Why I Assume the Garmin Forerunner 265 Is the Greatest Working Watch

If you recognize me, you recognize that I by no means get too hooked up to tech. I’ll fortunately run with no watch of any type; I do know my physique is what actually registers the miles. However I’ve been testing a Garmin Forerunner 265, and I’m not exaggerating once I say I believe I’ve fallen in love.

I wore this look ahead to 4 months, throughout which era my opinion developed from “good watch, I suppose” to “me and my BFF [this watch] are going to crush a race collectively.” I used its exercise solutions to practice for a 5K race—not my first ever, however my first in a very long time—and got here shockingly near setting an all-time PR. I discovered the metrics and the coaching solutions useful however not overbearing, and the watch itself is way extra handy to run with than your typical Apple or Pixel kind of smartwatch.

The Forerunner 265, like a lot of its Garmin brethren, is designed for runners in a approach that the majority smartwatches should not. It has bodily buttons, so you may finish your lap precisely on the proper second, with out even wanting on the display screen. It has instruments for creating detailed exercises. It routinely detects your max coronary heart price and your lactate threshold. It could actually counsel customized exercises for you, whether or not you’ve bothered to arrange a training plan or not. And it’s customizable sufficient that every one of this will get out of your approach in case you don’t need to use it. 

It’s uncommon for a gadget to stroll the road of offering any knowledge you need, with out overwhelming you with all the information. Garmin is nice at this, all throughout its ecosystem. The Forerunner 265 combines that philosophy with a function set that may delight most runners, from informal to critical. It’s so constructed for runners that it has a function—on by default—that while you’re ready in line on the grocery retailer, you may flick your finger upwards on the display screen and see a prediction of how briskly you could possibly run a 5K, in case you have been to run one proper now. 

How does the Forerunner 265 evaluate to different Garmin watches? 

Garmin makes a lot of watches, together with a number of tiers of Forerunner. I’ll provide the primary rundown: the Venu and Vivoactive are what you may name way of life smartwatches. The Lily is in the identical vein, however smaller and cuter. If you need a common health watch, these are advantageous; however in case you’re a runner, you most likely need one thing sportier. 

Runners will usually benefit from the Forerunner line, however in case you do quite a lot of climbing and outdoorsy stuff, you may desire the rugged (and, in some fashions, solar-powered) Intuition line. Alternatively, if in case you have a wholesome finances and/or costly hobbies, it’s possible you’ll just like the premium multisport watches within the Fenix line. These embody further options for mountaineering and scuba diving, and likewise are available in variations with photo voltaic panels and/or sapphire screens as a substitute of glass. 

On the subject of the Forerunner, the candy spot for many runners goes to be the 265. On the decrease finish there’s a Forerunner 55 that may monitor your runs and your sleep, however doesn’t give a lot in the way in which of fancy analytics. There’s a brand new Forerunner 165 that could be a nice working watch, however is lacking the Coaching Readiness and Coaching Standing options that quite a lot of runners get pleasure from (I’d miss it for positive if I didn’t have it). If you happen to’d like one thing fancier there’s a Forerunner 965 that has further metrics and options, and is very well-liked amongst triathletes. 

If you happen to’ve narrowed down your decisions to the Forerunner 265, there’s yet another choice to make: massive or small display screen? Some Garmin watches solely are available in one dimension, however the 265 has a 46-millimeter display screen; its little sister the 265S (S for Small, apparently) has a 42-millimeter display screen. The one distinction between the 2, feature-wise, is that the S has a barely longer battery life. Each have the identical dimension battery, however the bigger display screen attracts a smidge extra energy.

What are one of the best options of the Forerunner 265? 

• Bodily buttons (together with begin/cease and lap buttons) along with a touchscreen

• Wonderful location monitoring (GPS, and many others)

• Coronary heart price monitoring, with or with no chest strap

• Day by day advised exercises, based mostly in your targets and your latest coaching

• VO2max and predictions for race occasions

• Customizable knowledge screens throughout exercises

• HRV and resting coronary heart price monitoring

• Coaching readiness and coaching standing scores

• Wonderful battery life (virtually two weeks on a cost)

• Shiny, sharp AMOLED display screen

What are the downsides of the Forerunner 265? 

