Looking for a speed/distance/pace monitor. Suggestions?

I'm trying to do more running outside. I'd like to get a watch thingy that will track my speed (both current & average) and distance. I'd be nice, but less important, to have heartrate and calorie burn as well. I don't have an iphone or fancy computer uploading needs. Something simple.
I've been looking around online and there seems to have a wide range of prices - $200-$500! And I can't tell what all is included. If you need to buy a "footpod" or "chest-strap" to make some work right, or if they're included, or not necessary.
Any feedback on what you runners use, the pros and cons, and suggestions would be appreciated!

I have a Garmin Forerunner 305. It came with a heart rate monitor chest strap, but I wound up losing it and decided to upgrade the nicer version.

You only need the chest strap for the heart rate monitor.

The foot pod is an optional accessory. That will allow you to determine your cadence-- how many steps per minute you're taking. I don't have one yet, but may order one soon.

I always set mine to display elapsed time (and heart rate), but I believe it can display speed and distance in realtime. I always just drop it into the cradle when I get home and let the computer suck it in-- I like being able to see all of the information afterward.

I have a Garmin Forerunner FR60. I got mine at a Sam's Club store about a year ago for about $125 & it came with the HRM & footpod. The footpod is necessary to measure your distance/speed, otherwise it's just a stopwatch. The chest strap I only started using recently, but I wish I'd started sooner. It's cool to be able to look at the watch during my runs & see all of my stats. For some newer models, you can program workouts on the website & transfer them to the watch - you have the option of opening a free GarminConnect account to upload & view your data online. You don't HAVE to, but at some point your watch memory will get full & you'll have to dump it yourself in order to track new workouts. On the website you can create custom interval workouts so that you hear a beep when it's time to switch to the next interval, & on newer models you can push these workouts wirelessly to the watch. Unfortunately my model is too old for that, but I can manually program one into the watch. It only stores the one tho. I love my Garmin, use it all the time.

I am trying to figure out if any of the heart rate monitors caculate your average rate for a workout, as well as displaying the current rate during the work out. Is that a standard feature?

Yes; they not only give you a real-time display of your HR, but they give you an average HR for your workout, as well as the percentage of time that you spent in the "zone" as long as you have your upper and lower limits set. Most of them also double as an interval timer, so you can run until your heart rate reaches a certain rate, rest for a certain amount of time, and then repeat for however many iterations you program in. Most can also be set as an interval timer based strictly on minutes or secondes. Top of the line ones like the Garmin 405, with built-in GPS give you a virtual training partner - an animated figure that runs alongside your animated figure at a pre-programmed pace. And will upload the data for your run, and allow you to graph and analyze your workouts. Works inside and out (but not the GPS part). I don't know if you want one that sophisticated or not, but it was listed on Amazon.com for about $159.00 because a newer model is out. Hope this helps.

accupedo app is excellent and free and can be downloaded on any smartphone

Nike Boom with the pod insert that tracks to the iPod touch is wonderful! Does not do heart rate, but keeps track of your workout.

If you have an iPhone or Android there is a nice app I use called cardio trainer. It has multiple methods of measuring pace, cadence, etc. It can do it based on cadence and stride length (like a cheap pedometer) or it can use your phone's built in GPS to do it. Both methods aren't really great accuracy, but they do a good enough job to track progress.

If you want heart rate, it will work with a Polar heart rate monitor using blue tooth.

Erika2633 was gifted that Polar FT60F HRM which she just loves. Coach Cort has a different HRM that her sister Natalie gave her. Cort, is tht the same Garmin? Pam (Skinnyfuture) and Erika also use the Nike+ sensor. Maybe they'll weigh in here or you can PM them, Jess. Erika wrote all about her Polar FT60 and put a on her pic on her February 1 journal in response to a question I asked about it.

thanks. i got to see a couple my friends have at a race this weekend.

