged battery, I have not gotten my phone to last longer than 4 hours when the app is in use.

So if you are hooked on endurance sports and have plans to race and train for a long time, I highly recommend purchasing a GPS enabled sports watch. If you are still just starting out running and cycling, and are looking for an easy way to track your progress, Endomondo can’t be beat for the price or features!