NatNews

For many runners, including those in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, relying on watches that provide accurate pace and distance is an important component to their training patterns. Thus, it can be rather frustrating when runners face issues with their devices not picking up GPS quickly and possibly providing incorrect distance and pace information.

Brands such as Garmin, COROS, Polar, and Suunto are only a handful of the options available to runners to help track their stats and monitor their training, heart rates, and much more. Dallas resident Alfonzo Gonzalez Jr. (a.k.a. “Fonz”) wears the Garmin Forerunner 235 and said he estimates it to be 98 percent accurate. When the GPS is off a bit, he doesn’t become too disgruntled, though.

“I would assume I didn’t let my watch sync completely,” he said. “I don’t expect the Garmin to be always 100 percent accurate for every run.”

Dallas resident Becca Finke wore the Garmin Fenix 5S for about five years but recently upgraded to the 6S and would recommend either watch for someone looking for a quality GPS running device.

“They are incredibly durable and reliable, and the GPS is very accurate,” she said. “The only time I ever notice the GPS being off is at the end of the race when it tells me I ran 26.7 miles instead of 26.2. I typically don’t get upset about this because I’m pretty positive it’s my own fault for not running the tangents correctly.”

Dallas-area resident Jeremy Crum invested in his first smart running watch not too long after he began running with the White Rock Running Co-op last December, opting for the Garmin Forerunner 245, which he said has been rather reliable for him so far.

“As far as I can tell, it seems to be pretty accurate,” he said. “Although, I have noticed discrepancies between other friends with the same watch. I would say most of the time I am within a tenth of a mile.”

While information regarding distance and pace is of high concern for competitive runners, it is also something about which many noncompetitive runners care for a variety of reasons, including paying attention to fitness improvements, posting accurate stats on sharing apps such as Strava, and feeling accomplished rather than disappointed or defeated.

For Crum, though, he’s more concerned about running the mileage he already knows he’s going rather than what numbers are displayed on his watch.

“I’m not super obsessive about the stats,” he said. “I tend to run the same few routes most of the time, so I have a pretty good judgment of the distance benchmarks throughout the routes.”

But sometimes knowing the mileage of a route and having a watch show something different can cause frustration for some runners. Finke said the need for a GPS watch that offers correct data is common for individuals who have specific goals in mind.

“I think accurate pace and distance matter to serious runners who want to either qualify for a certain race or obtain a PR,” she said. “I imagine it’s a bummer for those fast folks when their watches are telling them during races they’re attempting to BQ at that they’ll qualify if they continue at those paces, but then they finish and realize their watches were off, and they don’t qualify. Unfortunately, I can’t yet speak to that, but if it happened to me, I’d be very upset.”

Fonz, who has become a sought-after coach for runners of all different abilities, said the desire to have accuracy in what’s reflected on one’s watch is often to help track goals and can even be a matter of personal integrity.

“It’s important to runners because it displays their accomplishments, along with how their performances are going at a fitness level,” he said. “If the paces and distances aren’t accurate when they upload their runs, this could imply that the races/runs were short or that the paces were exaggerated versus the runs uploaded.”

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Texting has certainly become a common form of communication among individuals of all different ages and generations, as it’s a quick and easy way to get in touch with various people in their lives. However, some people opt to take the actual texting part of the equation out of sending texts, whether in some or all situations, and use the talk-to-text feature, instead, which allows one to tell the phone what to type, even specifying where to place certain punctuation marks.

For some individuals, the talk-to-text option is a blessing, while others would rather type out their messages than speak into their devices. A recent survey conducted by NatNews revealed that 54 percent of respondents prefer to use this feature, while 46 percent indicated their aversion to it. Dallas resident Elizabeth Cruz said she utilizes the talk-to-text feature every once in a while, though she is not exactly an avid fan.

“I mainly use it in my car or when I’m running and wearing AirPods,” she said. “It’s easy to respond when I can’t just look at my phone. But these are basically the only times I use it.”

Amanda Bennett, a resident of the San Antonio metro area, said she sees the option to speak texts into existence as an advantage, particularly in situations when it is not safe or easy to use her fingers to piece together a text.

“I love the talk-to-text feature,” she said. “It’s significantly faster than my typing and super convenient when I’m driving.”

Dallas resident Catherine Stautz also sees the advantages that the talk-to-text option can provide, but she said she doesn’t like to use it often.

“Sometimes, it is more convenient to use this feature, especially if it is to write a longer text message, but I still prefer to text someone,” she said. “I think when you are physically typing, you are more aware of what you are writing and how it might be perceived.”

Though Bennett enjoys the benefits of the talk-to-text option, she said she knows that there are certain places and situations in which it should not be used.

“Convenience aside, I’m not a fan of people using the feature in public places, as it is distracting—especially in restaurants,” she said.

Dallas-area resident Josh Odegard said he speaks to his phone to type a text when he isn’t near his computer and is sending a message that’s longer than a short sentence or two.

“I’ve been using speech-to-text since it was first invented—obviously on Android since it was several years before iPhones could do it, too,” he said. “I send hundreds, sometimes thousands, of texts a month, but 80 percent or more are sent from my computer. I used to sit at a computer for more than eight hours a day, so it was just easier to text from there. Because of that, I’ve never been a fast texter.”

And Odegard, who also knows there are particular circumstances in which he would type a text rather than speak it (such as during a meeting), said he isn’t concerned with what people think of him when he frequently uses this feature on his phone. He said his Android is able to correctly determine what he wants to send, even in a loud bar or at a concert.

“I know people judge me when they hear or see me doing it, especially when I’m pronouncing every period and comma, but I don’t care,” he said. “It’s fast, and it’s accurate.”

Dallas resident Bill Stier, however, would not be upset if the ability to speak to one’s phone to create a text disappeared forever.

“The talk-to-text feature is a no-go, unless you are a professional soccer mom,” he said. “I don’t understand the purpose, unless you have both arms completely full and are chasing children under the age of 5 around.”

Stier also said he would also prefer not to hear individuals specifying where periods, commas, and question marks need to go when people are speaking into their phones to send texts, as he doesn’t think such grammatical concerns are important in a texting context.

“If you actually speak to the proper punctuation, I’ve reached a new level of annoyance,” he said. “It’s texting—does it really matter about punctuation? Spelling, OK. Punctuation, no.”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

Knox and his buddy hope that all of you dear readers have a wonderful week

Tuesday, August 1: National Girlfriend Day
Wednesday, August 2: Rangers vs. White Sox at Globe Life Field (use promo code DALLASITES for 20 percent off single-game tickets)
Friday, August 4: International Beer Day; National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day; Silent Disco at Klyde Warren Park
Saturday, August 5: WRRC Run My Hood event hosted by Jacky Bonilla
Sunday, August 6: Post Malone at Dos Equis Pavilion (also on Saturday)