Training For Your Next Race? Garmin’s New Forerunners Could Level Up Your Training

by Women's Health | Partnerships, Tech & Gear

Garmin Forerunners 170 Running Smartwatch

Fresh off another huge marathon season, it’s safe to say running fever isn’t slowing down anytime soon. So whether you already have your eye on your next race or you’re finally committing to that couch-to-5K plan, Garmin’s new Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170 are designed to make training feel simpler, smarter and way more intuitive.

What’s The Difference Between The Models?

Both watches pair easy-to-use running tools with more advanced training insights, alongside wellness features like sleep tracking, recovery metrics and heart rate monitoring. You’ll also get a bright 1.2-inch AMOLED display, touchscreen functionality and battery life that won’t have you reaching for the charger every night.

Best For New Runners: Forerunner 70

Built-in GPS, pace, distance and wrist-based heart rate tracking
Garmin Coach adaptive training plans and daily suggested workouts
Up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode

Best For More Serious Training: Forerunner 170

Everything you get on the Forerunner 70, plus…
Includes Garmin Pay for contactless payments mid-run
Available in a Music version for phone-free playlists and podcasts
More premium training and lifestyle features for runners wanting extra functionality

“Purposefully designed with everything a runner needs to start their running journey, Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170 include premium running and training features pulled in from our more advanced Forerunners, plus popular health and wellness metrics. No matter the goal, these smartwatches are the perfect tools to help new and aspiring runners alike make every step count.”
Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing

Forerunner 70

Loaded with features for runners of all levels, Forerunner 70 is ready for every step of the journey.

Train with the essentials, including built-in GPS, time, distance, pace and wrist-based heart rate.
New quick workouts simplify training by creating workout suggestions tailored to a runner’s fitness level and require minimal input to set up: just desired time and intensity level.
Train for an event, achieve a milestone or improve fitness with Garmin Coach training plans that adapt daily based on health and recovery metrics. In addition to popular plans for more intense training, Garmin Run Coach provides new plans with run/walk workouts and lower volume training.
Receive daily suggested workouts – including new run/walk workouts – that adapt after every run to match performance and recovery.
Dial in with advanced training features powered by the Garmin Human Performance Lab, including training readiness, training status, wrist-based running power and running dynamics. And tap into more than 80 built-in sports apps, including swimming, cycling, strength training and more to stay active in different ways.
Monitor overall health and wellness 24/7 with advanced sleep tracking, sleep coach, breathing variations, heart rate variability (HRV) status, Pulse Ox, lifestyle logging and Health Status.
Stay connected with smart notifications, safety and tracking features, LiveTrack and more.

Forerunner 70 features up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and is offered in fun and popular colours like citron, cool lavender, black and whitestone.

Forerunner 170

Building upon Forerunner 70, Forerunner 170 adds on-the-go features like Garmin Pay™ contactless payments so runners can stop for a mid-run snack or water bottle and quickly pay from their wrist (with a supported bank and payment network). And for those who like to energise their runs by listening to their favourite playlists, Forerunner 170 Music lets users download songs, podcasts and more from popular third-party music services (subscription required) right to their watch to listen phone-free with wireless headphones.

Both Forerunner 170 and Forerunner 170 Music get up to 10 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and are offered in black with a black/amp yellow band and whitestone with a whitestone/cloud blue band. Forerunner 170 Music also comes in vibrant colours like teal green with a teal green/citron band and red pink with a red pink/mango band.