• Chunky form of the guts price sensor will depart an indent in your wrist if the band is on tight

• Case exterior is plastic and could also be coloured, so you may’t get a extra elegant look by swapping out bands

• Can’t management music that’s taking part in in your cellphone, like you may on Apple Watch. (That mentioned, you may retailer music instantly on the watch and play from there.)

• Screenshots don’t present up in your cellphone—you’ll want to join your watch to a pc to obtain them. (Taking a photograph of your watch is a neater option to share one thing you see.)

• No intensive app retailer—you do issues Garmin’s approach, otherwise you don’t do them in any respect. (There is a ConnectIQ retailer, nevertheless it’s nothing like what Apple/Samsung/Pixel watches have, with matching name-brand apps on cellphone and watch.) 

Out of the field

The Forerunner 265 field comes with the watch, and a charging cable that plugs into the again (proprietary connector on that finish, USB-C on the opposite).

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

It has 5 buttons. 

• The correct high button (START) begins or stops an exercise. Press this while you’re able to go for a run.

• The correct backside button (BACK) is a lap button. You can even use it to exit out of any menu or display screen.

• The left high button (LIGHT) turns the display screen on or off with a fast press. Lengthy press it, and also you’ll get a menu of shortcuts. Those I exploit most frequently are the pockets for funds and the flashlight, however it’s also possible to entry instruments like a stopwatch or the “discover my cellphone” function.

• The left center (UP) and backside (DOWN) buttons act as up and down arrows to scroll no matter is on the display screen. Generally that is extra handy than utilizing the touchscreen, and a few exercise modes lock the touchscreen anyway.

Lengthy-press the left center button, and also you’ll get a menu that features all of your settings, and clock options like setting alarms or altering the watch face.

You can even set “scorching key” shortcuts for different options. For instance, I’ve it set in order that long-pressing the left backside button brings up the music controls.

Utilizing the watch in on a regular basis life

Watch faces

Like most smartwatches, you may select a face with problems—little icons with knowledge or shortcuts to instruments. My favourite setup reveals my weekly mileage and the time of the subsequent dawn or sundown, plus normal gadgets just like the date, battery degree, and steps I’ve taken. This watch additionally predicts what number of hours till I’m “recovered” from my final exercise, so I’ve a complication for that too (despite the fact that I believe it’s a barely foolish metric, I nonetheless like seeing it.) 

The watch comes with 15 built-in faces, and you may create easy faces your self with an app. There may be additionally a ConnectIQ retailer the place you may obtain or purchase faces that builders have created. All that mentioned, the selection of watch faces is nowhere close to as intensive or as enjoyable as what you may get on, say, an Apple Watch.

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

Glances

Essentially the most enjoyable function (in my view) is what you get while you scroll down from the primary watch face: your “glances.” These are fast views of varied stats. My VO2max and predicted 5K time are on the high of my stack of glances. Do I must see these at any second? In fact not. Do I believe it’s enjoyable to take a look at them? Completely. 

My different glances embody the climate, upcoming occasions from my calendar, races I’ve scheduled for later within the 12 months, upcoming exercises, coaching readiness, HRV standing, and extra. (You may customise this record; there are tons to select from.) Glances are useful for stuff you may need to briefly test on, however that you just don’t need cluttering up your watch face. For every look, you may faucet on it to see extra particulars (for instance, for every upcoming race, the detailed view will let you know the date of that race, the doubtless climate firstly time, and a prediction to your end time based mostly on how your coaching has been going.)

Consolation

I examined the full-size 265, and truthfully the one factor I’d change concerning the consolation of this watch is the dimensions. (If I have been shopping for one for myself, I’d get the 265S). I do admire that it appears to get completely good readings with out being tremendous tight. More often than not, I put on it fairly unfastened, and even then my knowledge is in keeping with what I get with a chest strap. (I do tighten it when working, although, simply in order that it doesn’t bounce round.)

The watch comes with a silicone strap, which isn’t as breathable as a material one, however I really like that I can wash it with cleaning soap within the bathe, depart it on the sink to dry, and by the point I’ve dried myself off, the watch is dry as nicely. 

