FitBit-of-a-let-down

TL:DR Summary: There are a lot of nice things about the FitBit Charge 2 but they don't make up for the substandard construction and the fact it is sold as having features which are not actually fully available to all users.

First post in an absolute age! I've not really been very successful at training for much for the past couple of years; depression, anxiety, tiredness, busy-ness.... all of these conspired to take me off the trail and onto the sofa. However, I decided that 2018 was going to be my year to pull it back before I hit the literal middle of my 30s. And I've achieved a lot, I'm pretty pleased with myself which is not a familiar feeling for me. I am going to write more positive posts later about what's worked for me and how & why I think things have improved.

But why not start on a slightly negative note?! After all, that way, things can only move on up.

Let's talk about fitness trackers.

Early in the year, I made, what for me was, a big choice to invest in a fitness tracker. Big, because I basically work for myself and have very little in the way of cashflow. Apparently, starting a social enterprise doesn't make you rich, so dropping £100+ on something means I have to go without something else. That's obviously fine, if the benefits outweigh the cost, so I made sure to do my due diligence I put some time into research, and the FitBit Charge 2 seemed to fit best with what I wanted namely:

• Step counting
• Activity monitoring
• Heart rate recording
• GPS tracking (through your phone)
• Partial phone notifications
• And crucially; Windows Phone connectivity

(Aside: for what it's worth, I know the snort of derision you just let out. I hear it every day and tbh I'm kind of over it. Yeah, I've still got a Windows Phone - why the.... why would I waste the resources (both mine and the world's) on getting a new phone when I have one that functions well? Basically the only reason is: app writers don't write apps for my phone any more - that's not my phone's fault. We're mates, we've been through a lot together. 20 years straight with a Nokia phone; it'll be a difficult break when it happens. /end rant)

Aiight so the Charge 2: pretty enamoured with it, for a few hours. Before I launch into the moaning, let me lay out some general likes & dislikes.....

I like:

1. The app
2. The range of activities covered
3. Auto-detection of exercise (especially for walking)
4. The silent alarms/notifications
5. The hourly notifications to move
6. Active minutes tracking (mostly)
7. Sleep-tracking, though I'm not sure how much I trust it
8. Battery life is decent
9. Reasonable accuracy of HR detection - at slower rates anyway

I dislike: 

1. The heart-rate monitoring "tops out" at a certain level, maybe about 177 bpm, which I definitely go above when training really hard. Perhaps this is due to sampling errors, or maybe the tracker can't believe my heart can work that hard and still function (SURPRISE FitBit, this heart is an absolute beast) 
2. The fact it records steps when you're asleep (what??)... only like 20-50 but still, how difficult is it to NOT record steps when the tracker think you're sleeping??
3. The ridiculous number of extra steps it records when I'm getting dressed or folding stuff - we're talking a couple of hundred if I've got a couple of loads of washing to fold
4. Proprietary charger means you gotta remember to take your one charger with you or end up with data-less days (and a data-less day is a sad day for Angries)

But...

Despite its claims it does NOT have full WP connectivity, so I was basically mis-sold it. It does connect to update the app, but it cannot use the phone's GPS for activity tracking or phone notifications. When I raised the issue I was told they were working on it and it could well be fixed (spoiler alert: it hasn't been), and I was given a 6 month subscription to FitBit premium which is kind of pointless after about a day. I don't really get why anyone would pay the monthly fee for this service - mostly what I get out of it is a daily total from calories-from-activity, which would really be better that the calories-from-time-in-heart-rate-zones available on the app.

In addition to not being able to track using GPS, there is no way to alter the length of your running gait, so FitBit underestimates my running distances by around 10-20% (I know this because I have to wear my trusted Garmin Forerunner 410 as well for running or cycling if I've any interest in distances covered).

I could have put up with that happily though. I'm used to a crappier service from everyone. Really the only issue here i that I felt FitBit had purposefully mis-led me.

But then.

Within 3 months, the screen had cracked.

 

10th May - after purchasing on 29th January

17th July - cracks more pronounced and strap coming apart

Now - at less than 6 months old - the strap is coming apart, the screen has continued to crack, it's less responsive to finger taps (which is how it's controlled), it no longer gives me details of activities after I've finished them and I'm pretty sure it's underestimating my steps by around 10%. It's DEFINITELY underestimating the number of floors I've climbed, and I'm worried about it getting at all splashed because that could be the end of it. Not being funny, but these things should be supposed to last for years.

When I raised this issue with FitBit, I was told in no uncertain terms that this was NOT covered because this was user damage - it is not; no specific impact caused this to happen - or wear & tear. Let me just lay it out: if this sort of damage is counted as wear & tear within 3 months, this has not been designed with sufficient resilience for the purpose for which it's intended. In refusing to accept this, FitBit have effectively said that a) I am lying and/or b) they have not used sufficiently hard-wearing materials or design. Given that this is a fitness tracker, likely to be worn by active people, which they literally advise you to wear as much as you can, and that I do not have a particularly hard-wearing life and if I do activities like DIY which are more likely to result in damage, I take care to protect the tracker, or - more usually - take it off..... given all this, I think it's beyond unreasonable to shirk any responsibility for mis-selling a piece of kit.

