Forerunner 970

I didnt have issue except my last night run with fr970. I had run 30-40 minutes with full open flashlight in the night so when i finished and wanted to record my run it just stopped for 15-20 minutes. No to control and anythings just stopped and this maybe you should not full open flash while running. But it weird because its garmin feature so frustrating facing garmin stop end of running.

Have you tried an AMOLED watch? Since getting a 970 I would never go back to MIPs. Only negative is battery life. But that’s not really a big deal for me.

Congrats dude! I have owned both the 970 and Pace Pro, each has their pros and cons. The 970 definitely feels a bit more premium in the hand and on the wrist. The flashlight feature was helpful in some cases too. I ended up sticking with the Pace Pro, though. The better build quality and flashlight wasn't worth the extra $400 to me. That's not to say that the Pace Pro feels cheap either. Garmin had more smartwatch features, but I didn't use them all that much. The extra metrics I didn't find useful. The Pace Pro lacks in smartwatch features, but if that doesn't matter to you, it's a great running watch. Less metrics, but it has all necessary ones (at least for me). Also, the Pace Pro is lighter than the 970, if that matters to you when you run. I also much preferred the Coros app compared to Garmin Connect. I also used some of the accessories for each watch. The Coros heart rate monitor armband was much more comfortable to me than the Garmin HRM chest strap. It also was just about as accurate as the chest strap for me. Both are great running watches, can't go wrong with either. Just depends on what features you value. Good luck and enjoy your new watch!

So true on both accounts...... 1) A Garmin watch is useless for counting reps and weight training it is so inaccurate. 2) And I found after trying countless apps to track my training in the end it's a notebook and paper that is not only the best but the most motivating.

This would be great. How are you tracking effort, and are you then using an algorithm to convert effort to muscular strain and load? This seems like an extremely difficult hurdle for you to overcome so I wish you all success. It would be awesome to try to match or beat your previous muscular load. Game changer, really. It was actually weight training that made me buy a heart rate strap. I am an experienced lifter and realized rather quickly my garmin's heart rate as measured through the wrist was so far off what my actual heart rate was, (as much as 30bpm!) - even after understanding how it averages over time, I deemed it pretty much useless. Since I am also a runner I immediately went out and got a heart rate strap as that is more accurate. And that's why I bring it up.... if you're using heart rate as a measurement for weight training, quite simply it will not work and be nothing more than a guess. Obviously not a fault of your software but the hardware you're dealing with. That all said feel free to reach out if you want me to test it out I have a Garmin fr970. I also have Strava and have tested other third party apps I have connected and offered feedback for them. (Right now I am testing mytf.run, which is also a great concept but definitely needs work)

Currently on FR970. Positives: Battery life, Running metrics, Durability (Sapphire Glass), light weight, flashlight. Negative: Buggy OS

Just my two cents (just came from a seven year old forerunner previously) but I actually returned my Venu 4 and am buying a 970 soon. I missed the buttons, that simple. That said, Venu 4 is an absolutely fantastic watch. For your purposes coming from an Applewatch, it seems like a no brainer. If you can live without the buttons and the more hyper detailed running metrics (which I don’t really even need), Venu 4 is FANTASTIC.

And now compare the prices of the top models of both brands… Plus my Garmin FR970 crashed quite a lot before it had a few updates; never had that with Apple Watches before.

I’m with you…. every time a new AW would come out, I’d upgrade, primarily for the better battery life. Last one I had (just sold it) was an AW Ultra 2. The more I used it, the more I realized I was primarily using it for cycling workouts and weekend rides. Did a boatload of researching and picked a Fenix 8 (got a nice deal on a barely-used one of off eBay)…. should be hear by Saturday :)) From what I understand so far, there is truly a ton of metrics that the Garmin’s track. Sensor, from what I’ve read, is pretty solid - but like anything, a HR strap would be better if you want the most accurate reading(s) - same goes for any AW. Another you should consider - the FR 970. Definitely a little more stylish than the Fenix lineup. Different strokes for…. well, you know the rest ;) Good luck!

The forerunner 970 has a flashlight.

I bought 970 and 265. 970 was too heavy and bulky. 265 is so light and disappears with the ultra velcro strap. It has a screen flashlight which I still find useful at 5am indoors but is not very useful otherwise. 970 light is badass, but not worth the extra heft and cost.