Some folks discover itching or irritation when sporting a watch 24/7. The watch even comes with directions to contemplate switching wrists periodically. However despite the fact that I’ve delicate pores and skin, I by no means had a problem with this watch. I did discover some itching as soon as, realized it had been a day or two since I’d washed it, and observed some crud close to the sensor. After a fast wash I used to be capable of put on it once more with none points. And, like I mentioned, I’ve worn this factor every single day for 4 months. It will get my seal of approval.

Show

The Forerunner 265 has an AMOLED show. It’s vivid, crisp, and colourful. Till lately, Garmin’s watches used MIP screens. On boards like Reddit, I maintain seeing Garmin devotees say that MIP screens are nice in daylight and so they by no means need to change to AMOLED. 

However I don’t get it. I’ve accomplished loads of runs in blindingly sunny circumstances, with and with out sun shades, and by no means as soon as had a problem studying the display screen. It was at all times vivid and crisp, it doesn’t matter what I used to be doing with it. One unusual factor, although: I attempted to take a photograph of the display screen one sunny day on the pool, and located that the images got here out wanting dim. The display screen was vivid in actual life, although. I’m wondering if the rumor of worse readability happened due to dim images. 

Generally used options

In addition to beginning exercises, or simply utilizing the watch as a timepiece, I don’t discover myself utilizing a ton of different options. I do use the alarms to get up and for reminders (like when my youngsters need to get on the varsity bus), and I’ll change the colour of the watch face every now and then, only for selection. 

The 265 can present some notifications out of your cellphone, though you may’t reply again to texts except you’re on Android. I don’t prefer to get notifications on my watch—I even have most notifications turned off on my cellphone—so this wasn’t an vital function for me.

To get probably the most out of the watch, you’ll need to set up the Garmin Join app. It offers you fast visuals and graphs of all of your metrics, like your coaching readiness and standing, the way you slept final night time, what exercises you have got arising, and extra. That is additionally the place you may view the outcomes of your runs (maps, break up occasions, and many others) and the place you may create exercises or signal your self up for a coaching program. The analytics are adequate it’s possible you’ll need to drop your Strava subscription—however loads of runners use each. 

Taking it for a run

While you need to run with the Forerunner 265, you hit the START button, and choose the kind of exercise you’d like to start out. That’s often “Run” in case you’re a runner, however Observe Run, Treadmill Run, and Path Run are all accessible as nicely. The watch may also monitor power exercises, biking, and extra. 

While you’re on the Run display screen, the watch will typically counsel a exercise so that you can do. You are able to do the exercise, view future exercises and select a type of as a substitute, or dismiss it and do no matter you need—both a “simply run” sort of exercise, or a exercise you have got programmed your self. For instance, I’ve the stylish Norwegian 4×4 programmed as one of many exercises I can choose.

A advised exercise, my favourite run display screen, and a display screen exhibiting the main points of an upcoming run. (These are all completely different runs.)
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

Information fields

There’s a ton of information you may have in your wrist while you run. You’ll need to select your favorites forward of time and create a display screen that shows them. You will get something out of your present altitude to your predicted end time, however most of us will select some mixture of time, distance, tempo, and/or coronary heart price. 

My favourite display screen for on a regular basis runs has the time of day (so I do know if I’m working late, actually, to a deadline or a household accountability), my complete distance (as a result of I’m often making an attempt to hit a goal mileage for the day), my present tempo (some runners desire a mean lap tempo, however I just like the instantaneous one), and a coloured gauge on the backside with my coronary heart price zones.  

If I’m doing an interval exercise, I typically desire a display screen with extra knowledge fields, together with the time and distance of the present lap and the earlier lap. While you run a race, you may prefer to create a PacePro plan with customized splits for each mile that it coaches you thru. You may even program a selected race course, for instance to offer you slower paces on hills.

Creating and following exercises

I discovered myself doing quite a lot of the each day advised exercises. The watch will counsel these for you almost every single day (some days, it suggests a relaxation day) whether or not you’ve arrange a coaching program or not. If you happen to put a race, like a 5K, in your calendar within the app, it’ll maintain that in thoughts when suggesting exercises. I wouldn’t belief main coaching choices to something automated, nevertheless it’s nice for spicing up a exercise routine. My weeks usually had two “base” runs at a gradual tempo, one or two tempo runs or medium-intensity intervals, and perhaps a day with “anaerobic” work like brief sprints. There may also be a two-mile, slow-paced “restoration” run in there someplace. 