They wouldn't budge - they had the gall to offer me a discount off a new tracker, but couldn't tell me why I'd buy something else from them when my only purchase so far has proved so disappointing.

Basically.... it has helped my fitness but I kind of wish I hadn't been effectively forced into choosing a FitBit and instead had been able to go with a Garmin. Obviously my next phone will not be Windows system at which point I'll have free choice, but I'll definitely be going with another make.

All-in-all; I'm not surprised FitBit are losing their lions' share of the fitness tracker market if they consider the Charge 2 to be a decent piece of wearable fitness for anyone with a vaguely active life.

Motivation

So; my first milestone is less than a week away. On Saturday morning, I will run the Cardiff Race for Life 10 km. It's not my main goal, but it is an important stepping-stone objective towards completing the half-marathon for which all this training is aimed, in October.

My training was going very well - I started running 4 times a week, including a longer run at weekends, and still managing to do other exertion-related activities, such as a 25 mile bike ride to the beach, and (almost) weekly circuits classes. However, I have found the strength of my motivation to be fairly undulating. I want to say; "like a rollercoaster"; but that implies sudden changes, speed, and much more fun..!

Early on, as I was began to pay attention to my training plan, it was very difficult to persuade myself that I a) could and b) wanted to run four times a week. After a couple weeks of persuasion from both me, and those around me, I managed to do a couple of weeks of the full amount of training that I had set myself. I thought I'd cracked it, and I was very pleased with myself.

Sadly, it was not to continue.

A number of factors have concerted to create obstacles (both actual and perceived) - some family issues, busy weekends, muscle fatigue, rubbish weather, slight illness and a less-than-ideally regimented diet (this is an ongoing concern and one that I will blog about in the future - once I figure it out!) have left me feeling a little washed out and, critically, not motivated enough to get out there and hit the road as much as I need to. I am telling myself right now that I can make all the excuses that I want: the fact is that I won't be able to do this run in the time that I wanted to. That's a bit disappointing - but failure can be more important than success in many situations, and I need to take that annoyance at myself and channel it into positive internal motivation, as I begin training for the biggie.

The positive summation of the last few weeks is: I've consistently been running longer distances at regular intervals (I've only missed one weekend run so far), my average speed is going up slightly, and coupled with the previous fact, this is even better than it seems. I have managed to overcome the internal naysayer on many runs (that niggling voice that says "you'd better just turn back now, otherwise you're going to be CRAWLING home!") . I'm already noticing the weight loss, and how the first couple of km at least feel much easier than they used to. I've really enjoyed being outside on a few of the runs, despite one run in a massive downpour, for which I was soaked to the skin for the entire 11km, and another where I inadvertently ended up splashing through very muddy puddles. So far I have managed to avoid any kind of injury - whilst parts of me niggle during runs, they are never the same parts on consecutive runs. And I've got the hang of my running watch, pretty much - which will be another post that hopefully writes itself!

A tale of good intentions

Good intentions were so nearly borne out last week! Runs timetabled looked like this:

Mon: 4.8km easy
Tues: 30 min pace
Thurs: 30 min easy
Sat: 8km

Actual runs looked like: Monday, TICK! Tuesday, TICK! Thursday, uuuurgh, TICK! Saturday, WOOPWOOP, mah sister is in TOWN and we are going to celebrate the jubilee by drinking and eating patriotically-coloured M&Ms!! So the good intentions struggled, and compromised on Sunday. However, the persistent summer rain on Sunday put paid to all that nonsense, and the 8km was bumped to Monday (actually was 7.5) & followed up with a 5km run Weds. This was a bit disappointing - whilst I kept to a reasonable steady pace for both runs, and manage to prolong the time I ran before walking to about 23 minutes, I did this at the expense of average speed. It seems counter-intuitive that I would end up going slower if I keep running, but I suppose this is just a fluctuation that should be sorted out as my training continues and I manage increase both pace and my jog-to-walk ratio.

The main issue yesterday seemed to be the outside sides of my thighs, which hopefully is just overuse and not Iliotibial band syndrome (It's hard not to be a hypochondriac when looking at medical information online). The thing which caught my attention is the propensity of flat-footed runners to experience this - I am very flat-footed and over-pronate (my foot rolls inwards). When it's muddy, I somehow always end up with a great splash of mud on my ankles or trousers from kicking it up with my wonky feet. I did buy nice fancy trainers from Run & Become which seem to have helped a bit, but I was a little worried at this new pain - however, whilst I could feel a concentrated ache running up both thighs for most of the day afterwards, it seems to have faded almost entirely now.