I use the Garmine Forerunner 405CX. If you're planning on running outside, I highly reccomend it (No footpod needed for outdoors!) It comes with the Heart Rate Monitor chest strap to track heart rate and calories burned. It uses GPS for distance, and also can track time, pace, and pretty much anything you can imagine. It has auto-scroll, so it scrolls through and displays whichever items you would like to look at while out on your run. The cool thing about this watch is it's very customizable in terms of what data you would like to use. Plus, you get to upload everything automatically to the Garmin website and displays all of your run info. It's great! If you have any other questions, let me know.

If you have a smart phone adidas makes a great running app called micoach. Its free and works off pace zones. It logs your routes, elevation changes and pace. It also syncs to the web after your workout and you can pull up old workouts right on the phone. It will also keep track of your shoe mileage.

I feel like a Transformer when I head out for a run.. I have my Polar HRM (chest strap and watch) and my Nike+ app on my iPod which syncs with the Nike+ sensor that is attached to my shoe.

The Polar FT60 HRM lets me make sure I'm in the right 'zone' for my training and shows me my current heart rate/HR zone and time elapsed on my workout, and then gives me a summary at the end of my workout (average HR, max HR, time in each HR zone, calories burned, % fat burned, etc.) I use this every time I workout, whether it's Zumba, spin class, or running..

The Nike+ app has been very helpful for my run training - you can set goals for time, distance, or calories, and it gauges your run based on your strides (that's why you need the sensor attached to your shoe - they say it's calibrated correctly for the majority of people straight out of the box otherwise you can calibrate it to your strides after a run where you know the exact distance) - the nice thing about this (as opposed to the gadgets that use GPS) is that you can also use it indoors on a treadmill (even though the treadmill tells you how far you've gone, I always like to see it in my running log on the Nike+ website). Since it goes through your iPod, you can choose the playlist that you'd like to listen to while you run, and then when you push the 'home' button on your iPod at any time during your run, it will give you your distance covered, time elapsed, and current pace. It will also automatically tell you when you are at the halfway point of your run and when you have 400 meters left to go (and 300, 200, 100 meters, and then congratulates you when you finish). It also wirelessly syncs your runs to the Nike+ website once your iPod is connected to wifi. You can then record how the run felt (great, so-so, tough, bad), where you ran (treadmill, trail, road), and what the weather was like (cloudy, sunny, rainy, etc.) so that you can look back on that. It will give you your average pace and give you a breakdown of your average pace for each mile that you ran..

thanks for the info. I don't have a smartphone, and don't plan to get one. the iPod I have is an older model that was given to me from a friend.

I think the Nike+ will work with the older ipod - it even works with a nano...

The advantage of the Nike+ is .. Once you have purchased the sensor, (they are notntha expensive) use of the website is free. Nike say you need the Nike + Trainers for it to work -they have a little well in the sole, where that the sensor fits into. (I do have them - but only because I needed some new trainers AND the were the most comfortable.) I know on the web, they sell "pouches" that the sensor fits into - then you can wear the trainers you want to. Erika has given a very good description of how it works. I love mine - and as Erika points out ... You can use it on the treadmill, so you have a full record of your runs and progress, inside or out.

I also have the Nike+. It is probably the cheapest out of the above options and doesn't need any fancy electronic equipment. It has a wristband which records all running info. There is a small sensor that you put in your shoe which counts steps and distance. I don't have the Nike shoe, I wrap it into a small sock and put it into my running socks as it has to be upright when you run. The wristband has a USB thingy to plug into any computer. It downloads your running info onto the free website. There are great graphs to track your progress, this includes calorie expenditure. Highly recommended!

That's what I have - the little pouch holds the sensor and you just weave it right under your shoelace and velcro it shut and it just sits on top of your shoe! I don't even notice that I have it on..

HAS ANYONE PURCHASED TO NIKE FUEL BAND YET??

I AM DYING TO GET ONE.

I ordered mine yesterday. A Garmin 405CX from Amazon.com for $179.99