As a result of each day advised exercises (DSW, in Garmin parlance) are a function of the watch, not the app, you used to need to push buttons on the watch to see what exercises you had arising. However Garmin lately added a “Garmin Coach” choice to the Join app, which is principally a option to get your DSW on the app as a substitute. If you wish to arrange a coaching plan within the app, you may both select this automated Garmin Coach plan, or a plan for the standard race distance (like a marathon or 5K) that’s designed by Coach Jeff, Coach Greg, or Coach Amy. 

Some screens from the Garmin Join app. Glances, Garmin Coach plan for this week, and tempo and coronary heart price charts from a 4×4 run.
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

You can even create your individual exercises: Go to the Garmin Join app in your cellphone, and choose Extra, then Coaching & Planning, and Exercises. Bear in mind to hit the button that sends the exercise to your watch; that doesn’t occur routinely, for some purpose. As soon as I acquired the cling of it, it was simple to create exercises. As I discussed, I used a customized exercise, full with coronary heart price targets for every part, to do the Norwegian 4×4. I additionally created customized exercises for weightlifting. 

While you do a exercise, the watch reveals you an information display screen particularly for no matter goal you’re supposed to concentrate to, in response to the way in which that exercise is programmed. For instance, if it desires me to run at a ten:20 tempo for 39 minutes, the watch will inform me what number of minutes I’ve left, and present my tempo as being within the inexperienced zone if I’m near 10:20, or within the purple if I’m going too quick or too gradual. It’ll give me an audio alert (by way of my headphones in the event that they’re paired, or by means of my cellphone if not) telling me to hurry up or decelerate. My solely gripe is that it’s not attainable to show these audio alerts off, since they’re tremendous disruptive if I’m making an attempt to concentrate to a podcast or audiobook. 

Utilizing laps

The bodily lap button is likely one of the finest issues about utilizing a Garmin moderately than a phone-centric smartwatch. I can hit the button as quickly as I would like the lap to start out or finish, moderately than flicking my wrist to activate the show, visually finding the button I need to press, after which hoping that it registers my finger on the primary faucet. (This may increasingly sound simple, however once I’m sweaty and shaking on the finish of a quick 400, I’ve needed to poke my Apple Watch far too many occasions earlier than it registered, that means my lap time could be a number of seconds off.) 

You can even program a exercise, or use a built-in exercise. For instance, to check my mile time, I can provide myself a warmup after which inform it to start out a 1-mile lap once I press the lap button. The watch retains monitor of distance, and routinely ends the lap (and declares it’s doing so) once I’ve lined precisely one mile. 

After the run

Three of the screens you may see after a run (these have been from three completely different runs).
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

While you end a run or exercise, the watch will ask you the way exhausting a exercise it was, and the way robust you felt. (You may flip this off in case you don’t need it.) The watch then shows a number of screens of statistics: not simply your tempo and distance, but in addition a gauge of how a lot cardio and anaerobic work it thinks you bought from it, what kind of coaching profit (was it a base run or a tempo run?), and an replace of your VO2max if acceptable. VO2max is measured based mostly in your coronary heart price relative to how briskly you have been going in response to GPS, so it gained’t change after treadmill runs or different indoor work. You could need to flip off VO2max estimations for path runs, in order that while you decelerate on hills it gained’t suppose you immediately acquired much less match. 

Treadmill runs

I beloved the treadmill function for regular runs, however discovered it infuriating if I needed to observe any sort of interval program. On the finish of a treadmill run you may “calibrate” by getting into the precise distance displayed on the treadmill display screen. So, for instance, if the watch thinks you went 4.87 miles, however you really ran 5.0, you may enter 5.0 and your paces and mileage will alter. The watch additionally remembers this—principally, how the movement of your watch corresponded to your tempo—and might use it to extra precisely gauge your tempo and distance subsequent time. 