Happily, today is a rest day (and my birthday :-D) so I will take a walk and do a little yoga, eat plenty of cake and have a little cava and I reckon that should sort things out. I'm off to London for the weekend, and my training plan demands a 9.5 km run and a 30 minute "pace" run - no idea when I'm going to fit them in with the rain and the travelling. I've a few 5-ish km runs recorded with MapMyRun around where my sister lives, but what would REALLY help me out would be a GPS running watch - for which I am planning to pony up the money. I am undecided so far but Garmin seem to get consistently good reviews. I've been looking at either the 305 and the 405CX, but that'll quite possibly change before I manage to click that "Buy" button.... will report on developments as they arise....

It's what time already?!

Argh! What a few weeks - a combination of work trips, long days and illness I've finally found the time to think about writing and starting my training - and just in time. I found, to my slightly aghast surprise, that my proposed training scheme begins this week. I'm actually a little disappointed as I was hoping to have a couple of weeks of doing other things, like a couple of classes (more below), some swimming and cycling, without having to take into account fitting in a certain amount of required running. However, now it looks like I'm just going to have to fit it all in. My BF will be pleased when he finds out he's going to have to a) cook my dinner, b) do with less of my company and c) watch me begin to force-feed myself high-protein foods. What a lucky, lucky man.

The first week's schedule is thus:
Monday: 3.2 km easy
Tuesday: 30 mins tempo
Thursday: 30 mins easy
Saturday: 4km

However, since I have managed to start the week incorrectly, it'll be more like this:
Monday: 5km/34 min + circuits class
Wednesday: Fitness yoga
Thursday: 30 mins tempo
Saturday: 5km

A poor substitute possibly, but what can you do? Next week I will toe the line - that is my promise to 10-kilometre-Angharad. She have some choice words for May-Angharad if not....

Today I am happily aching from attending circuits last night. This is a great class for anyone who enjoys pummelling themselves into the ground, sweating beyond any level of decency, and staring at their class partner with a look that incorporates many emotions: tiredness, pain, resentment, fear of collapse and/or death. I go to this class because for some reason, I take the sign that I have very poor upper-body strength to mean that I should attend a class in which the instructor's predilection for push ups in a variety of guises (and who knew there were so many?*) verges on obsession. Also because, when my mate asks me if I want to join her, I can't say no because then I would be a wimp. A giant, lazy, wimp. I have been said wimp for a while, and haven't been for several months. MAN and I'm paying for it now. However, the last time I frequented this class for sustained amount of time, I really did notice the difference to my arms within a few sessions, so given the complete lack of upper-body training in the rest of my life, I guess I'm just going to have to write it in the Filofax (yes, a real Filofax) every Monday from here onwards. I'd cheer, but I'm afraid I haven't the energy.

Bye then. I'm off to lie down for a bit, in order that I might rest my arms sufficiently to make dinner...

*push ups, planks, side planks, burpees (THESE ARE THE WORST THINGS EVER INVENTED!), push-up-and-row, 5 push ups and sprint, sprint starts, tricep dips, squat thrusts....

Second step on a 13.1 mile journey

Once again I'm dipping my toes into the blogosphere (previous travel blog here) although sadly I'm no longer travelling around the world, so I suppose I will have to up the stakes in terms of actual writing quality.

I decided to start this blog as I've recently taken a decision to achieve what until recently I would have assumed to be impossible, and run the 2012 Cardiff Half Marathon. This may not seem a big step but for years I have assumed I am lazy, overweight and incapable of achieving significant physical milestones such as this. I did a 5 km run years ago when I was first told I should lose weight, and it worked, and massively improved the way in which I see myself. But I never would have run longer distances - 5 k or 30 minutes was really my limit.

Then, a couple of years ago, the unthinkable happened and my wonderful father, to whom I was extremely close, died suddenly in a freak hot-air balloon accident. It sounds like ridiculous fiction; it's true. This is not the post in which to write how I felt about that - maybe that will come in the future. However, suffice to say, I found one of the only things that would let me escape my own internal monologue was completely exhausting myself through running, and so I took it up again.

For the last 2 years or so I have kept a spreadsheet with my speeds and distances, because that is the kind of dork I am (and proud of it) so I can track my improvements, which are small but significant.

Last year I entered the Race for Life 10 km in Clapham, London. Unfortunately, the course was messed up and I didn't actually end up running the full distance. Not achieving my very simple goal (RUN TEN KILOMETRES, IDEALLY IN SIXTY MINUTES!) just meant that I promptly had to enter another race in Cardiff. This one I completed, in 67 minutes. The very fact that this was achievable set me to wondering whether all the people who had exclaimed to me how surprisingly easy it was to run 13.1 miles may actually be right in assuming that the same might be the case for me. So it was that 3 days ago I finally bit the bullet and entered myself and my wonderous friend Sophie into the Cardiff half.

It's a long time away however (7 months and counting), so I need to get a ball of motivation rolling, and build up such momentum that I can hit my targets and achieve the formerly-impossible. To help me in that, I've decided to write about my next few months, including the highs and the lows and various & numerous opinions about the world, even if it's just for my own personal posterity. Alright, mine and my mum's....