However that is only a band-aid repair for what’s actually an unsolvable downside. A watch, using in your wrist, can not know the way quick your ft are going. It could actually get a way of how a lot wrist-bouncing correlates to an 11-minute-per-mile tempo, however that doesn’t imply that it’s going to perceive what’s happening while you run an eight-minute tempo or while you gradual to a stroll (or, worse but, relaxation your hand on the handrail). I discovered that interval exercises have been principally not possible to observe. The watch would suppose I used to be going too gradual, so I’d exaggeratedly pump my arms and it will typically, perhaps, consider me that I was really going the programmed tempo. 

I want there have been a option to flip off the “too gradual”/ “too quick” alerts for the exercises the watch creates, however there isn’t. The very best answer I discovered was to jot down the occasions and paces from the exercise, after which create a brand new customized exercise with none tempo targets, and run that. 

Racing with the Forerunner 265

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

I am an on-and-off runner, and once I first buckled into the Forerunner 265, I used to be only some months into my newest “on” part. Since I did not have any critical aggressive targets, I ignored a few of its advised exercises however did others, every time the temper struck me. And over time, I observed its prediction of my 5K time was trending additional and additional downward. The paces it programmed for my “base” runs have been happening, as nicely. Was I turning into a sooner runner? It positive appeared prefer it! And whereas I ought to most likely take a lot of the credit score myself, I am unable to assist however acknowledge that the watch helped me by exhibiting how a lot progress I would been making. And the watch face complication that reveals my weekly mileage was a continuing reminder that I had the ability to remain constant in my coaching.

I do suppose I ran extra miles, extra constantly, and with tougher exercises, than I doubtless would have accomplished alone. As my health improved, and the climate cooled down, I began to note my predicted 5K time was dropping quick. It was over half-hour; then it was 29, 28, 27…

I do know to not learn an excessive amount of into any sort of prediction. From what I’ve seen on boards, most individuals discover the predictions a bit too optimistic. However I began to marvel how briskly I might actually run a 5K, so I ended up signing up for one. The day earlier than the race, my watch advised me I used to be able to working 25:50. May that be true?

I created a PacePro plan for 26 minutes, with destructive splits, however on race morning I made a decision I used to be too skeptical of the prediction to place that a lot religion in it. As an alternative, I simply hit the “run” button and used the identical knowledge display screen as for my coaching runs. Shockingly, I discovered myself holding a sooner tempo, for longer, than I ever had throughout my complete season of coaching up to now. I completed in 26:04, simply 14 seconds off the prediction.

Mockingly, I forgot to pause my watch instantly, and the GPS shaved off a little bit of a nook that I had not really minimize in actual life. So my watch thinks I ran 3.09 miles in 26:14, and didn’t credit score me with a 5K PR. However I acquired a medal for being first in my age group, so it is exhausting to be too mad.

Remaining ideas

I’ll say it once more: this can be a nice look ahead to runners. The Forerunner 2xx line might be the most well-liked line of working watches on the market, with mega-popular working app Strava reporting that the highest working system amongst its customers in 2023 was the Forerunner 235 worldwide, and the 245 Music within the U.S. (Amongst older Forerunners, music storage was an additional function; as of the 265, it’s normal on all fashions.) Not solely does this statistic let you know it’s a well-liked line of watches, however the reputation of the older fashions is a testomony to the Forerunner’s sturdiness and continued utility over time. 

I discovered that the 265 did all the things I wanted a working watch to do, plus it offered tons of fascinating knowledge unobtrusively. If you happen to don’t care about your HRV, you may disguise that look. If you happen to don’t need each day exercise solutions, you may flip these off. I discover the way in which it presents its HRV scores to be probably the most helpful and readable of any gadget on the market (and I’ve examined a number of!) 

Finally I really feel I can suggest this watch to any runner or athlete. It can save you cash by going with the Forerunner 55, and nonetheless get a lot of the key options (no HRV or coaching readiness). Or you may splurge on a fancier watch. However the 265 is the candy spot of the road, this line is the candy spot (for runners) amongst Garmins, and Garmin is the gold normal for athletic smartwatches. That is the watch that each different working watch has to face off towards. Good luck to them; will probably be a troublesome competitors.